Spiritual Growth Retreat/Youth Council 2018

November 12, 2018

Spiritual Growth Retreat/Youth Council 2018

I was blessed with another year of opportunity to attend the spiritual retreat and youth council. With that being said, I'll keep this introduction short and let the rest of my thoughts and visuals speak for themselves x

21.08.18

9:00a.m.

Kch - Png

7 Kuching representatives went on board for a 2-hour flight. In the last few minutes before landing, I could view the ocean from the window seat. The different shades/tones of the sea left me jaw-dropping. Even the photo couldn't bring justice to nature's beauty. We landed at Penang International Airport, had our breakfast at McDonald's (technically KFC since we ordered food from there, but we sat at McD), and waited for the KK and Singapore representatives to arrive at the airport. We gathered at the arrival hall and made our way to the hotel- which required an hour's drive.

Padang Brown Food Court, Georgetown

After we settled down in the hotel, we dropped by the hawker center for lunch. I was still full from the late breakfast (brunch), so I ordered nothing. The other members requested the famous ice-kacang which tasted more of the cordial than the milk. We then headed to the corps, to begin with our first retreat session.

The Container Hotel

We stayed in this hotel for the 3 days of the retreat. For all the ladies (there were 11 of us), we stayed in one dorm (room) with separate single beds. The style of the hotel was basically like a capsule hotel where each traveler got their cube, space, privacy, and locker for their pieces of luggage. In each capsule, there were a bed, light switch, power plug, mini/foldable vanity with mirror and 2 hooks. The bathroom and toilet were shared between other rooms and unattached- required walking out of the room to the common bathroom.

22.08.18

We were headed to the children's home for breakfast. On our way there, we could sightsee the architecture of buildings around Georgetown in the van. I even saw franchise food chains such as KFC and McDonald's placed in a heritage building- which looked extraordinarily exclusive and different.

The Salvation Army Children's Home

We had our breakfast here for 3 days in a row. It was an honor to be able to visit the home across the state and observe the running organization on their work. Btw, we had paratha with chicken curry and Dahl curry.

TSA Corps

The church is a 3-story building that consists of built-in lifts and a flight of stairs. Our 3 days retreat activities and meal sessions were held in a shared room at the bottom level of the building. I believe there were 30+ of us gathered together to learn more about sharing God's good news as well as a time to reflect on our journey with the Lord. Not to forget two cute little pooches tied outside of the backyard that wags their tails whenever we approach them.

My testimony: "Last year's retreat discusses more about self- our purpose on Earth and how to be saved. This year, uncle Alfred explained about sharing with others. I believe that others including myself struggle to share the story of Jesus to others. We discussed whether the Bible is real if God is real and our purpose on Earth. I tend to hear leaders saying that Bible is real, but until completion of the sessions, I was assured that the Bible is true as the facts, figures, prophecies, and sciences we have on Earth have proven or discovered them. The Bible is all about Jesus, His coming before and after....To end this, I will share a verse from 1 Peter 3:15- But in your heart, set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to answer everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect."

The Boat Food Court @ Victoria Street

On the second night of our retreat session, we spent our free time at The Boat food court. It was unfortunate that it was pouring rain as soon as we found a spot to settle in. The place was crowded, and it seemed to be a popular tourist spot for seafood. We tried a few local dishes which turned out to be reasonably good. After dinner, we had to grab umbrellas and run into our vehicle for shelter from the rain.

Mural Art

One of the many street mural arts locates opposite The Boat Food Court. I believe street arts are one of the tourist attraction in Penang that everyone must include in their itinerary.

23.08.18

Escape Adventure Park

We took an hour's drive from town to the theme park, joining the other youths for the Youth Council. 90 of us were split into a few groups to proceed to the games.

My group and I challenged ourselves in level 2 monkey business (obstacles at each checkpoint), zoom bug (mini manual go-cart), atan's leap (half bungee jump), and gecko tower (wall/rock climb).

Escape Base Camp

We camped one night in the jungle. The view and the air were refreshing as we were surrounded by nature. Our campsite was enclosed with tall trees, a bonfire, an air-swing, a small area to chill in and an incomplete structure of toilet-bathroom. The site was lit up with lamp lights during the night which adds to the value of cosiness.

Photo courtesy of Chin Mei

24.08.18

Escape Water Park
We had pad thai (Malaysian style) as our breakfast before the wet activities.
I took part in the tubby tunnel (roller coaster water tunnel), tubby rapids (similar to the tubby tunnel but opened roof), super looper (drop-off roller coaster tunnel), and speed racer (water slides). The half-day worth of water recreation is thrilling and apprehensive but euphoric. From my viewpoint as an amateur in water sports, I felt the adrenaline rush and heart pound every time I was on the top sliding down to the pool.

The view of the sea surrounding the island was beyond breathtaking. We headed our way back to church and moved on with a worship session for the day.

Gurney Drive

After the short service, we took a ride to Gurney Drive for dinner before heading back to the hotel. My sister and I ordered and shared Penang prawn noodles and dumplings. We also had local banana pancakes.

Ice Cafe

As our flight arrayed on the next morning, we had a few hours of free time to explore the town. We visited an ice cream shop that was a few walks behind our hotel. I was impressed with the creativity of the placement of every individual item and I felt as if I was in a winter wonderland. The place was cold and with, the addition of our added mango ice bowl, it was beyond my cold tolerance (I was wearing a t-shirt and shorts).

I wasn't paying attention to the name of the coffee shop (it's a shame), but the experience we had there was amazing. We got two free shots of freshly brewed espresso after a brief conversation with the owner, discussing a little history about some of the coffees he was selling. We ended up getting a few small bags of various coffee beans back home.

Georgetown

A night view captured across the peaceful town. Ironically, we walked passed a police patrolling area where a lot of drivers were stopped and investigated. Phew, anyway, we had fun exploring the town, gazing through the night skies, and contemplating the beauty of historical buildings.

25.08.18

Check out

5a.m.

We're heading back to the airport with a sleepy head.

Png - Kch

7:00a.m.
Boarded on the plane at 6. The view of the city and sunrise above the horizon from the window of the plane made me smile. It was a good time travelling back home.