Here are what some of the youth zones have been up to during the June school holidays.
Contributed By Kong Yun Rui and Sarah Lim
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| PHOTO: Lim Yin Ling |
Youth under the care of CHC’s YK Zone (headed by pastor Goh Yock Kiang) and LYL Zone (headed by assistant pastor Lee Yi Lun) got to fight dragons and conquer their fears over the June school holidays at events organized by their zone leaders. June 13 saw more than a hundred YK Zone youngsters covering Sentosa in search of “Love Drops” to win the heart of Princess Fiona in a Shrek-themed day of fun in the sun. In another part of Singapore, Camp One taught its over-200 participants how to face their fears and come together in unity over three days of camping.
YK Zone’s budding leaders organized Shrek-tosa for the youth under their care to have a chance to interact with one another across cell-groups. After ice-breakers, teams of 10 were each given a special map to lead them on a treasure trail where they were supposed to conquer five stations and earn Love Drops, the game’s currency.
Not only did the teams have to spot pictures of Shrek characters hidden along the trails, they also had to brave the “Dragon Trail” in a bid to win the heart of Princess Fiona, echoing the events in the Shrek movies.
After braving the rigours of their journey, teams had to combine to form clans, pooling their creativity and love drops to present the coolest “Shrek” to win the green princess’ favor. Spending their hard-won Love Drops for supplies from “Art Fiend,” a parody of popular art material store Art Friend, teams dressed a lucky representative as Shrek, racking their brains for the coolest, trendiest designs.
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| PHOTO: Chin Zhi Yan |
Coming up with their runway-worthy creations had teams shrieking with laughter as they painted their representatives green with camouflage paint. The winning clan walked away with a goodie-filled hamper for their efforts, while the team that accumulated the most Love Drops each got a pair of sunglasses for their valor.
Youth from Lee’s zone had a similar bonding experience at Camp One. Held at Paya Lebar Methodist Girls Primary School, the three-day camp was filled with outdoor games and power-packed prayer sessions at night.
The wet weather did not dampen the campers’ spirit as they enthusiastically competed in challenges like removing shirts frozen in blocks of ice and a photo scavenger hunt. There were also friendly captain’s ball matches and water games.
One of the highlights of the camp was the “Race-O-Phobia,” a station game with each station representing a different fear. “Nyctophobia”—the fear of darkness—had campers looking for hidden items in a pitch-dark room. Participants had to negotiate these stations in the shortest time possible.
Even better than the games and activities were the prayer sessions where faciliators shared from the Bible.
“The camp was great. There was the element of fun, but it was the night sessions that impacted me significantly,” said Priscilla Ho, 21.
Cell-group leader Michelle Yong encouraged the youth to use their talents to live their lives to the fullest. Through practical illustrations, Yong shared ways to live a life ruled by faith and not fear. “The lowest level of living is by your emotions. Don’t live your life according to your feelings, live your life according to the Word of God,” she said.
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| CN PHOTO: Teo Boon Hwee |
Calvin Choo, the camp commandant, spoke about God’s love for Man at the next session. Many cried as he spoke about God’s ultimate sacrifice for Man’s sake, and many said they felt God’s love then.
“To love God,” Choo explained, “we must first know that God loves us. The magnitude of God’s love is greater than you can ever imagine.”
At the closing session, Ee Zhen Ying emphasized the importance of unity and of building strong relationships with God and others. Unity, she said, was expressed through brotherly love shown to one another. “When we are united, we can find a way through the fires and adversities of life.”
Participants gathered for group photos as the camp drew to a close. Few dry eyes were seen, and few left untouched or unchanged.
“A memorable moment was when we encountered the presence of God during our night [prayer] meetings,” recounts Sandra Tan, an 18-year-old student. “I didn’t just make new friends, I also experienced an encounter with God.”
In the eyes of the organizers, the camp was a resounding success. Ho Pei Yun, one of the organizers, shared, “We wanted to have a camp where people could come together in an atmosphere of fun to build unity and friendships with one another. I think we’ve achieved these goals.”
Summing up, she said, “The sessions were filled with the presence of God, the games were creative and fun-filled, and the participants made the camp come alive!” She also praised the teams for their love and sportsmanship. “It was exciting to see teams rallying together to cheer for each other, while competing hard to win the games for their team. They also served one another during the meals.”
For these youths, it was indeed a memorable June school break.
