When you join a team , you immediately become part of a family . FCA is a family that invites everyone with open arms . All stats aside , you sit alongside your brothers and sisters in Christ while worshipping the Father , who adopted us the second we gave our life to Him . The family culture within FCA is like no other and has affected me and my team in remarkable ways .
This past year , Coach Mike Smith allowed us to go to the FCA College Getaway despite starting a new season and needing all the practice time we could get . Before we knew it , we were on a bus to a camp that would end up bringing together over twenty girls in the name of Christ . The second we stepped off the bus and onto the dirt of the camp grounds , I knew the Ole Miss Softball team was going to come out of that place changed . As we were unloading the bus , Todd Johnson , the FCA Campus Director , came up to me and told me I would be a huddle leader . My heart started racing ! I have never been good in front of crowds or leading people , so I was nervous that I would not be the best for the job . Todd had a lot more faith in me than I ever had in myself . That weekend , I was a huddle leader and even gave my testimony to the entire camp . If FCA has done one thing for me over these four years , it has been helping me
In 2015 , 393 people attended the COLLEGE GETAWAY . That number increased to 500 in 2016 !
Miranda Strother ( 3rd row ) with with her Ole Miss Softball teammates at the 2016 FCA College Getaway .
outwardly express my faith through testimony , leading , and my walk . I came in as a freshman not even being able to pray at my family dinner and now I can give my testimony to an auditorium knowing that God is carrying my words and I am just a vessel that He uses for His glory .
The FCA College Getaway helped our team understand that it is okay to be vulnerable and that God works in such mysterious ways . We can use the hardships in our life to bond with each other and help each other grow , knowing that we are not alone in our suffering . Each player on our team left the FCA College Getaway having a better understanding of who God is and how it feels to have His grace rush through our bloodstream . Getting to grow spiritually alongside your teammates is a feeling I will hold on to the
rest of my life . I am very thankful for all the opportunities the Fellowship of Christian Athletes has given me , and I cannot begin to imagine how many lives this organization will affect , even after I am gone .
Josh Lovelady sharing a devotion at a local high school .
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Since then , Josh has been a blessing to the MSU campus this fall semester . He joined the FCA Leadership team at Mississippi State in August , and is now actively involved in helping plan campus events that involve FCA . Monday nights serve as the campus wide meeting time for FCA and there ’ s not a week Josh misses . Additionally , he has volunteered his time on multiple occasions to speak to local high school FCA huddles . The message that always comes out of his mouth is this : God has a plan , even in moments of suffering . Back in the spring , he questioned why God would allow an injury . He now serves as a leader amongst his peers on this campus .
For more details on these stories , visit : mississippifca . org / 2016 7