Surfing in the Storm

After being back from Leavenworth less than 24 hours we headed to the annual leadership retreat in Cannon Beach. I love going to this every year! I love seeing friends that we don’t get to see often! I love that God blesses us with powerful teaching from fantastic speakers! (This year was HB London. He did a super job! He was relevant, convicting and hilariously funny!) But you never know what the weather will be like. And 2014 was no exception…

When we arrived on Friday, the weather was spectacular! Blue skies, hardly a breath of wind. Gorgeous! It looked like the guys’ surfing date for the following day could be stellar!

That was because we hadn’t checked the forecast yet…

The weather on Saturday took quite a drastic turn while we slept. And as the day went on, it only got worse! But Zack and Andy were on their way to the coast to surf and Chris and Warren (his surfing buddy from Hope LBC) were determined to go no matter what the weather.

Honestly, I wasn’t sure the surf shop guy was going to rent to them. But they were pretty persuasive and we left the shop with 3 boards, wet suits and 4 crazy guys! Tatum, Talia and I decided we’d tag along to watch, take pics, pray, and call 911 if necessary… ;o)

It was raining and windy when we arrived on the beach. Warren gave the boys a quick lesson before they headed to the ocean…

It is really hard to carry an 8-foot long surf board under your arm in 30 mph winds with 50 mph gusts!

By the time they reached the ocean, the rain and wind really began to pick up. The girls and I looked like we’d already been in the ocean. We were soaked within about 15 minutes! I would have loved to have taken more pictures but honestly I didn’t want to ruin my camera or have it blow away. It was hard enough to just stand up at times! When Andy came back in with a broken fin on his board, I just went ahead and waded in the waves just above my knee trying to find the missing fin. I was already so wet, it didn’t make a bit of difference.

  Chris said they were fighting five forces all at once: the wind, rain, waves, tides and currents. But they fought the good fight and I’m proud of them!

When they were all done, four triumphant men and three soaking wet girls all climbed into the cars and headed back to the rooms for hot showers and dry clothes.

On the bright side of things, the next time can only be better…

Oh, and guess what? The weather today was lovely!