Inspire-Stronger Camp'08 (Prelude)

Just like what the title says, this post will solely be about the preparation of the camp that I have just attended plus a few miscellaneous stuff. Will be writing about the actual camp in the next post as there is simply too many things to write about, more than a usual GP essay (1500 words).

So here we go...

Woo, this camp has really come a long way. From the start of the audition for the youth band till today, every single moment is worth to be treasured. I still remembered the time when I went for the audition. If impromptu is to be defined, the audition was the perfect example of it. I came unprepared due to my blurness and I was a bit 'bochap' about it initially. But God saved the day. There were chords given and well, I had some piano experience prior to this. But playing the piano is totally different from playing the keyboard, especially when you are playing in front of Edwin. His expectation is really high and I know it is for our own good.

Many weeks of practise, some in church and some in studios we booked by ourselves, went by. Then the time came to be vetted by Pastor Zhuang. It was before the prayer meeting on wednesday and all of us have been praying for this day. I was quite confident for praise but a little worried for worship. Then we played in front of pastor and he gave all of us some comments to improve the flow, skills, etcs. Then he told us to play for prayer meeting. Ok, I was flabbergasted as I didn't expect to be playing so soon. Didn't practise the altar call song and was trying really hard to memorise all the notes. You can pratically see the stress and anxiety on my face before the prayer meeting, lol.

But I tell you, God is amazing. Praise went as planned and during worship...woah. I was enjoying myself during the first worship and then...something amazing happen. Everyone started kneeing down at the start of second worship and I was in a somewhat 'subconscious' state. I didn't play any wrong chords and when I forgot the chords, my fingers simply moved to the correct chords and I can feel my hands being controlled by the Holy Spirit. It is an experience I will never forget.

Thank you Pastor for the wonderful sessions and for this great zone of yours =).
Thank you Edwin for giving me the chance to play for the camp. Even after playing the piano for quite some time, I have never played in front of a crowd, i.e more than 10 people, before. It was truely an awesome experience. Thank you Donny for teaching me how to play the keyboard too. Even though he isn't from our zone, he still sacrificed his time to go for our practices, be it in church, at my house or in the studios. Thank you CGLs for your encouragement and support that we really needed during the times when we didn't believe in ourselves. Thank you BVs, song leaders, chorus board and the band for making praise and worship so enjoyable.

Most of all, thank you God for all that you have done. Without you, I would never have stepped out and played for the camp. I would have made many wrong decisions and perhaps, wouldn't even be able to attend the camp. Thank you for making me stronger and giving me an opportunity to use my talents for your kingdom.

P.S: I just got back my spoilt computer after waiting for 3 weeks. Yea man, don't need to endure the relentless whining of my 'baby' brother again. Woot! =D

Signing off,
Astarmist