CHURCH CAMP AT PULAI DESARU
We drove (Rachel's car....thanks Ra Ra!) to Desaru after Joash's lunch.....about 11.30am. It was a rather smooth journey tho' there were some showers along the way. The overtakings that Tommy did were really scary till I kept shouting "Jesus..... help!". Rachel & Gillian were with us too. All of us had a short naps in the car....... except Tommy.....of course!
We arrived in Pulai Desaru Resort about 2.45 pm. The keys were not ready so we had our lunch first. The first lunch was quite yucky cos the food were cold (we arrived late!) and tasted strange too! So we only had a few mouthfuls of it. I tried feeding Joash some milk but failed! We had to feed him in Xinying's room (thanks sexy!) with his Barney show........sigh!
At about 3 plus, we finally got our keys. The room was nice and cool. We started to unload our "many many many" stuffs. I even set up a mini kitchen beside the tv! True to what my neighbour said............. the water was brown but thank God, there were no big ants and black outs.....phew! Nevertheless, Joash enjoyed all his bath cos he liked the shower tap and the water......... kept laughing and walking around.We had our camp briefing at about 5.30 pm
After the briefing, we had dinner (al fresco.... wish there were aircon....... I am so spoilt!) The food was better than those during lunch time tho' they looked kind of similar....haha.....chicken & fish........ but no complains! After dinner, we had our first session. We (or rather they) played many ice-breaker games and there was also praise & worship. I never had a chance to join in cos got to take care of Joash. Tommy was also helping me with many others who were trying to "siam" the games.......hahaha!
Joash made some new friends in the camp too! His fave was Leandra! They had fun playing together. We went back to the room at about 10 pm. Joash had a hard time sleeping cos it was a new environment for him. He kept looking around and rolling in his playpen till about 11.30 pm. Fortunately, he slept thru' the night!
DAY 2 - 11/6/07
We woke up to a sumptuous breakfast. I think the breakfasts were the best meal of the day! We had eggs, cornflakes, nasi lemak with the very shiok chilli......lots of others as well. Joash woke up early and was tired by about 10 am so he had a power nap during the seesion.
Ps. Benny, our camp speaker cum founder of YMM arrived last night. We had our first seesion of teaching with him. As usual, he was fantastic tho' I only managed to hear 1 or 2 sentences of what he said.......haha....too distracted with Joash.....what to do......he is still young mah! I will get the cds after the camp.
Day 2 was the most enjoyable day of the camp for me cos we got to swim and play around with friends. Joash also had a good time tho' he cried when he entered the pool. But after a while , he got used to it and started to play with the toys we brought in the pool. The young people were doing some stunts in the pool......funny............ see pics for full story. There were also some "baywatch babes" but sorry...... no "baywatch hunks"! We had a good dinner after that ...........the desserts was yummy!
Tommy and I had to play drums (Tom) and sing (me) for the evening session. It's been some time since we served together.....really missed it! Gillian & Mich took care of Joash while we were serving in front. I think they had a hard time cos Joash was crying. After singing, we had to take care of Joash again so don't exactly know what's happening in front. There were ministry after the session but I had to bring Joash back to the room to sleep cos he was feeling very tired. This time he slept almost immediately after I put him down on his playpen. And yup.....he slept thru' the night.
DAY 3 - 12/6/07
Joash woke up at about 7.30 am. We did the usual routine of breakfast and the teaching session. He was feeling so tired by 9 plus that he slept most part of the Praise & Worship time. But he woke up halfway thru' the sermons and got up immediately to play........... he smile almost instantly at everyone when he got up........ so funny!
Lunch was on our own that day. We did not sign up for the seafood cum farm tour cos we know Joash would be too tired and grouchy after that. But we did have a seafood feast for lunch on our own with those that did not go on the tour as well. The food was very good. We finished almost everything on the table but the price was on the steep side (490 RM) as we can also get seafood at a cheaper price in Malaysia......... anyway.....they provide transport so maybe they add in the extra cost. We also bought lots of snacks at the provision shop. After makaning, we went back to the hotel to rest.
Joash did not have a proper nap that day but was still manageable. Tommy had to lead worship and I had to sing for the evening session so Gil & Mich helped us out again. Rachel can sing sing really well......... miss her "yi sheng ai ni" song! She partnered Tommy in the leading. I enjoyed the worship very much that night. The message was also good and Ps. Benny ended it with a video about a man who had a heart for a rubbish town in Cairos. Thru' his acts of kindness and prayers, many came to know the Lord. After the video, there were ministry. All the church leaders prayed for everyone.....except Tommy & I cos I had to bring Joash back to sleep and Tommy was on the stage! Nicky was so sweet to accompany me back to the room....... thanks sweetie pie!
When Tommy came back from the auditorium, we had instant noodle for supper. Jian Long came over for a chat too. He left shortly to join others for the last night "party"! Tommy & I continued to chat till late but it was so nice to just have our time together.
DAY 4 - 13/6/07
We got up early to pack our stuff cos we had lots to pack!! I even brought breakfast into the room. Joash woke up early again. We managed to pack almost everything before the last session start.
We had a good last session with testimonies tho' we weren't there cos we had to feed Joash in the room. I only managed to hear the last few testimonies. After that we had lunch and check out by 12 pm. We wanted to go to Salvation book store to get something on our way back.
On our way there, we past by A&W restaurant. That got us really excited........ hadn't seen A&W for a long time so we popped in for a drink and some waffles and fries! As you can see........ we took lots of pics............. very SK ....haha! We headed for the book store after filling our tummies with all the root beer! But to our disappointment, it wasn't there anymore! So we went straight back home and........... we got lost halfway too, thanks to the driver!
By the time we reached home, it was already 5 plus and guess what........ we met up with some friends in the evening for dinner at KFC.......... haha! Overall we had a great trip.
AFTER THOTS:
1. Joash is quite adaptable afterall. He slept thru' the night for the entire camp. Maybe we can start considering going somewhere further. Btw, I pumped only once now cos at the camp, I tried to skip a pumping time and I mangened to endured thru' the pain. Hopefully, Joash can wean off BM soon.
2. This camp stirred up some emotions in me and some thots as well...... sorry....not sharing here!
3. The only words I remembered or rather heard from the camp are" what you enjoyed, it will last........" Hmm................ set me thinking about something too! I hope I am enjoying what I am doing now. Got to make some serious decisions from now till end of the year.
4. Friends are important. They make your life sweeter............ they are like the cherry on a scoop of ice-cream and marshmallows in a cup of hot chocolate. Gillian, Michelle & Rachel, thank you for being the cherries & marshallows during the camp. We really appreciate all your help. And a big thank you to the rest of the marshmallows who had also lend us a helping hand when we needed one.
Alright, I've got to prepare for my Speech & Drama Practicum tonight.....scare scare!
