Reflections on my virgin church camp

Theme for 2010: Victory through Faith.

This is my first time participating in a church camp, so I was quite excited about it as I didn't know what to expect. To be terribly honest, my "agenda" for participating in this camp was not so much for the eating, drinking and making merry part, I went because I wanted to see if I could rekindle the flame and zeal I had for God.

Yes, I was feeling weary in my walk and the state of my relationship with God was.. well, not good. So yes, I went hoping to find him again.

I did get what I was looking for of course. God did speak, and I felt his presence in the worship sessions especially and it moved me to tears. That feeling is so crazily familiar that it really overwhelmed me.

This year's speaker was Rev. Lawrence Seow, who is no stranger to our church. The last time I heard him speak was during the holy week services and palm Sunday during easter period last year. He is a very humorous person and his sermons made me think.

He's not the type of speaker that makes you feel comfortable, but the kind that gets you to re-think things. Very thought-provoking. So yes, I thought alot during the camp.

Getting together as a group for the first time to design our group flag!

I can't believe that I did not take a picture of the final product. Anyway, it was a picture of a mountain, with a cross right at the very top of the mountain and the 10 of us at either side of the cross. We were basically trying to paint a picture of perseverance as over comers through the very tough journey towards the end in the Christian walk.

Throughout the 3.5 to 4 days of the camp, we had several discussion sessions, sermons and of course, worship sessions. It was good to spend so much time with fellow brothers and sisters in Christ with God as the sole, undivided focus I must say.

As I had mentioned earlier, God spoke throughout this time, but the one time that really left a bigger impression on me was towards the end on the last night and the morning before setting off to return to Singapore.

You see, the night before, we had a special dinner, very much in the format of a D&D. The theme for that night was Wild Wild West, so we were all asked to dress up in cowboy fashion. I know I'm digressing, but I need to say that the decor was really well done up, it was alot of work to do (I know because I do that for a living) in that short space of time.

This is the entrance to the main ballroom. Nice ain't it?

The stage and backdrop.

The kerosene lamp on each of our tables!

The tree of blessings. A little more about this tree. During the earlier part of the day, we were all given a paper leaf cut out to write a verse that God has impressed upon us during the camp. Then we are to hang this leaf on the tree during the dinner where towards the end of the night, we will pick another leaf that others have hanged up there and bring it back with us.

The idea behind this was that, by doing this, in that way, we can actually bless and be blessed by what others were blessed by.

Like I mentioned, God did speak to me, but it wasn't in the form of a verse, but rather through a series of thoughts and reflections, so I did not know what to write, and well, during the course of the day, we had a bit of free and easy time, shopping and eating, and so, I forgot all about the leaf.

Until the time I stepped into the ballroom and saw the tree.

At that time, I didn't even have my leaf with me, it was stuck in the middle of my bible up in my room, and I was too lazy to go up and get it. I thought, forget it, what difference would it make, or rather, nobody is going to miss my leaf if I didn't hang mine up.

But of course, I did not feel easy. And it didn't take long before I rushed up to retrieve it and try to write at least a favorite verse of mine or something.

I could not find the reference nor the exact verse that God had once spoke to me with, I only remember that it was from Isaiah either in chapter 40 something or 50 something. So I started to search, praying that he will bring me to it somehow.

I got this nice little tag from some kid from the children's ministry. A well-known verse that is always a good reminder!

So anyway, fast forward to the next morning, we had a reflections and feedback session on the whole camp, and people were coming forward to share reflections they may have on the camp and feedback about service, logistics, or venue if any.

I sat through that and saw that tree at the end of the room and it had some leaves left on it. I asked God if anybody picked my leaf, or if my leaf was among one of the few left behind, and I also asked Him if he blessed anyone by it if somebody did indeed pick my leaf up.

I chose not to feel too bad about it if my leaf was indeed one of those left behind, cos I remember God did say that His word will not return to Him void, so even if it did not get picked up, I'm sure someone (maybe a hotel staff) will at least get to read it somehow.

Anyways.

We had a few people come up to rant and rave about the things that went on during the camp and towards the end, I admit I was tunning out, as it got boring. I started thinking when is this going to end, and secretly loathed the day chair for encouraging more to give more feedback.

So finally, we had the last family came up and shared what they had experienced during the camp. Apparently, the husband told us that their family was gong through a very rough time, and decided to take a break by participating in the church camp this year.

He also took the opportunity to thank the congregation for helping to pray for his little daughter who have been suffering from some medical condition for some time now. He then went on to share the verses that he and his family had picked from the leaves on the tree the night before.

I "woke up" from my day dreaming when I heard the verse he read out that his daughter got. It was that verse that I had written! I felt goose pimples all over me, and I kinda felt that God was "answering" my earlier question in the day (when I saw the left over leaves): if He had chose to bless anyone with my leaf.

Which kinda proved that indeed, God's word will not return to Him void (even if I was half-hearted - God wasn't!)

It didn't matter that maybe it wasn't exactly my leaf the little girl had picked, somebody else could have written the same verse too, but I know that at least, He had blessed someone with THAT VERSE.

The husband actually mentioned that his daughter felt that God was speaking to her with that verse, which I could imagine - it must daunting for a girl of her age to be suffering from an illness that required on-going medical treatment.

That day, I went home a little more encouraged and with a brand new mindset ready to take on life. I guess it only when you experience God that you realize what you have been missing?

I've obviously been missing Him for the past months with all that hectic work schedule and irregular church attendance to the point that I didn't think it would make any difference whether I went to church or not.

Well, now I do. I want to experience Him everyday and every moment till the day I see Him face to face!

This is the leaf I got in return.