Church Camp 2007 - Fond Memories and Thanksgiving!

Took a bit more time to blog about Post Church Camp thoughts and recap and reflections cos, its a crazy week after we came back from the camp...was rather exhausted the last few days. Probably from too much playing and activities.

This Church Camp is really different and I really want to THANK GOD first for being able to attend this church camp. Initially, we were uncertain whether our leave from NIE would be approved and hence we prayed and fasted for an opening. Thank God for He intervened or we would not have experienced all the fellowship, fun and certainly the touch from God! :D

Met some of my church camp objectives, God convicted me of being a people helper and a better shepherd for His sheep. I am burdened to teach the Word of God properly so that not just for my sheep, I would get a fresh infusion of the verses from the Bible into my spiritual bank. We need to have an input first from the Word of God before the Holy Spirit can speak to us in any aspect. Something that I learnt from Pastor Simon Eng too, while he was preaching, his heart, mind and soul is constantly communicating with the Holy Spirit and praying for discernment to speak.

I desire to have that kind of discerning spirit too, to be able to speak in spirit and in truth when I mentor people and not just purely sharing from experiences. As I relook into my life, I need to really sit down and pray and repent over the wrong things that I have done, the harsh words uttered and the silly things I created.

Found out also that I am from going through the Worship and Serving Pathway to God! Being able to easily experience God through music and serving. Because of my secondary melancholic personality, I find myself dwelling, easily fall into "worshippy" mood, or the people around me, "Rachel's dreaming again.." :P
Serving Pathway because I find myself unable to say "No" to a lot of things, the more I do, the more i find GOd, a strong tendency this part is tiredness and spiritually dryness.

CC had actually challenged me to surrender the aspect that I hold dear in my heart to God and expect God to speak. This decision to surrender ALL to Jesus does not come easy...especially something that happened on the 2nd day of Church Camp, all the way to the extra day at Melaka, things that I saw, things that I felt...my emotions meter are fluctuating to an all time "high". To give to God something and simply pick it up again is a sure sign of lack of faith and fear of the uncertain. I decided there and then that I have a CHOICE. I can choose to be happy, joyful , trusting or simply, holding back tightly from God, worried and fearful. The key to anything and everything in life simply falls onto the foundation of the Word of God, read this in a book on 5 Love Languages By Dr. Gary Chapman,

"Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."
Luke 6:38

I chose the former. Thank God that I did!Give it all to Jesus!

What a great differece it really made, the release, the lifting of burden from my shoulders. I was laughing more, I was having so much fun that I felt like a child in GOd's presence again, laughing myself silly, really a huge transition from the teary faced girl one year ago at Riveria Bay Resort, Melaka too.

This is a wonderful Camp, I din fall asleep during the teachings, the programming and food was superb! All the late night sharing and rehearsals for praise and worship sessions, and who could forget the Cendol and chicken rice balls? hehe..San Shu Gong products rocks!!

Thanks Camp Comm! Expecting God to move much more again! :D

Back to School - Our CG from the Theme Night, spot Ah lians and Ah Bengs?

Praise and worship session

Guys from our CG NG6-B3 playing in front of the static display

Sweet demure Peikey!

Extra day at Melaka! Outside Geographer's Bar at Jonker's Street! :D ALl 10 of us! :P

Muay Thai, Chatuchak, MBK, Thailand!!! :D

ME sending the group first on the 7th June!

RAW crab found in our Papaya Salad yeeks!

Beautiful embroidered bags at Chatuchak!

Hope Bangkok Church Service with Brother Pan who helped us translate Thai to English


Throngs of people at the bus stop outside Chatuchak

Really wanted a break and I have been planning to go on this trip with Mingzhu since last year! Amidst the terrorist attacks, violence and bombings, this trip has been postponed at least a few times before we finally set off on the 7th June.

Then who is to know that I can't take leave because of my NIE induction, I flew off alone on the 8th June to meet them in Bangkok. Excitement welled up within me, Shopping queen genes a'tingling within me...it is like a shopper's paradise.

Went immediately for dinner after the 4 kind souls who come and pick me up at the airport and who's to know that the very first meal that I took had a RAW CRAB tossed into the papaya salad? YEEEKS!

So we the odd group, Mr D, Zhu Zhu, YC, me and Law forming a small tour group, trudging the streets of Bangkok. Language was certainly a barrier, and it was rather frustrating at times when we tried to pronounce the Thai places in English and we were met with weird expressions hahaha.. You really gotta pronounce the Thai names really accurately before they understand where you wanna go.
Hailing taxis is another adventure, whereby you get on the taxi and demand specifically that they turn on the meter otherwise you will be in for a rude shock when u pay the fare.

The Thai people are rather gentle and Thai Food is generally very spicy, but we were surprised at how well kept the Thai people are...the places of interest are always clean, even the eating places by the roadside stalls.

Thai Massage was good but not without much pain and cracking of my bones by my massuese who made sure i felt the pain when she rested her whole body weight on me, OUCH! But it was good value for money, 200 baht for 1 hour!! The weather was scorching hot especially at Chatuchak the weekend market where temperatures outdoor go as high as 36 degrees! The shop were located very close to one another and we had difficulty breathing and walking! But really lots and lots to buy...See the pics where all my purchases were made.

Free and Easy trips are exhilirating when you get to plan, where you go, there was once, we spent 1 hour plus travelling to the place to catch Muay Thai, Thai Kickboxing only to realise that the tickets cost 75 bucks! *gasp* and its actually a rather grand affair held in a kickboxing stadium! In the end, we contributed our dough back into the Thai economy through shopping at MBK, Mahboonkong, and Platinum Fashion Mall, Suan Lum Night Market. The guys really can shop, give you all a hint, I am NOT the biggest spender...:P *whisper, whisper* It's a guy!! :D

Finally also got a chance to see Hope Bangkok! Woah, a string orchestra, throngs of people dressed in yellow to commemorate the king's 40th year of reign, all excited and cheering, that they surrounded us with gifts, flowers and chocolates~~We had the privilege to meet with Pan and a Thai sister Nikki who came to our hotel to fetch us and even treat us to lunch! Pan was so nice that he even translated the service which was entirely in Thai for us!! :D Must get a chance to catch up with him! :D

Really blessed by this trip, like a weekend trip but not without much fun, trudging the streets of Bangkok in the middle of the night....supper and fun...Thank God for this short getaway! :D

Too distracted...Can't play straight...put down everything to the Lord! Single-minded for God!