I Will Praise You in this Storm

Myrtle Beach SC Feast 2015

This year’s Feast started out like any other Feast, but it turned out to be the one I will always remember very well. You remember something about every Feast; some years take a bit longer to recall than others. Well, Feast 2015 was the year of the hurricane and flood. We knew hurricane Erika was out there. She stayed out there for days. We talked about her and we prayed about it. Little did we know she was the least of our worries. Our prayers were that she head back out to sea and dissipate.Well, the storm that pushed her away brought a flood that South Carolina had not seen in very long time.

This historic flood brought all 200 of us close together as the family we are meant to be. During services when the ceiling started to leak people just slid over and the ushers brought a bucket. When the choir was singing they just took a step back. We did not let it get us down. Some of the stores started to close early and those who were able to drive in the rising water called to see if people needed things from the store. Teens and preteens stood outside with signs to show where the parking garage was and told people the best places to park to stay dry.

We were still able to have the women’s luncheon, where we could talk to other ladies we may not see much of during the Feast. We laughed, joked, learned, and prayed together. We had the Parents Night Out & Kids’ Carnival where we give the children lots of pizza and sugar and then give them back to their parents. (Just kidding.) The kids played, ate, and had a good time. The volleyball cookout was nice, but we were not able to get out and play like we normally do, although the Canadians did get out there and had a blast until the lighting started. It was so much fun to see everyone laughing and playing in the monsoon we were having. For those that wanted to, we ended up playing board games and got to know people a little better. The Ice Cream Social was a huge hit. We had a karaoke machine and played requests. We found out how much talent we have that’s been hiding. We had such a great time that next year we are going to lengthen the time a bit. The Family Fun Show was a hit as always. We learned all about the new math, planning a funeral, and Elvis even stopped by. We also had the Family Dance and we had a fantastic turn out. We danced the Chicken Dance, a number of line dances, and a few even did the Squeeze. We finished off that night with America the Beautiful that had a bit of O Canada in the background.

The Sermons were deep and moving. Some made us laugh and others made us cry. The Infuse messages all seemed to come back to communicating. This year was the start of Ignite, a teen class. The teens really opened up this year and we started building friendships that will last a lifetime.

One of the days the parents look forward to is Youth Day. We have the blessing of the little children and a children’s choir. This year the children did two songs and then Ignite came and stood behind them followed by Infuse. We all stood there—the little children, the older children, the teens, and the young adults. This touched me as I walked out there with the other Infusers and I saw how many of us there were: my son standing behind my daughter, a teen behind him, and my husband and I behind him—so many of us standing as one, praising God. Infuse is about

building relationships with people and giving a place to the young adults. Seeing the pictures of all of us up there: the Infusers having the backs of the teens, the teens having the backs of the older children, and them standing behind the little children holding their hands or telling them to stop picking and throwing the flowers was so touching. I know I am not doing the moment justice.

Later in the day we waded through the rising water to go two hotels over and watch two couples be baptized. It just made the day that much more special.

At this Feast we did not get to the ocean or the stores or do all the activities we like to do every year, but we stayed closer to our brethren and truly became family.