Church Camp 2017 version 2

The Church Family Camp 2017 officially kicked off on April 29th at Eagle Ranch Resort, Pork Dickson.   We were thrilled to have an overwhelming response of 145 church members signing up for this camp.  

As Pastor Andrew has been assigned to pastor WMC Segamat, we are privilege to have a big group of them joining us this year.  Such an honor to get together as one family of God.

Stepping foot on the resort takes one to a different world, the Wild Wild West.  The scenery is set against a beautiful rustic cowboy town concept.  However, the uneven road and the stairs may cause a little inconvenience to the seniors.

Upon arrival, the campers gathered around for Ice Breaking activities.  Campers were divided into 5 groups, i.e. Blue Kingfisher, Yellow Hornbill, Green Hummingbird, Red Flamingo and Brown Eagle.  Laughter and smile filled the hall as we exchanged stories to earn points for our group.   

After the Ice Breaker, we retreated to our rooms to rest and freshen up.  Most of the campers were staying in the bandwagon whilst some of us stayed in the Log Cabin.  The open sky shower is definitely the highlight of the Log Cabin.  I was privileged to enjoy the showers of blessing from heaven as it began to rain while I was taking my bath.  Elyse was thrilled with this unique bathroom feature.  She would rather shower under the cold water as the water flowed down from the artificial rock like a waterfall.

As mealtime approached, we charged the dining hall, D’Barrel F&B outlet, to have our meal. While many of us indulged in the food paradise, the worship team gobbled their food with haste as they needed to be at the hall early to prepare for the session.  Thank you for your sacrifices!

“Soaring higher, rooting deeper” That is the theme for our church camp this year.  There were 4 teaching sessions altogether.  The camp speaker, Rev Dr Jeremiah Yap from New Life Restoration Centre, shed light to us on the Word of God.  He was funny, down to earth yet his passion for the kingdom of God is undoubtedly revealed.  He spent much time praying and ministering to the campers.  Many were touched by God in a tangible way. 

The children, on the other hand, were well taken care of.  The camp committees outsourced two teachers from another church to conduct children ministry during the teaching session.  The kids enjoyed the story telling time, craft sessions and many other activities.

During our activity time on the second day, the campers were divided into 2 groups.  The young and energetic were ushered to the field to play telematch under the scorching sun.  Touted as the best team building resort, a variety of games were organized by the resort such as Flour Face Sweet Hunter, Water Balloon Catch, Wooden Horse Riding Polo, Rubber Band with Straw Race and etc. 

The rest of us who preferred to take a back seat in the air-cond room were given a task to learn a dance routine within a limited time.  Both of my kids had a good sweat under the sun in the telematch whereas yours sincerely took delight in the Latin dance, Cha Cha.  As for Andrew, he was one of the judges in the dancing competition.  Don’t worry.  He showed no favoritism to any groups.  Not even his wife's.  We had a good laugh, an entertaining time; and what surprised me more was many among us are pretty good dancers!!!  Time to recruit them for dancing ministry in church!

During our free time, some of us tried out Go-Kart.  Perhaps a little taste of F1 racing albeit in a smaller scale?  Feeling the adrenaline rush by negotiating the curves at high speed.  Well, I have to do it twice since my kids are too young to drive it on their own.  

The resort is packed with many outdoor activities, such as horse riding, obstacle course, paintball, basketball and etc.  Your free time may not be so free after all!

Besides all the fun, the task master a.k.a. yours sincerely had a little extra activity for the tambourine dancers after the night sessions everyday.  We stayed back in the hall to practice and rehearse our dance for the Mother’s Day performance, which was in two weeks’ time.  Though we did not have much time to prepare for this performance, we did it quite well.  Sweet and simple. 

Overall, I had such a good time in the camp.  Love the bonding with church members; the exciting competitions among the groups; and the sharing of God’s words.  My only complain is: There are so many lizards in my room!  As much as I love nature, these creatures just gets on my nerves.

So long, farewell!  See you next year! 

* This article was published in the Berita Gereja WMC Melaka.