And here also, we picked our ‘mortals’ for the Guardian Angel thing where the angel writes to the mortal throughout the camp. To add some spice, this year instead of writing, we all had to draw instead. No words, just drawings, and the mortal had to interpret the drawings to get the message. I picked Rene =)

Then we proceeded to the One Tree Hill Café to have lunch. It was a place with a rather soothing, peaceful and homey feeling. The food was alright, it was buffet style, and we had guava juice again!

Its weird that they put us two siblings together in the same group. Normally in camps, small camps like the church’s, they always spilt siblings up. =) 

Anyway, my group, with the worst of luck picked the first when they drew lots to see which team should go through the obstacle course first. The first obstacle was a bench-like obstacle that we had to jump over. It was about waist-height, so that was fairly easy. Then it was a similar obstacle, but higher, around shoulder-height, maybe, but there was a lower one to climb on, so it was alright as well. Then, the balance beam. We had to walk without falling on the stick that was a little shaky and kindda thin. That was a little tricky, especially for those with bigger feet and tall people. HAHAHA.. there are advantages to being short after all. Not that I am short. Next, was the Tarzan swing. There was a pond and a rope and we had to swing ourselves across it. It looked difficult and everyone was dreading it, but it turned out to be one of the easiest obstacle to get past. Then, we came to the 6-feet wall. Of course, the only way to get past was to get over it. And that required teamwork, someone had to give boosts to others in order to get past the wall. I suppose I should be thankful that my team had people who were willing to let others step on them, I wouldn’t have been so kind if the situation was reversed. After that, we came to another obstacle that required balancing skills. This one, however, was more challenging because the you keep going higher, and it you were to fall, you’ll probably break some bones. We went through it slowly, and made sure that each person had someone to hold their hand, though it didn’t help much with the balancing. Next, it was the obstacle that is always shown on military movies, the one with a net, and sand, and you have to wiggle your way to the end without touching the net. The trick was to use your elbows and not lift up your butt too high, which was a problem for some people =)

Then we came to the tyre obstacle. Step into every hole, every tyre, there wasn’t much to it. Then, the next obstacle was a tunnel. All we had to do was to get over to the other end of the tunnel. It sounded fairly easy, but this was the one obstacle that most people got hurt at. The tunnel was easy enough, but we didn’t account for the sand in the tunnel which caused many to scratch their knees and their arms. After that, we came to the ultimate challenge, the last one which was the 12-feet wall. There wasn’t any rope or anything to step on or hold on to. The only way to get over the wall was to carry and push and pull each team mate. It was very difficult, but we managed in the end, with some pushing and supporting from below, and others pulling from above. When I was getting pass the wall, I felt like a load being pushed and pulled, there was nothing I could do to support myself, and if the ones supporting me from below were to let go, I’ll fall, if the ones pulling my arms from above were to let go, I’ll fall as well. The other two groups managed to get though the obstacles the same way we did. When the results were announced (we were timed), our group came in second.

Then we moved to one of the shelters and grouped together for some group activities. Of course, the most common in any camp, coming up with a group name, a group slogan, and the not so common one, a drawing to identify with the group name. Our group came up with ‘The Mango Titans’. Our drawing had a flying mango on it. The other groups, Group 2 called ‘Brave Hearts’ which had to endure a lot of teasing about ‘Bear Hugs’ and Group 3 ‘The Cikus’ which also were teased because it sounded like ‘The Tikus’. For that activity, our group came in second as well.

 A brief summary of what he preached that night was, that as Christians we were to build up ourselves to be mentally strong, and to achieve that, was to have a strong mind, but a soft heart. ‘Tough times never last, but tough people do’, he said. The one way we can be strong is by the mercies of God. Mercy in context means God’s grace and unmerited favor, something that we cannot earn or achieve but receive by faith. Pastor Sean had a very interesting style of preaching which kept us all from falling asleep. I noticed that his sermons were mostly 3 point sermons, and hence, he told us the 3 ways to have rational reaction:

(1) Living sacrifice

- To use our bodies to serve and obey God because God is a living God.

