alright, that sums up most of the pictures for thai camp and our small shopping retreat. I BOUGHT SO MUCH STUFF THAT MY 2 BAGS WERE OVERWEIGHT! 18.3 KG! :/
one thing that i was really awed about was the attitude the thais had towards god. god wasnt just a saturday/sunday god or something they can look to when they have the time, but the thais really treasured god for who god is. during praise and worship, its such a wonderful sight seeing old people still jumping, waving their hands and grooving to the praise songs despite their physical condition. which made me really think about how many a times, back in singapore, we often just stand and clap our hands because we think we are tired, because we are wary about how people will look at us if we dance. but isnt praise and worship for god? isnt god supposed to be the only audience? (: well, yes. and i reminded myself that day when i saw the 70plus year old woman jumping that i live for the audience of one. i praise god because he's so wonderful and faithful in my life.
proceeding on to the teachings, i think all the preaching and teachings were really inspiring. the way they were conveyed showed the full conviction each of the pastors had abt what they were sharing. and i really brought back much about loyalty and how being loyal to god, my leaders and my people is so important. its not about circumstances, people or common interests, neither is it about attaching conditions to what i promise god. its just making a DECISION to be loyal to god irregardless of what happens around me and thats what i really wna apply in my life. because if there comes a time when im the only one left (if that ever happens), god is still by my side. and if the maker of heaven and earth is by my side, what shall i fear? :D
wow, and i thank god for what he showed me about SA. how he reminded me of the dream the sacg had when we first came together. seeing the people on stage, seeing them being so passionate, being so proud to praise god, being so on fire for god, now thats what i want to see in SA. and i really wna do my part!
'you do your part, i'll do my part'
and those were the exact words that spoke to me. i want to do my part, i want to put in my 100%, my all in shepherding my sheeps, my all in outreaching, my all in discipling my ppl, my all in leading the group. because its only when theres 100% man, then theres 100% god (: when the african pastor came up to share a testimony about the growth of the hope african church, one sentence really made me think a lot. 'what have you done to please god?' i must say, i dont know if what i've done in the past few years in hope have pleased god, but as i worship god and prayed that very day, i told god, i want to build a saints ministry that pleases you. one that, god, when you look down from heaven, you'll be smiling, you will be pleased and you will be proud of because this generation of saints in sajc have made a statement for you in the school.
for the whole 5days4night camp at the university, the praise and worship atmosphere was so thick that it was impossible to say god wasnt there. and im so thankful that i really experienced god in the camp because like what debbie said, ' unless you've been there, you cant bring anyone else to that place' im so glad that my worship level deepened through the thai camp, which will be great because then when im back in sg, i will be able to better the worship atmosphere in my group! (:
at the end, the last song for the entire camp was the song that reverberated in my mind for very long even though its such a simple and normal song that i've sang it for many times. now, the song means much more than just a normal worship song.
'Lord i give you my heart
i give you my soul
i live for you alone
every breath that i take
very moment im awake
Lord have your way in me'
oh! we got prayed by the african pastors and peter truong too! what a privilege and honour! :D peter truong even prophecied over our group. EXPLOSION! yes! this is what we are gg to see in our unit. and he reminded us to hold on to this word even through difficult times. wow. (: i cant wait to see god's promise coming to pass!
well, camp is over. like what jontay said, 'when much is given, much is expected.' i shant just be excited that god has spoken to me, but i want to be excited in seeing how i can put into practice what i've learnt. because its only when i apply, will i see god working through me more then what i can ever imagine. let me live a life that proudly proclaim that im a christian and a hope member! :D
these few pictures were taken after we went toilet. look at zhiwei, she seems to enjoy waiting for me. haha :D but the toilets were really crowded! having over thousands of ppl fighting for a few cubicles made the toilet waiting long. well thank god in the end, they converted half the guys toilet to the girls toilet! we could go for the teaching and p&w earlier than!
we took tiger to bangkok. it was really squeezy but at least we had allocated seats, so we didnt have to rush to chop seats! the only sad thing was i didnt have the window seat! well, we played bridge and slept in the plane and 2 hrs flew past just like that.
when we reach the bangkok airport, something hilarious happened. hahahahahah :D see the 4th picture? slightly after that, all 4 of them fell! and i couldnt stop laughing! HAHA. hilarious! but okay, it was partially my fault, i should have said careful LOUDER! -smirks.
the first day of camp was amazing by itself. walking into a hall filled with ppl worshipping god (as we were late :/) was such an amazing sight! seeing the thai ppl and the many international delegates reminded me of how we are not just doing god's work in singapore alone, all these ppl were in it together with us (:
it was service day on sun and we dressed up rather formerly. and you know what, their mega event - best of the year was fantastic! everything was done so excellently! i really enjoyed the service. and the best of the year was inspiring when they gave the award to the oldest believer who was SEVENTY-FIVE years old! seeing her made me want to really serve god till im seventy-five or more. being old doesnt mean i will be further away from god.
hope games was at a stadium. and at the stadium, i could really see the energy and dynamism that the hope thailand and hope manila ppl had! and their spirit of excellence was once again displayed when they continued playing even in the rain. kudos to zhiwei limin kat and seowwei who did that too! there were FIREWORKS too! i never imagine fireworks to appear in a hope camp! :D
alright, that sums up most of the pictures for thai camp and our small shopping retreat. I BOUGHT SO MUCH STUFF THAT MY 2 BAGS WERE OVERWEIGHT! 18.3 KG! :/