“For The Girl” Tour - East Lansing, Michigan
This past weekend, I had the wonderful opportunity to go to Michigan State University with Delight Akron for the “For The Girl” tour. The event is based on the book that Mac and Kenz, the co-founders of Delight Ministries, wrote about handling dating and relationships as a follower of Jesus. The trip was only 24 hours long, but it was overall an amazing experience for how quick it was!
We left at noon on Friday and it took about four hours to get to East Lansing. There were twenty of us girls, so we took four cars and split up into groups. I rode with my two friends/co-leaders Tara and Bethany. We had a very fun car ride. We mostly talked about dating and relationships (because that’s what the conference was about!) and jammed out to some old school throwback tunes (aka Jonas Brothers, Timbaland, and all the songs we loved and still love from middle school). We didn’t stop much, except at Burger King for a bathroom break, chicken fries, and Coca Cola. We arrived to the Airbnb we stayed at around 5 pm and dropped off our stuff. We didn’t have much time to hang and chat, we had to get dinner and get going in order to make it to the conference on time. We stopped for a quick dinner at Noodles & Company on campus, and when I say quick I mean QUICK. We didn’t have enough time to really relax as we wanted to have enough time to get situated at the conference. Thankfully, we did not have to wait even ten minutes for our food. I really recommend trying out Noodles & Company, it’s basically the pasta version of Chipotle. I got macaroni and cheese. Truth be told, it was literally one of the best mac and cheese meals I’ve ever had! Kraft will always be number one in my heart, but this is my second favorite now.
Anyway, we finished dinner on time and managed to get to the conference right before it started. It was held in the Erickson Hall Kiva and had a merchandise booth and “For The Girl” wallpaper for photos on stage. A lot of the conference consisted of relationship talk and, of course, some good ol’ worship music. It was cool because they’re was a “boys panel” which they brought a few male friends from Nashville and asked them questions about Christian dating. It was really intriguing to hear opinions about relationships from a man’s perspective. The best part of the entire night was getting to see Mac and Kenz and talk to them. They literally are the sweetest and cutest women you’ll ever meet! Mac actually gave me her phone and had me do an Instagram story takeover for her. If you’re not familiar with Delight Ministries, Mac and Kenz are basically celebrities. It was so extraordinary, I was taking over an Instagram story on Mac Wilson’s phone!! 🤩 Speaking of extraordinary, Mac gave a powerful sermon on how God wants us to live extraordinary lives. She explained how the difference between the words “ordinary” and “extraordinary” is the word “extra” (ex. Chipotle guacamole is extra 😂). One of her powerful quotes that has been stuck with me since is “Your love story with your boyfriend or husband will never be as extraordinary as your love story with Jesus.” That quote is so good and so true. Nothing will ever beat God’s love for us. Mac went on about obedience, love, hope, peace, and letting God fuel our lives before she and Kenz ended the night with two powerful prayers and more worship music.
Afterwards, me and a few of my friends made a late night run to Taco Bell and drove back to the Airbnb to meet with the other girls. We stayed up till two in the morning talking, laughing, and singing worship songs led by my amazing and talented friend Katie. What night could be better than ones consisting of worship, friendships, and a Crunchwrap Supreme?!
The following morning, we had donuts and coffee for breakfast and also did a group devotional. Before packing up and getting on the road back to Ohio, we sang a few more worship songs and made more cherished memories. For how fast those 24 hours flew by, every second was so pure and I enjoyed each one. I’m so grateful that Jesus led me to Delight and brought all these women into my life. We’re basically His girl squad!
Thank you Jesus, Mac, Kenz, their guy friends, the worship band, and Delight Ministries for the unforgettable night. I look forward to many more special experiences like this one!
