There was a slight tinge of nostalgia the moment I boarded the little van back in motherland. It has been close to half a decade since the last church camp I attended back in Jurong days. Undeniably, in those days, there were (legitimate) sweet memories of fellowship with the people who are no longer around us today. Now, in Truth BPC, there are some new faces as well as old faces. I was a little apprehensive at first when I returned to the Lord after a long dry spell of wanton sinning, with a spiritual life which was nearly non-existent. Thank God for His wondrous working in my life which gave me the courage to open up to His people as well as to share and serve. I have enjoyed the warm fellowship with people from the YF, YAF and AF thus far, and especially during this camp the bundles of joy constantly around us brought many smiles to my face. The theme for this camp could not have been more apt. Being assured of a place in NTU - ADM, I am also assured of a whole cartload of challenges. I thank God heartily for He has aligned my heart with His Word. I do not yearn for success but rather seek to do His Will in that little corner of this world. My greatest fear is to fall into sin and backslide again. Would I declare allegiance to this evil world, or to God at the end of my studies in NTU? Would I slip into spiritual lethargy and perform covert operations as an undercover agent? Or would I be a bright shining light for Jesus? Thus, the initial euphoria from getting admitted into NTU gradually changed into bitter-sweet emotions. God will always provide a way out, and through the many precious lessons learnt in this camp, there is sufficient preparation of my heart to start my next phase of life. "Shepherding a Child's Heart" made me aware of the difficulties and importance of godly upbringing of the future generation, those who will inherit the legacy we eventually leave behind. The story of a disobedient Israel turning to idol worship after the departure of Joshua from this world comes to mind: "And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers; and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel. And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served Ba'al-im: And they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the LORD to anger" (Judges 2:10-12, emphasis added). In consideration of the portion of Scripture from Judges 2:6-15, swift and sure judgment from God in the following verses is a stern warning to all of us. Thus, the burden to pray for the following fell upon me: (a) godly wisdom to be on the Pastor, Session and parents in Truth BPC, (b) the faithful preaching of God's Word, (c) members to have genuine and sincere diligence in living godly and holy Christian lives.
I hope we can all share this burden to pray for one another as well!
Lastly, I have achieved my personal objective for this camp: to regain that first love for Christ. I am leaving this camp with a clearer and surer conviction of the consecration of my life to the Most High. I humbly ask for help, from whosoever will, to pray for me as I start school on 11 August 2009. May the love of Christ constrain me to abound in good works for the Lord!