- He emphasized that Christianity is not a religion or a ritual, but instead, a relationship with God.

(2) Live a life of holiness

- To be set apart for God’s purposes

- To be separated from sin

- To be dedicated to God

(3) To be acceptable to God

- pleasing God, making Him happy

AND ALSO, the '3 Great Magnets' which will pull us away from rational reaction:

(1) Distraction - cares of the world

(2) Abstraction - the deceitfulness of riches

(3) Attraction - the lust of other things

Lastly, Ps.Sean told us to love people because by doing so, it will help change their lifes. One thing he drilled on us constantly was that everyone CAN be changed.

Also that night, we drew lots for the drama and dance song. My team got  'self-control' for the drama theme, and the song 'Heart of Worship' for the dance which we were suppose to present on the last night. We were also told to set aside one boy and one girl for a secret something that will only be revealed later.

And then we were sent to bed. This is Rebecca's favourite part.

DAY 2 - 4th June, Thursday

The next day, some of us got up well-rested while others didn't sleep much. Anyway, first thing in the morning was devotion. WE did it in our respective groups. For my group, Joel was leading. It was entitled 'The Sower', bible reading from Matthew 13:3-9, 18-23.

"A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seeds fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop- a hundred, sixty, or thirty times what was sown. He who has ears, let him hear."

To those who have taken or are taking bible knowledge, this would be very familiar, I suppose. The seed represents the word of God. The seeds that fell along the path and were eaten up represents a man who hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his hearts. The seeds that fell on rocky places represents a man who hears the word and receives it with joy, but since he has no roots, when trouble or persecution comes, he quickly falls away. The seeds that fell among thorns represents a man who hears the word and receives it, but worries of his life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the things and distractions of the world makes him unfruitful. But the seeds that fell on good soil represents a man who hears the word and understands it, he produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 

What we could analyze from it was that each seed is the messsage of God given to us, and it is up to us what happens to it. We must be aware that they are many things that can pull our attention away from God, however, we must be like the good soil which will nurture the seed of faith and finally bear fruit for the glory of God.

After the devotion, we went for breakfast at One Tree Hill. There was juice!! But not guava =( It was orange, I think. After breakfast, we went back to the conference hall which we used the night before for another session of Ps. Sean's sermon. This time it was entitled 'The Ultimate Obedience'  reference to Genesis 22:1-14.

The Ultimate Obedience was to have FAITH. The faith factors are:

(1) Believe (information)

(2) Trust (formation)

(3) Obey (transformation)

Ps. Sean gave an example of someone in the bible who was ultimately obedient to God, and that person was Abraham.

(1) Abraham OBEYED God in faith

(2) Abraham OFFERED Issac to God in faith

(3) Abraham HONOURED God in faith

One thing he said that was very true was that each and every one of us has an ‘Issac’ in our life. Not literally, we know an Issac or have a son, but that we all have something or someone in our lives that we cannot live without because we desire that thing/person the most. But we should offer our ‘Issac’ to God and put God first in our lives.

Then we had a short break and some snacks. Also a little free time which we took to practice our drama and dance for the last night. And we continued with another session of Ps. Sean's preaching, ‘Dare To Be A Believer’ with reference to Daniel 3:8-30 and Matthew 18:20.

(1) Dare To BELIEVE

- when God gets bigger, problems get smaller

- believe in a God who believes in you

(2) Dare To BEHAVE

- believe in yourself the way God believes in you

- be more than a conqueror

(3) Dare To BECOME

- believe in others

- believe in God for others to see

“To believe, to behave, and to become- to put into practice what you believe and to live as one”. This session, he preached about Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego who stood strong in their faith in God. 

