I left JB since year 2007.
But thanks to FB, news still pop in every now and then and it keeps me
connected to JB folks. A very good
example is the Bob Fitts Worship Seminar.
I am thrilled when I found out that the JB Pastor’s Fellowship was
organizing a worship seminar with Bob Fitts.
One of the classic songs sung by Bob Fitts is Blessed Be
The Lord God Almighty (Father in Heaven).
I shared this good news with hubby.
Hubby thought it would be a good exposure if some of us in the worship ministry
could participate. We spread the news
around in anticipation. However, due to
various reasons most of the people were unable to take part.
I was excited to find Jerry and Karen interested in the
seminar and they have even registered their name before I did! After discussing with hubby, I have decided
to attend the seminar by myself without bringing my two ‘luggage’ aka children,
along. It was a 3-day seminars but I
would only take part in 2 days. For the same reason, I have also decided to drive to JB by myself. The other couple, however, would attend all 3
days.
Nearer the date, the organizer emailed the couple as
there was a change in the seminar.
Unfortunately, I was left out in their list. Originally the seminar was to begin on Friday
evening, opened to worship leaders only. However, the latest information received was
this session was postponed to Sunday afternoon.
With that adjustment, I was unable to attend, which left me disappointed as I was only able to go for the Saturday session. Later, another piece of information was sent
out via whatsapp. Again, I was not
informed. Eng Ing, a friend of mine in
JB whom I planned to put a night with alerted me. These "disorganized management" did upset me a
fair bit.
To make matters worst, a couple of days before the seminar, I fell sick. I was having fever 2 days before my
scheduled travels. Hubby was a bit concerned,
naturally. I was hesitated to take the
wheels as well. Finally, after taking 2
tablets of panadol and tried my best to rest as much as I could the day before,
I drove to JB at 6:30am on
Friday.
The traffic was good and I felt better. It took me slightly more than 2 hours to
reach JB. However, an additional 20
minutes to look for the church as I wasn’t familiar with that area, taking
into account all the one-way street and traffic lights. So, I was late. Eng Ing, Jerry and Karen were concerned of my
whereabouts as they knew I was not well.
At last, I reached the church in one piece. Registered and found out that they did not
have my name on record (floating in the air, perhaps?). Hence, I didn’t receive any of the communications.
The worship had started and they were singing the last
song. To my surprise, it was led by CCC,
my home church when I was in JB. The
drummer was awesome! Phew… I wished our
church drummers (Ben, are you reading
this?) were there. The youth pastor,
Sebastian, took over the pulpit and introduced Bob Fitts and his wife to
us. Sebastian was one of the youth when
I was in JB. Glad to see him answered
the call and dedicated himself to God’s service.
There were quite a number of churches represented here, both
from the Pentecostal churches and the traditional churches. Wesley Malacca was highlighted as we were not
locals. Bob Fitts even shared with us he
had been to Malacca many years ago to conduct a seminar. On his way to Malacca, the driver’s driving
skill in a single lane sparked him to compose the song ‘Just One Of Us’. Another significant event was his son had
decided to be baptized and they did it in one of the Malacca beaches. Jokingly he said now the Straits of Malacca is even
dirtier with the contamination of his son’s sins!
I find Bob Fitts very friendly, down-to-earth, yet passionate for God. The seminar was refreshing
as I soaked myself in the presence of God. One of the things that really encouraged me
was the sharing by Bob Fitts’ wife. How
she struggled with the care of the children by herself as Bob Fitts were away
most of the time due to ministry. It’s
comforting to know that there’s someone else facing a similar situation as
me. Though hubby constantly reminded
me I should be grateful coz he’s actually a spends a lot of time at home when he is not traveling.
At the seminar, I was glad to meet some of the old-timers in
JB. Happy to catch up with them even for
5 minutes! Many of them used to be in
Sunday School. Now they are the
front runners in the ministry.
The best is: They could still remember my name!!! What an honour! :p
By the time the seminar was over, my fever was back and I
was feeling tired. Thank God that Eng
Ing brought a friend of hers and he graciously drove my car to Eng Ing’s
house. Driving is simply not my
forte. Now I could sit back and relax.
After resting for awhile, we washed up and got ourselves
ready for the night session. This
session was opened to the public and Bob Fitts did what he’s good at: Worship
leading. The atmosphere was very
different as people were ever ready to worship God. It has been quite awhile since I indulged in
this kind of ‘charismatic’ ambiance.
Even in his 60s, Bob Fitts held his guitar and dance on the stage with
the rest of us. The sanctuary was filled
to the brim. After the worship, Bob
Fitts shared a message and finally we called it a night.
I traveled back to Malacca on Saturday morning, just in time
to join the Sunday School Teacher’s Appreciation and Evaluation Lunch. That morning itself Elyse sat for her Grade 1
Piano Theory Exam. I felt bad that I
couldn’t accompany her and hubby needed to take over my duty. Later he told me that he was the ONLY man at
the waiting lounge. hehe… Nevertheless,
it was a refreshing course for me. It
reminded me of those younger days we were so crazy about going for Don Moen and
Darlene’s concert, that we actually skipped school.
Oops, now you know there’s a little devil in me. Shh...
Side note:
One of my favourite songs ‘Sacrifice’ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcjkJp9VxY8)
was sung by Bob Fitts, too. I didn’t realize it
initially until I google to find out more information about Bob.
Parts of the lyrics:
It must have been the
hardest thing He's ever done
When God the Father
sacrificed his only son
The one that He most
cherished gave His life away
And by His love He
made a better way
…
Jehova Jireh, he has
provided
The sacrifice of love
no man could ever pay
And what He requires
of you and me
Even the hardest thing
Your blood, O Christ
Your sacrifice gives
me strength to obey
