oh gosh.. time really flies.. One year had actually passed and this was my second time going for a church camp with ARPC. A few things had changed, i guessed.. like I am now a member of ARPC when i wasnt last year, I paid 300 dollars this year, while i only paid 200 last year and i had known more people before going to the camp compared to last year when my sis and i knew no one before the camp..
However, the camp was still as いちばん (yichiban） as last year. Like what Chris Chia had mentioned last camp and this year again, it was a glimpse of heaven, a taste of honey where God's people gathered together to listen to God's word, praising God together and enjoyed the fellowship as brothers and sisters in Christ.. If u do read my blog abt last year's camp, u would realised that i had just said the same thing.. well.. hear this again cuz i am going to say the same old thing again: Christianity is indeed about relationships : r'ship b/w God and man, man and woman & man and nature. This time however, the camp focused on our relationship with God in view of his saving plan and our relationship with God's world which is still full of ppl who suppressed the truth of the God who create earth and heaven.
We had have 2 guest speakers.. John Chapman and Ian Smith. This was the first time i ever hear from Ian Smith, and I found him really firm in his speaking and I had learnt much from him. He had taken some passages from Acts to explain the centripetal and centrifugal movements of the early church wrt the Pentacost gospel events. Meanwhile our dear old Chappo brought us to see how the Trinity are involved in the salvation of the world.
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. (Acts 1:8)And as usual, Chris ended the camp with 2 talks; i thought that the first talk had really cut deep in my heart, for he had taken us to understand our globalising society (or rather world). We shall be different from this world - when the world is united to progress individually, materially and godlessly, we are to united to grow deeply in Christ and in love; when the world is divided by the difference in color, status, education and gender, we are to be blind to these differences and embrace a borderless church
(My own summary).What a shame i had felt when i sat there and listened to Chris - What a shame that we had to be rebuked this manner to realise that we have not been loving the world enough to be blind to the differences. We, or at least I, always prefer to hang out with the people similar to ourselves, in term of race, religion, socio-status, looks and gender (maybe some like hanging out w opp gender, but i prefer gals =P).. Hence now.. after the camp, i was sorry and thankful at the same time.. sorry for the subtle discrimination i had shown for the past years, that's why am very grateful that God do forgive.. So what is left to do now, is to go forth with love. Many names had popped out of my head during the camp, and many things i wanted to do.. so, really hope that i could love enough to move myself to do it ah... aarrggg..
This was the first themed party i had with the ARPCians. It was so nostalgical to be in such party, where some bunch of ppl get together and have fun, food and fellowship with one another. I started to miss the good old days and friends like tree, grace, char, gf and others who would make the effort to make party for ppl to get tog.
but nahz.. nevertheless.. knowing that there are still people reading my blog, I shall at least keep my friends updated of my life now..
so bear with me manz if u are not interested reading what had happended to me a few weeks ago.. so all the following new posts are posted up today.. i just blogged them according to their dates so that i could remember them when years to come.