Girls stick together to And "If the skies above you are gray, and you're feeling so blue..." To many, this song is an old, wellloved hymn, butto girls who lived on Sears' frrst floor during the fall of 1998, it was the signal to gather for fellowship and worship. To have God in the center of the first relationships you make at school is important during your entire Harding career and beyond. One group of girls realized this and acted on the realization by starting a hall devo their freshman year, and it is still thriving. The girls decided to get together Monday nights after curfew to start the week out right. The first devo was just a few girls singing, but a sign was always kept up announcing the devo, which a different girl led every week. The girls talked about God's plan for them, the future, relationships and stress during fmals week. They discussed looking forward to heaven and searched their favorite scriptures. "One special thing we do is keep prayer journals," junior Elaine Keller said. "At the end of the year we go back and look at the requests. !t is so John Barton, missionary in Jinja, Uganda, speaks at the All-School Retreat, Aug. 25. The annual retreat at the White County Fairgrounds kicked off the year with a time of praise. fellowship and prayer. Photo by Ashlee Johnson. Spiritual Life Student Life awesome to see how God·has worked in our lives. Even if he didn't work it out the way we wanted, he always works the situation out for the best." "The hall devo has helped me grow closer to the girls and God," junior Becky Whittington said. "!tis great to . knowthatIcan trust the girls with my prayer requests and they will be prayer warriors on my behalf." "This has increased my spiritual life," Keller said. "!tis the highlight of my week. 1never miss it, eventhough making it there is harder since we are all in different dorms." "These girls have helped me be more open to spiritual matters," said junior Rachel Gurm. "I never said prayers out loud and now !lead them. !t has made me more comfortable in discussing spiritual matters with others. The best part is the prayer time - knowing that those girls care about me and are praying for me." The girls still gather once a week to worship God and uplift each other. Even though it is harder to get together, they still say it is the most important part of their week. - Jody Knight Student Association President Matt Milligan gives a charge to the student body during convocation chapel, Aug. 22. Chapel was a time of daily spiritual focus for students and faculty. Photo by Daniel Dubois.
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