Sharing is Caring

Hello friends!

I am back from camp (and also from KO-ing)!

This year's YPM camp was a great experience both spiritually and err... mentally? I don't really know what word to describe that :X But especially spiritually.

For this camp, it was the first time i was being a mentor, and i had absolutely no idea how to be one. There was no real training, and the job scope for a mentor was really vague. Basically all i had to model upon were the previous mentors for my groups for the past two years. And it's a little hard, because my mentors happened to be quiet and steady people who prefer to stay in the background, whereas i'm a more...rah-rah person, i guess? And furthermore this year we got to meet our leaders earlier before camp, so we could actually participate more.

Not to mention the fact that i was the oldest in my group. (Haha feel so old already) I guess because of YA camp, a lot of the older ones didn't go for YPM camp this year.

That aside, i think i learnt a lot, being a mentor. I probably fumbled around and spoke more than need be, but it was a good experience. Especially the impromptu ' training' from Helu on the last night (lol)! Additional sign of oldness is the fact that me and my group of friends all forgot to bring cards to camp. Like, we totally didn't think about it when packing! So the last night was spent HTHT-ing. Pretty refreshing, i must say.

But what i really wanted to share was the spiritual experience. Which may be rather uninteresting to my friendly readers who don't happen to be Christian, but i was hoping you would still read it, because i learnt so much that i feel that i must share. Apologies if the below sharing may seem offensive to some.

I learnt a lot from the sermons this year. The speaker gave very vivid and accurate illustrations to match up with his points, and his points were very clear and concise. While it may have been things i've already heard before, they were nevertheless a poignant and important reminder for my walk with God.

Yet, it wasn't the speaker that impacted me the greatest (and that is the beauty of this year's camp), it was the work of the Holy Spirit moving so greatly amongst the youth that amazed me greatly. This was especially so as i had so many questions/doubts that were answered.

One of them was regards to altar call. Whereby the speaker would say something that might be related to our walk with God and give us the chance to be prayed for. Perhaps it's because i've attended so many camps that altar calls sometimes seem repetitive to me. Or perhaps, it's because i've grown to a point of spiritual maturity where i realise that it seems pointless to go repeatedly, year after year, for the same altar call just for a one time experience when technically i should have been changed by the altar call already. Whichever it was, i was weary of answering altar calls, and especially the one for the final sermon where i knew every year, it would be a call to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit and something about a fresh love for God, where 99% of the youth would go up, be prayed for, and experience the Holy Spirit. I believe i wasn't the only one.

After all, it seems strange to just seek that experience and not the growth, and i wanted more.

This year's camp's altar call was completely different, and truly, i believe it was the Holy Spirit moving.

For the last sermon, rather than praying for individualistic things that focused on our personal walk, it was focused externally. The speaker taught about leading a purposeful life - one where you share the gospel, have faith in God, and believe in miracles. This being simplified.

We were challenged to take the commitment of filling "to live is CHRIST". To seriously consider before writing "Christ" in because it is more than just something we learn about and are supposed to do, it is something we are supposed to seriously believe in and do. It is to live to glorify God, to share the gospel out of love for those who have yet to hear it, and to build up the church. It was also a commitment where we knew we might fail - or in fact, would fail, again and again - but would continue to pick up where we failed and work at it.

For those of us who had committed to it, the speaker then asked us to think of our unsaved friends - for God to place a face in our minds. And after that, take a step to the altar and intercede for them. The moment i walked in front and started praying, i just started to weep. Like literally weep. And i'm not a crying person. There was just a deep pain coming from the inside of me, or probably as John 11:35 says "Jesus wept" - in which it is said that Jesus was moved with compassion from deep within his bowels (err not as weird as it sounds). You know, usually the 'routine' is that the speaker or someone prays for you, and you get touched, but this time, there wasn't any laying of hands, there was no one praying over us. It was just us seeking the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit meeting us where we wanted.

There was a deep sorrow and anguish where i felt God's love for my unsaved friends pouring out. Because offensive or not, the truth still holds that those who do not believe will go to hell. And because of that i just couldn't stop crying from the pain, because as much as i feel sad or anguish in losing my friends, God feels it much, much, much, much more. Because the thought of His precious child not being saved hurts Him way more than it'll ever hurt me. And the grief was just flowing through me.

Okay, long story short, the pain was just so poignant i couldn't stop crying, and it's what's compelling me to share even though i fear offending my friends. I've always been afraid to share the gospel with my friends because i don't want to offend them. I don't want to be one of those people that insists on converting everyone with every single sentence, because i value my friends and i don't want to lose the friendships we have. Yet, i was once again reminded that we share out of love. And i was prompted to take courage and take a step of faith, because this is for eternal works. And if i truly love my friends, i will share for their sakes.

Feeling the love of God for his unsaved children, i can say here and now that the God who sent His son to pay the price that we should have paid for our sins, loves all His children so, so, so, much. Christianity is not some easy, cushy path. It's not about living your lives right and doing good things. Because we are saved for good works and not from good works. I am nowhere near a saint, but i trust and follow God because of the unending love he shows us, and it still amazes me at how our creator can love us so much when there is no need to.

I know Christianity may seem weird to many, especially the whole speaking in tongues thing. Even for me, i had my queries and skepticism about the fact that speaking in tongues comes to all who are baptised in the Holy Spirit. Even though i can speak in tongues and i do know very well that it is a great gift, i still hold to my belief that it is not the only gift one can receive as proof to the baptism of the Holy Spirit. And honestly, it's been a little bit of a pet peeve of mine to hear people pray for the baptism of the Holy Spirit and kind of try to "force" the gift of tongues out. I have always been skeptical of that and asking God if it is really true.

During camp, while praying for one of my students, she suddenly started speaking in tongues. And to me, that was amazing. Because i never prayed for her to speak in tongues or told her to speak. All i prayed was the words that God put in my mind to tell her, and for the Holy Spirit to fill her, and she just started speaking. I was amazed and awed, because it is even more concrete proof of how the gift of tongues is real and not through some peer pressure. It can't be forced out.

For one of the sermons, when the leaders were prayed for and sent forth to pray and speak prophecies over the youth, it was amazing. I'm here to be a living testimony that the Holy Spirit was moving greatly. As i prayed over some of the youth, i didn't have to think about what i wanted to pray about for them. The words just kept flowing - blessings, encouragement, promptings just kept coming to mind when i prayed over each person. And each was specific to the person and touched each person greatly. It was amazing to be used by God in such a way, because i never believed that praying for others was something i could really do, and never thought that i could be used to impart words from God unto others. It was a big change from being ministered to (although i was definitely ministered to before i ministered to others).

The wonderful thing was God's love for everyone of the youth, His encouragement for each one of them. To some, reminders that He loved them, to others, assurances that they were not inadequate. And to some His great plans for them. It's a great reminder that God showers nothing but love and blessings onto His children if only they choose to accept Him and let Him into our lives.

I don't know how to say all i really want to say, but really, this camp showed how amazing God is and His love for all of us. This year i can say that i've grown a lot spiritually, but sometimes, that might lead to a state of stagnancy where i am unsure of what's next, or maybe complacency, where i think i know a lot, or even self-centeredness where i simply focus on my own internal growth and don't think about external things. And it was a great reminder about God's love and the need to share the love to others.

As i said, i'm pretty much a coward, but it's time i take a step out of my comfort zone to do this for a greater purpose.

3:48 AM ·