Farewell Google the Bahamas with No Commas
I looked up and it was June!!! I mean it seems as if the month of May just flew by for me. Everything happened in one fell swoop, which is why the title of this blog post has no commas. With the One Night Stand tour coming to an end, my first post tour speaking engagement as Kerri Phillips, and a vacation to the Bahamas, I didn’t get a goodnight sleep until June 1. After finally getting a chance to rest, I felt a press to write. Actually, while I was traveling, speaking, and swimming in the beautiful waters of the Bahamas, I also felt that press. I knew I NEEDED to write, but to be honest it just didn’t happen. Now finally, here I am…. Reflecting!
Completing my two year commitment with the Silver Ring Thing (SRT) was definitely bittersweet for me. Although I was sure the next journey of my life would be just as exciting, leaving my team felt like leaving my family, which is expected when you travel and live together on a bus for 10 months. We had spent so much time together, had grown so much spiritually, and had been such a huge support system for one another during hard times. And let’s not forget, all the inside jokes, fun experiences, and most importantly the lives that we impacted in ministry. By the end of the tour season we had done 76 events with a total attendance of 27,766 people. We saw 10,078 students put on rings to display their commitment to purity, and the best of all 6,068 students give their lives to Christ. It was an honor to be used by God to advance His Kingdom in such a way and to sow seeds of hope into the lives of so many people.
After leaving Pittsburgh, PA (SRT headquarters) during the third week of May, I traveled to Atlanta, where I was greeted by an unusual sense of culture shock. I won’t go into much detail about what I mean by that, but i’ll just say, “I hadn’t seen that many black folk in one place since I graduated from Spelman.” Moving along, I had two days to prepare for my first speaking engagement as an independent speaker. Yaaay Meee :) It was an event held at Google for third to fifth grade girls from the Dekalb Preparatory Academy’s Girls Empowerment and Mentoring for Success (GEMS) program. I spoke to the girls about very basic components of professionalism using what I called the Three B’s of Being Professional— Be Confident, Be Courteous, and Be A Good Communicator. It was great!! The students were very receptive and seemed as if they would be able to apply the concepts to their interactions with others. Just writing about that experience makes my heart smile.
The next day, I traveled to Orlando, Fl with my family to board the Cruise ship to the Bahamas. It was so exciting to go on vacation with family that I hadn’t seen in a while and to also be away from the world without phone, internet, and social media. However, the funny thing was, I didn’t get much rest on the cruise. There was so much to do: eat, swim, watch this show, attend that event, go to beach, swim some more, jet ski, snorkel. It was absolutely beautiful there and I loved it, but by the end of the trip, I felt like I needed a vacation from my vacation lol.
Now I’m back. I have rested and am feeling great. Ready to see what June has to offer. Overall, the month of May was exhausting, but full of unforgettable experiences that I wouldn’t trade for anything. I am definitely counting my blessings. I am living a life that I prayed for. God is truly Faithful.
Love Kerri