Then it was lunch time, at One Tree Hill, and up the stairs we went. Hmmm...makes we wonder if its called One Tree Hill cause there's one tree there on the hill XD

After lunch that day was GAMES!! They planned an Amazing Race style games which meant that individual stations were not accounted for points, it was instead a race to see which group could finish all the games first. Games was fun, what I remembered most clearly was the one we had to pass a banana from team mate to team mate. The banana was really short and hard to pass!! And our group actually used 3 bananas cause the first two got all squashed up. And the third one actually got all squashed as well when it reached the last person =) Nevertheless, it was fun! For the other games, there was water involved in some, and there was another where the whole team's legs were tied together, and we had to walk like a caterpillar. Or centipede, to be more precise. It hurt our legs! And there was another where one team member was blindfolded and the others had to direct him/her through a maze. The downside of the games, and of course intended by the organising committee, was that, it was indeed very tiring for us, cause the stations were scattered everywhere and clues were also scattered everywhere, we had to run up and down and up and down to find clues and to move to the next station. Keep in mind the whole area is entirely uphill and downhill, uphill especially is sooo very tiring. Our group had 6 out of 9 people playing cause the others were involved in organising the games. In the end, we finished last, but we had a good time!!

After the games, we were all given time to bath, and then dinner at Palm Restaurant. I think it was mango juice =( I liked the guava one more. That night, another session with Ps. Sean, entitled ‘An Encounter With God’ with reference to Genesis 32:22-32.

(2) PRAY to God

- prayer is a CONVERSATION - FELLOWSHIP - through dialogue, not a monologue

- prayer is a COMMITMENT- FRIENDSHIP - through stewardship and ministry

- prayer is a COMMUNISM - RELATIONSHIP -through worship

(3) PRESENT God

- let people see God through you

And then, a short break which most groups took to practice drama and dancing for the presentation at night. After the break, we gathered back for another sermon entitled ‘Champion for God’ with reference to 1 Samuel 17 which is the David and Goliath story.

(1) David had FAITH in God

- with God, all things are possible

(2) David FOUGHT for God

- behind every problem, there is always a person and behind every person, there is devil, and behind devil, there is God.

- reconcile with the human, receive the problem, glorify God

(3) David had FAVOR with God

Then, we had more free time to practice before going UP to One Tree Hill for lunch. There was no guava juice =( Okay enough about the juice, we only had guava the first day =) I just like moaning. Tee hee hee. After lunch, we all changed to the camp tee and got ready for the tour. We gathered at Lambir Hall to await the trailer. This picture was taken while waiting. It show most of the girls.

What we didn’t expect was that other than us, there were others going along for the tour as well. There were a few tourists from Indonesia and another small group consisting of about boys. We were all briefed on the safety rules, and then we all got onto the trailer and the tour started. The sky was heavenly that day. Here's proof:

Then, we were brought to see the farm, where there were rabbits, sheeps, goats, peacocks, ducks, chickens, and of course insects. It was a long walk on the sidewalk kindda like a bridge, but with a roof over our heads. After the animals, we were taken to see the waterfall which also took a walk through the foresty areas. INSECTS!! But the waterfall was worth it, the water is very cool, although not even close to being crystal clear, though the tour guide claimed that it was safe for drinking.

And throughout the tour, the sky remained beautiful. 

Later, the trailer took us to a small clearing where it stopped and we got down to get onto a huge boat. We sailed across the lake, and we saw something in the water which some claimed to be a crocodile, but it was just a huge monitor lizard. Wouldn’t it be awesome if we really did see a crocodile?! Then we got onto the trailer again and we saw this huge, majestic mountains which the tour guide said supposedly looks like a woman, but I can’t see the similarities.

Then, we went to the botanical gardens where there were stones and lots of trees to see, but I couldn't grasp the point of looking at trees even if they're supposedly rare. Its all the same, just another green tree to me. And it was like that till the end of the tour, when the trailer brought us back to Lambir Hall. 

We proceeded from the hall to our next activity, boat-rowing. In our respective teams, we divided oursleves into foursomes and went boat-rowing. It was a competition between the 3 groups, 4 at a time, a sort of relay boat-rowing race. My group was leading initially, but then we it was my turn with the other 3, we ended up last. One, our boat was dangerously imbalanced. The back was heavier, and the boat was close to tipping over the edge. Two, we were 3 girls and 1 boy, and girls tire out easily. Three, noone knew how to control the boat, we just rowed blindly. And so, that was how we lost. It was still a great experience, though. This is another photo of the camp participants.

