ASK and you shall be Answered

Hi!! Greetings in the name of the Lord!! CA is back on this coming Thursday, 25 Sep 2008.we are going to have a forum session for this CA. so, if you encounter any doubts or questions on your faith.. or if you would like to know more about Christianity... do come and attend this CA!!! ASK and we have special guests trying their best to clear your doubts... see you there!!

CA, I'm back!

Ask a JPA scholar who is studying abroad now what he or she misses most, the expected answers would be: Family members, food, shopping centre etc. Ask me, a JPA scholar who is studying abroad now and had been to CA before, my reply would surely include the 2 big capital letters: CA.

Since the day I departed Malaysia for my destination: Germany, CA has always been on my mind. Thoughts like: when can go back and visit CA again? How are the juniors now? What sort of ice-breakers will be held this time? will always appear on my mind whenever Thursday arrives. To satisfy my “hunger” for CA, visiting the CA blog has become a weekly habit for me. However, just by looking at reports and pictures doesn’t seem enough for me. I had to be there somehow. Thank God that He has listened to my prayers and after 9 months of separation, I’m back in Shah Alam again!

Besides visiting CA, one of my objectives of coming back to Malaysia was to spread the news about my church in Germany to the juniors and more or less help them in choosing their future universities by giving them advices. During the meeting with my fellow ALG juniors in KFC, I got the chance to meet CA “Papa” and “Mama” and other fellow committee members as well. It’s assuring to see that God has capable people like them to replace the departed Joash and gang.

After 9 months, CA did have some changes to it. From previous reports, I got to know that the NLRC building has undergone some renovation. However, I did not know that the hall has changed floor as well! The hall where we usually meet for CA meetings was actually on the 1st floor. Having that thought in mind, I opted to use the staircase to save the time waiting for the lift. To my surprise, first floor was totally empty! So I and Vincent walked up the stairs and look inside every door at each floor. Finally we managed to find CA on the 5th floor. Thank God for the opportunity to be able to do some exercise after dinner. =)

Besides having the chance to visit CA, Vincent and I were given the privilege to conduct the ice-breaking session as well. I have to admit that the game we thought of was not as interesting or fun as the previous games held last time. It’s not an easy task to think of a good game (try asking the usual conductors!). Anyway, through the games, the both of us received supports in many ways! Everyone cooperated well when I was trying to split the groups evenly. Eagerness is something not lacking in this bunch of juniors. Before I can finish stating all the instructions for the game, they already got started! Amazing! By the way, I also got to know how valuable a chocolate from Germany can be…

One of the things that I have missed the most in CA when I was in Germany was the praise and worship session. The word above (shirt worn by Yi En), if one can see clearly, is Passion. This is something that I never find lacking in each and every Praise session of CA. The worship leader, the background singers and the musicians never fails to create a wonderful atmosphere where one can fully focus on God by singing and praising Him. The scene where everyone sings at the top of their voices praising our Almighty God remains in my memory even until now. Kudos to the worship team once again for conducting the worship session so well.

The message for that evening served as a reminder for me as well. As a JPA scholar, the temptation of not coming back to our own country and work abroad can be irresistible at times. However, as our God is a covenant keeping God, we as Christians should also respect the contract or the bond between us and the government. In short, we should return home after finishing our studies. I guess this message couldn’t come at a more appropriate time. In this time where the stability of the nation is a big question mark, we as Christians should stand up and help out in making Malaysia a better place to live in, rather than just complaining about the government.

Time flies when one is enjoying every moment of it. Within a few hours’ time, my visit to CA has come to a close. To the juniors, I appreciate very much the time that we could spend together. Continue to serve God wherever you go. Life in overseas is not an easy one. This is the time when we need to depend on God the most. Never lose faith when hurdles come in your way, instead, pray and always give thanks to God. Cherish every moment where you can attend CA, I’m sure you will miss it when you are abroad. Thank you to the committee members of CA as well for the opportunity given to me and Vincent to conduct the games. I wanted to do something for CA since a long time ago. Last but not least, thank God for CA. Dear God, may You make CA a blessing to the students in INTEC. Amen!

Hmmm… when will be the next time I visit CA again? =)

In His service,
Daniel Tang
(Class of 2005-2007 ALG9 INTEC)

Live Out Loud

Merdeka x7!! These indeed are the historical words which set our nation free from colonization. 51 years passes as time witness the massive development in our country. As we ponder again, we are not forgetting our mighty King who releases us from sins and death through His precious blood. Great is our Lord!!

When you step into the Atmosphere, you will be surprised with Malaysia flag hanging here and there and even at the back of the t-shirt!!

This CA kicked off with Graham and Shalisha emceeing for the night. It started off with some songs before welcoming us. We were greeted by dividing ourselves by the colour of our toothbrush!! Blue, red, green, yellow and even I don’t know group!! What a new and fresh way to start!! We also have the privilege to welcome back Daniel and Vincent, my super senior, our juniors’ super duper senior, from Germany!! They were conducting the ice breaking and we were divided into 2 groups, (Cat Group and Dog Group). For the first game, we were to arrange ourselves in a line according to our names in alphabetical order, without talking to each other or making any sound. Imagine, everyone started to point out their fingers trying their best to show the alphabets. Then, we had another fun game. Everyone was paired together and the objective is to look at each others’ face and try not to laugh. Look who showed up to interfere. Bryan with a silly and funny face got everyone roared with laughter. In the end, the winners received chocolates all the way back from Germany. We had a great time having fun and fellowshipping with each other. Thanks Daniel and Vincent for the games.

Next, the praise and worship was lead by Andersen and his team which includes Patricia and Peiling as backup, Larry, Daniel, Bryan, Chewie and James. The songs are You are Good, Awesome in this place, How great is our God, Beautiful Savior and God of this city. We can sense God’s presence with us throughout the praise and worship session. Then, we have sis Eu Pui, an FES instructor from IMU speaking to us on the topic “Living Out Loud”. Sis Eu Pui gave us some questions to ponder about. Are we satisfied with the current situation? Are we going to make a difference, not doing anything or just be indifferent? She also shared the story of Daniel, who was stripped off his very own identity, even his name, to live in other land. Daniel who completely put his trust onto the Lord lived out to His name (book of Daniel). She also urged everyone of us to return back to Malaysia after our studies because the Lord has entrusted Malaysia to us. We must indeed live out God’s name and shine in this land. We are building His Kingdom. In the end, she poured out a bucket full of marbles. It symbolizes that God will also scatter us to different parts of Malaysia to spread His words. Each of us took a marble to remind us of the day to come.

It all ended with the song “Malaysia Bagi KemuliaanMu”. Samantha also prayed for the nation and everyone of us. We had great refreshment prepared by Betty and J-Cyn. We have the chance to taste Betty self bake cake. Longan and Lychee drinks were served. Everyone manage to return back to the college in time and it concludes another great CA. Greater thing have to come, greater things are still to be done in our beloved country, Malaysia. Amen

Han