Moving On To… ORPC Youth!
After a long barren spell without a youth, I finally joined the youth in Orchard Presbyterian Church yesterday. I’ve been going to the Sunday Service there for a month already, but never found the time or willingness to go to the youth. Until two weeks ago, when I was given a notice that yesterday there would be a youth day celebration at ORPC Youth, so I really planned all my schedules to ensure that I can attend this event.
And yes, what a fun event it was yesterday, though the hangman game turned to be a bit scary where teams are able to guess the wordS (more than 1 word) even with one letter on the screen only, whoa! I got one of those too, but in the later parts of the game, our team lost, haha, sorry for the mistake Albert! I get to know some new friends too, like Hartono the youth leader, Yansen, Albert, Patrick, Esther, Putri, Amelia, Steven, Shienny, Titus… and… sorry if I can’t remember all of you yet but I’ll try! And for you, Tasha, hey, you should come and join in the fun too! Don’t wait until we all become world-famous people, haha.
So today, for the first time in the Sunday Service, I sat wayyyy up front along with these new friends (usually I sit silently at the back) and it’s nice not to be alone on a Sunday Service after a looooong time. We talked about ministries and commitments a bit after the service, as a commitment form was handed out, but I choose to focus first on the youth, committing to join the KTB (sort of a cellgroup or bible study group), Vocal Group (done my first practice session with them today) and youth MC/singer. Feels good to have a ministry after all these long 6 months, and it feels got to finally have a song sheet in my hands again and sing for the LORD. Guess I can’t live without singing music to the LORD, maybe it’s in my blood or my calling somewhere. Danke, LORD!
Since I will have a holiday on both November and December later, I am thinking to come home on November and remain here on December. If I come home on December, I’ll just be another spectator in the Christmas celebration in Indonesia, but here, I can do something. I still don’t know what I can do to help, but somehow I have an urge to help, something in me tells me that it’s better for me to remain here and do something rather than go home and do nothing. And I just somehow know that this choice will give me great happiness and joy later, because GOD seems to want me to move in that direction.
One sad thing, though, is the fact that it took me 6 months in Singapore before I find this place, which means I only got 6 months left with them, maybe about 25 more meetings. Strange, we just meet each other yesterday but somehow I grow attached to them so quickly because they are so similar to my old home in Latreia. How they are small but they got the spirit to serve and minister for the LORD, how the small number encourages and helps them to know and care for each other personally, this just feels… so “home”. Especially the part about eating out after youth and Sunday service, hahaha. But really, I can’t describe it with words, but I feel right at home with them. I don’t know if God will grant me more years to spend with them, but if not, I will try to make this 6 months a lasting and memorable experience in my life.
Strange, isn’t it? When I went away from Agaphe and Latreia, I didn’t feel heavy. I didn’t even cry when they see me go in the airport. Maybe because somewhere in my heart I know someday I’ll be back and be with them again. But with ORPC, I dunno, when I see them and I think about it, I sense somewhere deep in me that in 6 months, maybe I’ll leave them and will never meet them again forever. Like Hartono said, Singapore is like a transit place, people come and go in a flash, people will probably only be there in 2-3 years, but for me, if it’s 6 months, that’s too soon. Dunno what God has in store though, he is a God full of suprises, like Esther said yesterday, so I hope He will come and surprise me once more later. But if He wants me to go and be a blessing somewhere else, then His will be done, not mine.
Strange isn’t it, that I can write this much about people I just met for 2 days? Brothers and sisters in Christ can be made just in the time of a few minutes, even. There’s a bond between us believers that non-Christians would never seem to be able to understand. How, though we didn’t know each other, once we met, we feel like we meet a long-lost brother and sister and we quickly grow attached. I think this is how it happened that in the Internet there is a lot of Christian forums (like FCF) with people coming in from various countries, without knowing each other befoehand. In 2 days I feel like I’ve found a new family, like I’ve been part of them for a long time, like I’m not a new person there but I’m just someone that has long gone from them and just went back and went right in. It’s amazing when I think about it, and I am very thankful to God for this occassion…
Thank you LORD for everything…
