My 1st Youth Camp

The idea of organizing a camp to set the hearts of the youth church came when I saw how God moved among the youth when Pastor and I ministered in Medan few months back. Guess, God used this to impress in my heart to organize the camp.

So, I started to challenge HH and LC .. the brothers have been real supportive of the idea ... immediately they say yes and volunteered to help up in the various sections of camp planning. M so thankful that God gave me a great team to work with ... together we prayed and seek the Lord ... so, set .. we agreed on the theme, objectives and the estimated participants ... LC immediately called up the bus to book it .. he is super fast in his work ... :0 ... HH gave lots of input and suggestions to the program of the camp ... both HH and I belong to the same generation. We recall how blessed we were by the various MYF, FES camps that we had attended and have the same passion to impart this to the youth .. it was the camps of our teens and varsity days that impacted and formed our lives.

Along the path of planning, we had to overcome lots of challenges ... first was the date for the camp ... it was a long ding-dong process cos we needed to set for a date after SPM and its SPM ended late this year .... settling the date was core cos without the date we cannot book the venue or start publicity .... then, from quite a positive response from the youth coming for the camp, suddenly there was only 2 who wants to come ... all say cos this this person not coming, I dont want to come ... etc ... CL and HH thinks that I am crazy to book a whole bus, 44seaters ...

All these initial challenges brought us desperate on our knees to pray for the camp, for God to lead us and sort it out for us .... we realise that God was in charge .. we just need to out our trust in Him and discern what He wants us to to

God really send angels to help me all the way for the camp ... I cannot sing or lead worship in Mandarin ... He provided me worship leaders, I cannot play any musical instruments ... He provided musicians .. He send LQin to be the extra hands and feet during the camp and helped me run the entire games and orientation session. When I needed translators .. He sent me few angels who was willing to output in a short time frame ... the camp was smacked between NChia's visit ... I was all over Msia ... and God knew that I could not handle the sessions ... He provided the camp speaker for us ... :0 :0 ... miracle after miracle .... He knows our needs and will provide them .. The word that sum up the entire process : His grace that make all things possible.

At the end, when we were all set to go .. God gave us 23 camps, out of which, 8 were pre-believers!

In the camp ... wohooooo!!! The youths had great fun, they were so sporting ... and supportive in participating every session ... they also had bonded well during them camp and I hope that the friendship made will carry them a long way in their journey ... we had great sessions .. from my tiny talks among them - many was challenged ... the campfire night turned out well cos the Holy Spirit showed up ministering, challenging and touching the youth ... in the 6 prayer stations (something that I have enjoyed during DOP in TTC ... and preparing it reminded me of the days when we prepared for DOP in TTC .. working with Jeng who has wild crazy ideas --- bringing a coffin and setting up as one of the prayer station!!!) ... and most of all ... God gave us the best weather ... totally no rain ... it rained every day in JB when we were away ... :0 .. isn't God amazing!

During the camp ... there were still challenges for me ... I was in charged of the campfire night and when I set up the stations, I discovered that my things went missing ... my majong paper was used by the team to the magical stick for the angel they try to dress up ... thank God that HH was willing to be creative in making our own majong paper ... by taping perhaps 16pcs of A4 paper together at the back, my tea candles went M.I.A. too ... but thank God I found them in the front of the hall ... :0 ... God was in charge ....

All I can say is : To God be the glory ... from nothing to something ... I am humbled to know that I am only His vessel, His instrument .... as I avail myself to do what the Father wants me to do ... He will do the rest! Without God, the entire plan and trip is meaningless and empty ... Holy Spirit is the person whom we must bring along with us ...

The greatest joke of the camp : I bought salt instead of sugar to boil barley and green pea. O man!!! That was how "excited" I was before and during the camp!