Wednesday, December 31, 2008
♥ Camp afterthoughts - Part 2...
First time i've BS gals attending camp
I started taking the sec 1 vball gals this year for BS with DL. We started the program called SPICE. (yes yes, we are the SPICE gals, LOL!) It's takes alot of perseverance, effort & patience... Many times on Sat morning, which is the only day in the week i can sleep late, i wish i don't have to go shss, i wish SPICE was cancelled... but i dragged my butt off my bed to meet them. It takes alot of effort to teach in such a way that it's interesting & understandable to them. I've always taken much older gals, so it's a challenge for me to take 12-13 yrs old.
This year's camp, 4 of our gals came for camp. For once, during the camp teaming session, i felt i could contribute, i felt concern for them, trying to fit them to the most suitable team, with the right dynamics, suitable team leaders etc etc.. Ultimately, there's always pros & cons, just need to leave God to do His work in whatever amazing ways & plans He has for the individual.
During the camp, i was always looking out for them, wondering how they r getting on abt camp, whether they understand the flow, whether they r enjoying themselves... ya, i felt like an anxious mother hen, hahaha... i think i will be a 'gan-cheong' mother when my own children go to school =P BUT the feeling feels good! During my past camps (since my first camp in 1994), i'm always envious of those labourers who had gals & guys who had someone to look out for, to take care of. During end of the camp, to have them coming up to me telling me all about their experience in camp, how they had fun, enjoyed it & of cos about the endless complains, also thanking me that it's good to come for camp afterall and were happy that we asked/coaxed them to come despite hesitation in the beginning etc etc...
This camp, i felt that God used me to minister to D. It's her first camp and even though she was only 13, she was so touched by God during the camp. I felt such privilege to pray for her, to help her understand the many 'whys' she has during the camp. It warms my heart to see her grow in her understanding of God and also the realisation of the compassion heart that God has blessed her for people around the world. In some ways, she reminds me of myself... for me, tears comes exceptionally easy... when i see movies / dramas with anything touching, tears would come... when i hear someone's answered prayers, tears would come... when i see someone crying, tears would come... ya ya i'm like a tap, LOL! Actually i'm a 'tap' because God gave me a compassionate heart for people around me, i feel their pain, i feel their joy, i feel their happiness & sadness... That is a gift that God has blessed me with and has used this gift to bless many around me through my growing up years and i have also made many great friends with this gift!
As i look at the whole 2008, in some ways or other, i can see the growth in the SPICE gals who are more regular... friendships made, funnie incidents, the countless lunch at mac! (no longer i've put on 3-4 kg this year!) I felt this warmth in my heart that all the time invested in this bunch is worth it =)
(haiz, 'tap' is open even as i typed this out... Oh man! I need backup makeup for my wedding day.... jia lard leh!)
First time i taught during camp
Maybe it's cos i kept saying that i cant teach, that's why i was never asked to be a speaker during camp all these years, hee...
But this year, M couldn't find enough speakers & had to take on 2 teaching topics during camp. Well, cannot ‘见死不救’ so agreed to help her by taking 1 teaching session.
It was quite stressful as i had less than a week to churn the teaching materials out and it's for lower sec, ie <>
First time i take on the role of persecutor of someone's faith
During the Nav Sim City, a RPG (role playing game), i was given the role of the persecutor of someone's faith... to entice, coax, pressure the believers to give up the faith.
Even though the rule of thumb is that we are not to touch anyone, the sound effects that we created is enough to scare the campers & get them thinking of their stand in their faith. I rem coaxing the teens to just renounce their faith & we will release her from the 'prison'... some gladly & readily obliged... yes without hesitation... some struggled & still gave in in the end... some persevered on & refused...
I wondered if i'm in their shoes, what would i choose? Maybe i would persevered on becos i know it's a game, i'm still safe in camp, i might be 'booed' by my friends if i gave in etc etc... In real life, where life & death is concerned, would i still make the same choice?
This brings me to see the people in the Bible in a different light... Paul, Peter, the disciples of Christ etc etc who were thrown into prison so many times for sharing the gospel... i now applaud their faith more than looking at the mistakes they made, eg peter rejecting Christ 3 times etc...
I also get to talk to several young ones after the game... the common thoughts that came to mind were that they were thankful that we are living in a country where there is freedom to choose what we want to believe in, unless in some countries, where the people had to attend underground church, had to be hush hush in sharing their faith & being jailed / tortured if caught etc. Ya, i'm thankful too that i grew up here... safe & probably the best place to be in in the whole wide world =)
First time i take on the role of persecutor of someone's faith
During the Nav Sim City, a RPG (role playing game), i was given the role of the persecutor of someone's faith... to entice, coax, pressure the believers to give up the faith.
Even though the rule of thumb is that we are not to touch anyone, the sound effects that we created is enough to scare the campers & get them thinking of their stand in their faith. I rem coaxing the teens to just renounce their faith & we will release her from the 'prison'... some gladly & readily obliged... yes without hesitation... some struggled & still gave in in the end... some persevered on & refused...
I wondered if i'm in their shoes, what would i choose? Maybe i would persevered on becos i know it's a game, i'm still safe in camp, i might be 'booed' by my friends if i gave in etc etc... In real life, where life & death is concerned, would i still make the same choice?
This brings me to see the people in the Bible in a different light... Paul, Peter, the disciples of Christ etc etc who were thrown into prison so many times for sharing the gospel... i now applaud their faith more than looking at the mistakes they made, eg peter rejecting Christ 3 times etc...
I also get to talk to several young ones after the game... the common thoughts that came to mind were that they were thankful that we are living in a country where there is freedom to choose what we want to believe in, unless in some countries, where the people had to attend underground church, had to be hush hush in sharing their faith & being jailed / tortured if caught etc. Ya, i'm thankful too that i grew up here... safe & probably the best place to be in in the whole wide world =)
11:50 PM
