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STUDENT ACTIVITIES
Photos supplied by Jackson Carlstrom.
CSC TRAVELS TO PANAMA CITY FOR GULF COAST GETAWAY
Jackson Carlstrom Staff Writer
On the weekend of January 14th-16th, several GSW students traveled down to Florida with the Christian Student Center to attend the Gulf Coast Getaway. Gulf Coast Getaway is an annual conference held in Panama City, Florida, where over 1,000 college students from several college ministries across the nation gather to start off their spring semester by strengthening their faith and deepening friendships. “Over the weekend, I learned a lot about how wisdom can be used to explain the differences between right and wrong and how it allows me to stay away from the ones that are not the best to keep around and keep those who are the people that I can actually call friends,” Thad Whitaker said. Gulf Coast Getaway’s theme for 2022 was “Yes or No: Wisdom in a Chaotic World.” Throughout the weekend, students got to attend several sessions where they learned more about the need for biblical wisdom in daily life. After each session, students attended group discussion times where they discussed what they personally got out of each session and breakout classes where they dug a little bit deeper into the theme of biblical wisdom. This year’s keynote speaker was Jonathan Storment, the preaching minister of Pleasant Valley Church of Christ in Little Rock, Arkansas. “[The sessions] covered a lot of topics like how you should always aim towards good goals. Also, another session was about relationships and friends, which used a lot of scripture as examples,” Qazi Ahsan said. Students at Gulf Coast Retreat also got the opportunity to learn more about different ministries and mission efforts from across the nation through different vendor booths. Groups like Mission Alive, the Chaplaincy Endorsement Commission, Campus for Christ, and more were present at this year’s Gulf Coast Getaway. ships, and get to know each other more. The worship and class sessions were balanced with free time for students to have fun, deepen their friendships, and get to know each other more. The GSW students at Gulf Coast Getaway spent their free time taking in the sights of Panama City and braving the winter temperature at Panama City Beach. “What I really pulled from this weekend was that everything you do leads you down a path in life. Every word you speak has power because the words you choose to say will impact the person you are speaking to,” Elizabeth Haire said.
