Southern Homemaking: High Tea, a Hailstorm and a Tornado

Saturday afternoon we enjoyed a delightful High Tea. It was such a precious sight to see 500 fathers and daughters attired in their finest suits and dresses, having tea together. We sat with the Phillips, and two families from Canada. I really enjoyed getting to meet Dr. Hoffe and his lovely daughters. Dr. Hoffe was originally from South Africa, and came to British Columbia by way of England.

Getting to know people is the best part of an event like this, and what better way than over tea?

Mr. Phillips shared with us about the trip that Vision Forum will be taking to Europe this summer, and it sounds amazing. Imagine, standing on the sands of Normandy with the men who stormed those beaches 69 years ago.

As we were finishing tea my mother, grandmother, brother and three sisters arrived to spend the afternoon with us. After visiting in the main hall for awhile, Mom decided to take the girls back to our room. Shortly after she had loaded them in the car a terrible hailstorm started. I was about to run out and help her when Mr. Turley (the conference director) told everyone to get away from the windows and go into the restrooms. There was a tornado in the vicinity and it was heading our way. So imagine this, you're standing there in your formal tea dress, your mother and sisters are in the parking lot and a tornado is headed this way. What do you do? Well if you're like me, you bolt for the door, do your best Olympic runner impersonation and get everyone out of the car and into the building of course! As we entered the main lobby we saw grown women weeping and in absolute panic, not a very calming sight. But what happened next was one of the most amazing things I have ever witnessed. As we were approaching the restrooms we heard a beautiful, calming choir singing hymns. It was, as one father called it the TBC or "Tornado Bathroom Choir". There standing in the ladies room, were about 20 young ladies praising God!

Now to set this up again: Quarter-size hail is falling outside, a tornado has been sighted in the vicinity of the resort and grown women are weeping in the lobby. Now instead of panicking these young ladies lifted their voices in praise to God. What an incredible testimony!