GA's Family OUting & Water Baptism
It was a most starry night in Port Dickson - Not for the stars in the sky but for the "stars" of GA just as God has called us to shine like stars in the universe (Phip. 2:15). On that night of April 6th, 1998 it was the beginning of GA's Family Outing and Water Baptism. Held at the spaciious grounds of Golden Sands Baptist Centre, Port Dickson, it was most certainly a night to remember.
There was a huge turnout comprising families and youths totalling up to 73. Praise God! Some campers arrived and checked in their rooms or dormitories as early as 3.00pm. Since no programs were scheduled until 6.30pm, some decided to sweat it out in a basketball or football game while others went beachcombing at the shores of PD. To our suprise, the waters were not as polluted as we thought it would be (We can actually look through the water )
Evening came , signalling the arrival of .... CHOW TIME! The great men (they did the cooking) and women of GA joined efforts to prepare a delicious BBQ dinner (minus the uncooked chicken wings) for all. Great work - fellow Barbequers!!
Next came the Rendezvous Nite which began with a time of praise and worship by the folks of GA - young and old alike. We were singing, dancing and stomping around as we went to the Enemy's camp, took back what he stole from us and Crush satan under our feet. Hallelujah!
This was followed by a time of fellowship through family-oriented games. The first game required us to make only animal sounds to find out fellow team members. So we all behaved like a menagerie of farm animals - with the oinks, moos, quacks and hiss all tryingto drown one another. After that noisy episode, we then continued with a "silent" game of charade. Imagine having to act out the baptism of Jesus without a single word uttered! That was a real tough one.
Next came the most exciting part of the Rendezvous Nite - the Scavanger Hunt. We had to collect the most bizarre items including a baby crab, an intact chicken wing (I actually saw a team bringing in leftover bones from the BBQ), a safety pin and here is teh ultimate one - a Mosquito! Many were seen lingering around the fields hoping to "attract the Mosquitoes" where as some were crawling around the beach in darkness searching for crabs. It warmed my heart so to observe both young and old combining efforts to complete the scavenger challenge.
Subsequently, all campers proceeded to the beach to where a bonfire had been readily set up. We then played the last and grossest game of all time - Pass-the-banana. Ask any one of the participants in church and they will help give you a "descriptive" account of what it was all about.
Rendezvous Nite officially comes to an end with a short singing session around the fire. All in all we had a most fun-filled night being together as one body of Christ. Who said Christians were square? We trully thank God for that wonderful and exciting time of fellowship.
Come next morning, before the water baptism ceremony, the 10 blessed candidates gave their own heart-rendering testimonies followed by a short message from Pastor Kelly. Then, it was off to sea we went. The supporters were excited as the candidates themselves, clapping and cheering on as Pastor Kelly performed the water baptism ceremony. That historic moment was captured on film - check it out with the camp photographer! As they were immersed under the water, thus professing their belief in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour, the candidates emerged with a picture of joy on their radiant faces. It was a picture of salvaion, that the believer is now "dead" to sin, but alive to Jesus. Hallelujah!
After the ceremony, the youths themselves had their own unofficial "dunking" session in the sea. Meanwhile, the rest were at the beach talking, getting to know one another better while the kids built their sandcastles. Noon approached and it was time to be on our way home. As we left with reluctant hearts and tired bodies, we couldn't help but look forward to the next GA Camp or Retreat. Truly, the Lord has been good to us
- Ive Lim
