Y-camp challenge

Well, it's been 2 days since I finished my Y-camp.

Y-camp is a camp created for the intellectually, phyiscally handicapped people ( People with Cerebal Palsy, Down's Syndrome and stuff) and we acted as facilitators and befrienders for them, helping them with everything from bathing, getting their food, making sure they don't run away from where they are and things like that.

We went to do the high elements, those high rope things that were 10 metres from the ground and various other challenges , as well as dragon boating.

I was allocated to a 13 year old Malay boy named Sharizan, who had Cerebal Palsy and was wheelchair bound. I basically had to take him everywhere, to the bathroom, onto the bus, and all. I think by the end of the 4 days I was an expert at pushing wheelchairs liao. Haha.. but he's an amazing guy.

Okay, short summary of camp done.

But it has been an terrifc experience! I thought it was one of the best camps I have attended. Suddenly I understand why people love Uni-Y FOC so much though I thought it was quite a normal community service camp. When we do community service in this way, there's this side of us that shows, what I would call the fundamental state. Haha..

And I think for alot of people it's a great process of self-discovery, knowing the fact that they have this side in them that doesn't serve just their own needs, but the needs of others. And tirelessly at that. I myself woke up at 530 am cos my boy wanted to do his prayers. After the camp I realized I had the capacity for more. If I could take care of this kid for 24 hours like that, okay minus sleeping time, from eating, to drinking, to serve his requests and stuff, what was it to serve people who only needed me for a while? Ha...

And Sharizan was amazing. I think he made a few people tear. This guy's got faith! Even though he was wheelchair bound, he wanted to try rock climbing! And he did! I think he even did better than some of the girls!!!! Okay la, partly cos got help from the bottom and from the belayers, but nonetheless his spirit is admirable!

And then he wanted to do this wire walk, where therre are two wires for you to walk across 5 metres above the ground without any hand support. I said okay, I mean since he wanted to do it, but when we reached the bottom of the poles, he asked me: "How do I do it?"

Wah.. faith! Haha. He doesn't even know how he can do it and he still wanted to go up sia! Anyway he tried to climb the pole, but he couldn't get up far enough to do the wire walk, but still...

one of my volunteer friends said she teared when she saw that.

So amazing ah. Someone who's physically handicapped dares to try so much, but yet for many of us who are fully okay, don't even dare to go up that rope.

I shared my revelation with my group that night. Haha " I realized that when we say we cannot , it's not a function of what we have, but it's a function of the fear in our hearts." This guy had only his hands to drag himself up, but he tried nonetheless.

Oh, and I shared also to be faithful with what has been given to us. This guy was wheelchair-bound but yet he told me he was participating in olympics next year.Wow. How many of us can even say we are going to participate in olympics in our lifetime? He has been faithful to what has been given to him, what more us who have more physically than he does.

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Which actually brings a thought. I feel that people who say that God is unfair when he allows people who are born like that to be such. That's only true if we think that we need all our 4 limbs to live a fulfilling life. But yet how many people with working limbs actually live a good and meaningful life. Sometimes I think they have more than us. When you see these people, they have no fear when they do all these things. They have totally no problem dancing in front of a crowd!!! Ha.. I don't think I can say that myself.

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Anyway, I think everyone should go for the camp, through watering others, we ourselves are watered. We see and understand more of ourselves even as we serve them. It had been an amazing time.

I wanna share about God's goodness also. It was through the writing of short notes to one another that I really saw what God had done in my life. Basically at the end of the camp we had to write notes to each other volunteer to say something.

Here are some of the comments about me(unedited for good english. Ha):

"A very impressed person"

"U'll be a good commander"

"Had a pleasant time "working" with you in this camp... you strike me as a pretty meticulous and careful guy who's always god the back of all of us covered... steady!"

"You are a great leader. Always willing to take charge of challenging tasks!"

" You're a very caring and responsible person who probably excels class participation 101. Impressive and rock on!"

"Hey you're a really charismatic person. God bless!" <- this guy left church long ago!! My goodness, he "God bless me". Praise the Lord. Haha And from my subcamp leader: "Hey, thanks for all the help for this camp. You're really good I must say. =) ... "

Okay la, still got nice comments about my singing (lol) but never mind, out of subject here.

But anyway I wrote this really not to boast about myself, but about God. As I read it, I was really bewildered, delightful surprised; I wonder what I had done to deserve that kind of comments. I know if it was the same me 2 years back, I'll probably go under the radar with comments like "Nice knowing you.", "Didn't talk to you much, but all the best!".

But now, with no thanks to me, and all thanks to Jesus...

I was so touched, cos it struck me what God had done for me these 2 years. That Sunday I went to service, I cry already. Haha. Long time never cry in God's presence, but after reading it, my heart really was filled with thankgiving. Glory to God. =)

I really look forward to more of what God can do in my life, and I can truly be an inspiration to the people around me. Like Xinhong. Ha..