HEY PEOPLE,

Elim CAFE is Back

Come Visit us between 11.00am to 4.00pm on Friday & Saturday (4th Dec 2009 & 5th Dec 2009)
All Brand New Menu.!!!!...Bring your friends along.

From the Chefs,

Amelia & Rachel.

Hey GuYs & GuRLS, Check these sonGs for The Coming youTH Camp.

Youth Camp 09 ~ Things to Bring

Ok, folks as requested by the camp committee...I am posting this up to remind you all what to bring for the camp. Looking at the list (BTW, I am using the exact words that the camp committee passed to me...) I felt, I needed to explain further, just in case...

1. Slippers, sport shoes ~ It means just that, bring your shoes. You can go barefoot, high heels, sandals, etc.
2. Toiletries ~ Again it also means what it says. Whatever you need to do your 'business' in the toilet. Bring it. Dental floss, toothbrush, soap, shampoo, night light, whatever your fancy. The camp committee also don't quite care if you brushes your teeth. So if you want, skip four days of brushing...save water...just don't exhale at my face...
3. Playing Clothes-Dark Colour Extra ~ Well, it also means bring adequate change of clothes for a 4 days 3 nights camp plus additional clothes whereby you are expected to get wet. So some dark colour clothes would be ideal. Again, you can also bring only a set, its a CHO?CE!!!
4. Bible ~ If you have, bring.
5. Stationary ~ Pens, pencils, and whatever stuff you all now stuff into your pencil cases.
6. Medicine (If you are sick) ~ Well, I am guessing here, it will be the medicine that you have to take or you are already on. Example, some of the committee are already on some meds, if she/he don't take those, she/he will go ...shall we say...no normal...wink wink...
7. My additional stuff ~ Wanted to add this in, bring your common sense (brain). I know it is after the exams, but bring it along just in case. Never know when you might need it...

Katan

Mustard Seed

Matthew 17:20 "You don't have enough faith," Jesus told them. "I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it would move. Nothing would be impossible."

Well, its been a while since I have posted anything up on the blog. Guess, its time to get my fingers cracking and brain juices working (what little that is left...). Lately I have been reminded on the issue of faith...

Faith, something which, well depending on who or what you are reading, is an essential part or ingredient of the Christian life. Christian life, began with faith. Faith to believe in Jesus Christ. With faith, our Christian life will grow and mature; thus without faith, well we are pretty much stuck as an infant in terms of our Christian growth and maturity. Something so important in our Christian life, one would assume that we should have loads, well maybe not loads but at the very least bucketful of this faith stuff; seeing how God has blessed and guided us through the years. Yet, yet...the Lord says, 'If we have faith as small as a mustard seed...'

What's that? Faith as small as a mustard seed? Seriously? I won't dare to contradict God in this issue but before we attribute that particular comments to our younger (at least in our Christian maturity) brethren (brethren also refers to the sisters, have to make this sound kinda mature...), let's check the size of our (and since this is my article), my faith...

Examples, examples...is the way to go!!! As is in any mathematical formulas, examples is the way to illustrate the point. So let me use the example of the upcoming youth camp. When BSGC threw this 'bone' to us (EYs) to handle the camp during the last year camp, the first thought in my mind was...no way!!! Not because we don't have the man power, not because we can't find the people to plan and run this, but its rather my own fears. Seeing how every year, the BSGC had to 'work' to get people to join the camp, I don't think we are able to do it. I don't think God will blessed us with the numbers. I believe God can, I have the faith that if God choose to, we can draw in crowds bigger than the total enrolment of NS. It is just that I don't think God will. (Evaluation: Faith size...hmmm....undefined...yet)

At the begining of this year, we were fresh from organising a Prom Night with the EAOG youths and the committee were doing their 'post mortem' review. They were also thinking of what to run next... and I thought, well why don't we run the youth camp together. Thinking back, I guess the idea was to get as many people on board as possible so that we can share the burden and not worry about the numbers and stuff. I did not really think that they will be game to run a youth camp together...but they did. I dragged my feet in finding camp sites and speaker, they pushed, chased and bugged me all the way...I gave excuses like the SPM time table problems, price of the camp sites, logistics, etc. Even at the end when the SPM time table was changed, I was even tempted to postponed or even call off the youth camp. I still have my doubts over this camp issue and whether God will bless. I see mountains...(Evaluation: Faith size...hmmm clearer...still not sure about the size...for sure not much bigger than a mustard seed)

Well, we have committed to the camp. We booked 110 places and I was quite worried over the numbers that we are going to get. The intial numbers were rising slowly...very slowly...The mountains that I saw were getting bigger, making me realised how small I am. The problems associated with camp seem huge in comparison to my God. The final count for the camp was about 80 people. Did not meet the 110 and yet not a small number either. Throughout the planning I noticed the following:

1. Was worried over the finances, Camp fees of 180 foe 4 days 3 nights inclusive of transport and a t-shirt was way above budget. We actually needed to top up the money. Funds came in from..well, unexpected places that enable us to not quite cover the camp, but not as bad as I feared.
2. The youths working together in doing the camp logistics, the practices, the committee meetings, and not only the 'old' hands in the youth but the 'new' ones were chipping in. Doing their part. Best of the pick in this is the realisation that the youths had that they also needed to pray. (Lesson learned here...thank you...)
3. The people that signed up consist more of outsiders than our own people. We have a good mix of the older youths to help out in the groups. A concern in the begining...

One by one, my concerns was meet and addressed by God. Not only addressed but given more than I asked. So, if I was to evaluate the size of my faith. I can safely say, my faith is bigger than a mustard seed. I have bucketfuls of this faith stuff, it is just that my God cannot move the mountains. I believe in God, have much faith in Him, but I don't quite believe the He can do much. It was not the size of my faith that is the problem but rather the size of my God that iIput my faith in. I needed to see God for the God that He is. The Alpha and Omega, the Almighty God!!! For that I need to make a choice, a decision to take God out of the small tiny box that I have placed Him in and put Him where he belongs. The God that made the heavens and the earth...

Let's go for the camp!!!

Amen

Katan

Youth Camp 09 Registration...

Well, that 15 December 2009 is coming soon. When we started to plan for this camp (here, I would really like to thank...Michael Fun and Kevin Ho from BSGC and William Chang from Elim for giving us this wonderful experience of planning for the camp...thanks A LOT...guys...), December 15, felt so far away. Even the closing date for the camp registration also felt some distance away. Of course coupled that with the number of camper that we targeted for...110...we or at the very least I did not or rather dare to think what would the numbers be like come November 15...

Well, guess what? That November 15 date has come and past...and so now, I need to officially say that the Youth Camp 09 registration is....

So, now on to the final stretch...the logistics of the camp. We will be looking forward to another month of hectic planning and pre camp preparation...again thanks a lot to the above mentioned guys...So do pray with us and especially for us and the speaker, Mr Philip Devadas (hmm, hope he remembers he has a camp with us...)...See you all this coming December 15....

Oh yes, let me also give you the breakdown of the people who are attending the camp...

From EY...36, BSGC...40 and EAOG..17 giving us a total of 93...a good number...a very good number...

Katan

PS: All the best to those sitting for their SPM exams

PS2: You still want to sign up? Well no promises there...sorry folks...