Got It Going On by Stephanie Perry Moore Read Free Book Online Page B

informed,” Alyx said, equally perturbed, “that a few of you guys have been participating with the underground line at another collegiate chapter.”
    My heart started racing because Sam and I were cool. But now that I thought about it, I hadn’t seen her around the house lately, and I hadn’t been drilling her about what she was doing, because we only had a limited amount of time to study and get work done before it was time to participate in pledge activities. Certainly, she hadn’t gone and gotten herself involved in something that jeopardized her dream of being in the best sorority in the world.
    Malloy continued, “I see y’all looking all around. If you guys want to come forward and spill if you’ve been participating, that’s fine. But just so you know, I do have pictures.”
    Though I didn’t want to see anybody go, I had to be honest, it was a great moment when Sam said, “See, I told you all not to go down there.”
    Some girls in the middle of the line just stood there like they didn’t know who she was talking to. I knew Cheryl was one of them.
    However, Cherly shocked me when she stood beside Sam and said, “We decided we weren’t going to go. It was all of us or none of us. We decided we weren’t supposed to go, and I told you three to stick with us and not go out like that. Dang, y’all.”
    Three girls got out of line and followed Malloy out of the room. Sam started crying. The other three girls were part of her crew. Now it seemed they were out.
    Alyx addressed us. “I’m glad it was just three of you guys. I’d hate to lose our whole line because you couldn’t follow our rules. We’re founded on Christian principles, and tonight’s Gem is so important to me because God saved my life, turned my life around, and has given me a new hope. I learned that if you do things the right way, the way the Bible tells you to, everything will work out. As you go through this Gem ceremony tonight, remember those three sisters who just left. They couldn’t obey the plan and they will suffer the consequences for it. When you follow His plan for your life, you can truly have happiness.”
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    Dr. Garnes was leading the ceremony. We were standing on a piece of purple carpet they had brought in that signified the royalty of the king. We held up our right hands and read the oath on the card in front of us. We followed Dr. Garnes’s words.
    â€œI vow to keep the Lord in my heart and to always let his life shine in me, allowing the Holy Spirit to make me the best Beta I can be,” Dr. Garnes said. “As I touch each of your heads with a drop of this anointed oil, I pray that you take time to take in God’s word, understand his purpose and plan for your life, and, above all, strive to please him.”
    I realized at that moment that I couldn’t be a Beta if I didn’t believe in God. The Christian principles and the sorority’s mission were one and the same. We learned that day that the only thing that held Beta Gamma Pi together wasn’t the sisters but the love of Christ that connected all our hearts. Part of the ceremony also had to do with Jesus dying on the cross. The correlation was made between that and giving our life to public service—that we should do it with Jesus in the forefront of our brains, remembering that we would lay it all out to help another. Going through that ordeal with Al Dutch had broken me, and a part of my humanity had been taken. However, going through the ceremony and losing myself in the flame, I felt a passion for Christ. I was able to feel again, care again, want again, dream again, and hope again.
    Malloy closed the ceremony by saying, “All our Gems mean something special, but this Gem is particularly meaningful because without Christ we can do nothing. With Him all things are possible. I encourage each of you Pis to dig deep within your soul, and as