YAF Retreat ‘08

“Suppose we hear an unknown man spoken of by many men. Suppose we here puzzled to hear that some men said he was too tall and some too short; some objected to his fatness, some lamented his leanness; some thought him too dark, and some too fair. One explanation…would be that he might be an odd shape…Perhaps (in short) this extraordinary thing is really the ordinary thing; at least the normal thing, the centre” – G.K Chesterton

Our first YAF combine retreat is over and done. The quote above relates to us – differences of many sort that, at the end of it equates to one conclusion. Just as there were many depictions of the image of Christ, there were also many different feed backs from our very first retreat, which in the end realized to one conclusion – “UNITY”

I wasn’t able to make it to the retreat. Instead of rejoicing with the rest, I had to mourn for the death of a loved one. Nevertheless, I felt that the ultimate aim for this retreat was met.

“UNITY”

The coming together of people from many different backgrounds, made me very please. Although I wasn’t there physically, hearing how much all of you enjoyed yourself made me very glad. Glad that walls of differences were broken down, that hearts and mind were thought and relationships were made.

A dream realized and what the Church had tried many times to resurrect has finally been positively achieved.

May we remember the experiences of this event with an honest sight of what is ahead, holding true to Biblical understanding of the things that we have learnt and not only be counted on to tell the truth but to pursue the truth with passion

Amen.

• Other entries that were made by others on the retreat

1. Hwai Tah’s
2. Josh Chin’s – (here), (here)
3. Lance’s

• Some video clips 

Wanna see more video clips? click here. (More videos will be uploaded soon)

• Some feeback from those that went for the retreat

1. Sister Jessica (Ps. John’s Wife)

Hey everyone,

Had a wonderful time with you folks. Times have definitely changed. Today’s young adults are lots more daring and knowledgeable! Unlike most of us those days, blur blur!

Lil’ John was a thorough shocker!! All the way! But I must say he’s great candidate for a husband! Eh, not what you’re thinking! He’s knowledgeable and pragmatic, real gentle and sweet guy ya.

Really fun to hear the married folks and various ones, especially Lil’ john and Joshua Chin, “Josh, don’t be naughty ya with the boys!” Be nice to hear more from you all in the future.

Girls, all of Ps John’s ‘generals’ are great materials for warriors (like him la!) So take your pick. Except those already taken!

Guys, all the girls are nice and lovely in character, so please, do something!

Remember folks, nobody is perfect, you choose others, others will choose you too. See each other’s potential and pray very hard lo. No short cut or instant magic la. Be kind to one another and help one another to grow in God, whether as friends or partners in the days to come ya.

We had a great time Except not enough time to bond with each and everyone of you.

A BIG ‘TQ’ to all you warriors (not just the guys, girls too. Remember Deborah? she’s a warrior too) who’s been helping and serving along side Ps John. Without you and your perseverance. He won’t be able to fulfill his assignment and call at Grace ya.

Keep up your good works in the Lord and be a blessing to all around you as you allow God’s anointing to overflow in your life. Look forward to the next sessions!

Cheers

2. Benny Wong (our current YAF head)

Hey Guys,

Yea, I couldn’t agree more with sis Jess here. ha ha..
 
Anyway, thanks to all for being such a sport and the fun contributed into this retreat. Surely time was too short for us to cover all areas and time spent fellow shipping was like a blink of eye.
 
However, there’s much more to come. Only, lets not give up the habit of coming together (cell group, ‘yam cha’, outing, etc ) Lets keep striving towards achieving a unity in understanding & spirit under One Church encompassing Grace Klang, P.J and USJ.
 
Very Soon, once we’ve established our foundations within us, it will definitely be possible for us to extend our network to other churches as Ps.John has mentioned.
 
Meanwhile, special thanks again to all, the speakers-Ps.John & Wife, chairperson- Hwai Tah & his committees.
 
God Bless. 

3. Hwai Tah (YAF Klang’s leader)

The star of the pillow talk session was Little John. Totally unforgettable!! Hahaha. But really, I’m still amazed by this fella. Little John….does your service end with the Retreat? However, I hope the “cross” won’t remind me too much of you!

Read Lance’s blog…all I can say is wow. Wonder how many other lives were affected. Relationship decisions will definitely set your direction for a lifetime.

Those that took the initiative to get to know the many different people would have benefited most from the retreat. And in things like these that we committee found our satisfaction. The more the campers made use and took advantage of everything, the more the committee felt “rewarded”, more than anything else.

 It’s always good for different groups to come together like this, especially while we still have the choice. There will come a time when we won’t have the choice, and the space.

Guys, be gentle like what Caleb advised. Kena scratched all over and gang banged over a ball wasn’t very nice! The gals were watching, u know.

I’ve learnt so much by observing HOW Ps John & Jessica conducted the sessions and skilfully handled the Q&A, not just WHAT were the contents. Some things can only be caught, not taught.

In our last committee meeting just before the retreat, we agreed that when we do a larger scale like this next year, this year’s campers will all be in next year’s committee. And this year’s committee will be next year’s advisers. Lol! I honestly enjoyed all the meetings together with this team

P.s. The campers didn’t know about the ice-breaker games list (Little John’s) that never made pass the committee censorship board. No worries, we’ll release it to next year’s team! Can ah, Little John? 

To see people still talk so much about it is an achievement by itself! This whole week I just felt so grateful to God for our first ever combined retreat. And I got what I wanted in the retreat. Hope you all got something too.

Hwai Tah

4. Jasen Raj

Hello to all,
 
Just wanted to say I really had a good time, and I made lots of friends from PJ too; it was good that we all left our differences and put on our cloak of unity to make this retreat a successful one. I also want to thank our speakers (Ps. John & Sis Jessica) for imparting such wisdom and understanding about relationship; and also to Hwai Tah and team, you guys did an excellent job. Hope we have more retreats like this one in the future…
 
Regards & God Bless,
Jasen Raj

Picture Sites

1. Hwai Tah’s – YAF Retreat 2008
2. Patrick’s - YAF Collection Deux
3. Wei Sern’s – YAF Combine Retreat (PD)

Phew! That’s it.

Agape