2015 Freshman Brothers Corpus Christi Getaway
by John T.
Saturday, April 25th. The legendary freshmen brothers trip began as we set out from our 405 building on the three and a half hour drive down to Corpus Christi. Some precious brothers fell prey to slumber on the drive, but those who remained partook in a meaningful time of sharing life stories. Our first stop in Corpus was at a tasty buffet, Golden Kitchen, in which we unashamedly gorged ourselves in preparation for the full day of activities to come.
Hitting the beach, it was a beautiful day with the warm sunshine complimented by the cool ocean breeze coming off the surf. We took to the task of setting up camp, as teams worked together to raise their shelters against the gale-force winds.
And of course, no self-respecting Corpus trip would neglect the rugged game of tackle football on the beach. Having an abnormal number of guys from Houston, a game of Houston vs. The World ensued in which many a pour soul was tackled into the crashing waves. It was a game filled with controversial calls and costly interceptions, and ultimately it came down to a tie at 1-1.
Completing our athletic competitions, we engaged in the annual Corpus Christi Olympic Games. We began with a couple of trial runs for the 100-meter dash, which culminated in a finale run of the top 6 runners. Amazingly, the freshmen brothers swept the top three places, with the oldies taking the remaining spots! But the oldies struck back in the long jump competition, as Brian Ikkanda didn’t fail to perform with his insane hops.
Following a brief interlude of frantic dunking in the gulf, we started a cozy campfire and began our fire-roasted dinner. As the delicious clam chowder and plentiful hobo packs were being devoured, we split up into groups and developed creative performances to portray how thankful we were for the past year. It was a sweet time of looking back on the events of the year, how God has brought us together, as well as the usual silly dance moves and singing. We were also able to cast visions and dream dreams, writing down where we imagine God will take us by 2018, and then installed them into a rugged military ammo can.
After a night of battling ferocious mosquitos on the beach, we woke up, broke down camp, and then had a memorable time of prayer together on the shore over the visions that we had cast the night before. Hitting the road again, we made a quick pit stop at the Original Whataburger, and pushed on home to a very special baptism service. All in all, it was quite a whirlwind trip down to the beach, but it was one that is sure to stick in our memories, and one that hopefully we will look back on in gladness as we witness how God has fulfilled those prayers!