“Come on, Mom! If we want to have a little time at Belk’s before the event we had better hurry it up!”

 

“I’m just getting my shoes on, and I’ll be ready to go. Now where exactly is the church that is hosting?”

 

We scurried out the door to Morristown and had time to do a little shopping before we arrived at Manley Baptist for the Girl’s Night Out. As we wheeled into the parking lot I was surprised by all the cars. At first glance I spied a food truck and a coffee truck; it was definitely shaping up to be a night of a fun.

 

Next, we found Amy, who was meeting us there, and then started to make the rounds. Melinda knew several people, and although I didn’t, everyone was so friendly and welcoming that I felt right at home.  We started at the photo booth and definitely cut up in there. The video we left with was hilarious!

 

The food truck had a very long line so I went on to the flower shop area. Anyone who was so inclined could chose from a beautiful array of flowers for a bouquet. I talked to several ladies as I roved around from booth to booth and was thoroughly enjoying myself.

 

It was evident from the steady buzz of conversation with frequent bursts of laughter the folks at Manley had a hit on their hands. I signed up for a door prize not thinking for a moment that I would win with hundreds of women in attendance, but why not, I thought.

 

After a while, the delicious aroma from the food truck and the shortening line urged me to get a quick bite before the program started. The chicken kabob I ordered was downright delicious and worth the wait, but before I got my order my phone dinged with a message from Melinda that the worship portion of the program had begun, and they were saving me a seat.

 

As I sat in the lobby wolfing down a bit of my food I heard my name over the sound system. How about that? I won a door prize! Good thing I quickly texted Melinda because she shot back that “possession is nine-tenths of the law”. I thought I might have to pry my prize from her sticky fingers, but she gave up without a fight!

 

The sweet young ladies at the coffee bar stored my food, and I found my place next to Amy and Melinda.

 

Have you experienced moments when you felt the Holy Spirit so strongly that you could not hold back the tears? This was one of those times for me. Every song spoke so clearly of God’s love for His girls, and the sound of hundreds of women singing them was both beautiful and touching.

 

The speakers were equally touching and inspirational rounding out a great evening. As we drove home I thought about all the planning and prayer that obviously went into this evening, and I left feeling loved.