Later, after the boat-rowing competition, and after dinner, the time came for the drama and dance presentation that we had all been practicing for. Our group's drama was undoubtly the best, though the dance, I guess the other groups were better, they had more steps, and they had dancers, but ours was 'like a silent movie act', as one of the judges said. HAHAHAHA. It was a slow song!! And the secret that a girl and boy were set aside from each group for was...FASHION SHOW. Using dried leaves, toilet paper, limited tape, and anything we could get out hands on, we were to dressed up the couple and they were to present themselves. My group's chosen two were Joel and Xiao Jun, and they were great! But they didn't win. For the drama, dance and fashion show, the overall markes, we came in second. 

DAY 4 - 6th JUNE, SATURDAY

It was the last day of camp! We started off with devotion as usual but not as early as the previous days, with Xiao Jun leading, the topic was 'Jesus the Vine', from John 15:1-11.

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete"

The bible reading means that Jesus is the way to God. Without Jesus, we cannot be fruitful. The fruits that we refers to the fruits of the Spirit- love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. If we remain in the word of God wholeheartedly, our lives will be blessed. However if we do not follow the Word and believe in Jesus, we will be removed from His presence. We can only bear fruit when we are in His great love. If we never fall from God, everything we ask for will be sone for us. This is so that God the Father will be glorified by the fruits that we bear. 

After the devotion, we had breakfast, up up up to One Tree Hill for the last meal there! Suprisingly, instead of normal breakfast food, we had fried rice, fried chicken, veges, and of course juice!! But it was tropical mixed fruit =( And the breakfast, I didn't like it much, the food was more suited for lunch or dinner. Then the last sermon by Ps. Sean entitled ‘Life is Mission’ with reference to Matthew 28:19, 24:14, Mark 16:15, 13:10, Acts 2:41-47.

As usual, Ps. Sean had a three-point sermon and this time it was:

(1) Mission is to SEEK God

- prioritize well, put Jesus first NOW!!

- do not be manipulated by the Devil            

- put God first, and everything will fall into place

(2) Mission is to SERVE God

- start serving now: it has eternal value

- serve willingly and not grudgingly

(3) Mission is to SURRENDER to God

- WOW: Worship over World

- make a covenant or promise or agreement with God

After that, Ps. Sean prayed for each of us individually, and then, Mike (one of the youth leaders, the others are his wife, Joanne and Terrence and his wife) took out a box in which he requested those who wanted to commit themselves to God to put somthing precious into the box, which would be wrapped and decorated nicely and placed in church for a year, as a reminder every Sunday of the commitment made to God. Almost everyone went to get something to put in the box. Some put their name tags, some put in personal belongings like necklaces or bracelets, and others put in other things that were meaningful to them. I put in something too =) I wonder if I'll be there to take it back next year...

And then, testimony time. We sat in a circle and everyone shared a little bit, on what they thought of the camp, what they learnt from the camp. It was mostly great experiences, everyone seemed to have fun and enjoyed themselves, some complained about the food, but still there were others who thought it was good. All in all, the camp was a great success!! And I know everyone by name now:

Then we went to pack our things and got ready to leave. The trailer took us to the main entrance, and the school bus fetched us there. all the way back to church. In the bus, the Guardian Angel revealed themselves to their mortals after each mortal took out their favourite drawing and interpreted it. Most people interpreted wrongly. As for me, sadly, my guardian angel didn't write a single letter and I didn't find out who he/she was. I suppose it must have been one of them who left early (a few left early). And then prizes were given out to the groups accordingly. My group got last =( Nevertheless, we had great fun. I feel like I know some of them better now, especially my group. My sister, Sheila was the one I could always complain to, Si En was the one who kept me company, Evelyn was very friendly, and Xiao Jun's presence in the group was comforting, Joel was encouraging one in the group- always the one to say good job to eveyone, even when we lost, Bryan kept up the competitive spirit, Alex was the creative one, Eugene was a practical leader. And even though I was kindda the quiet one in the group (unbelievable, I know) and I didn't really talk much to all of them, it was a wonderful experience, a wonderful group, and a wonderful camp.