The Young Adults Connect Group, being at their prime time and wanting to be all adventurous, decided to go on a camping escapade about two weeks back, the 11th-12th July 2009, at Pantai Kerachut. They wanted an adventure and they got more than they bargained for!

That particular Saturday morning, as we went through our final check list at Pastor Edward’s place, drizzling drops of rain continued to overshadow us. It didn’t quite stop even when we arrived at the Jetty. Good time to practice radical faith! All of us prayed hard and by the time we got into the boat, the rain began to calm down. It was good, or so we thought.

All sunny? Well, that’s all about to change!

Just when we were about to ride off to Pantai Kerachut, the rain decided to sulk again! It came pouring down cats and dogs! And so our adventure began with our boat ride to Kerachut. We were practically flying across those angry waves! We truly thank God for keeping us safe!

What a boat ride it was! That was just the appetizer. When we arrived at the jetty of Pantai Kerachut, the waves were coming in real high and to get out of the boat onto the jetty was another adventure all together! For once, we all felt as if we were in some Hollywood action-packed movie at the climax of its action sequence! :) As funny as it may seem now in hindsight, we must truly give glory back to God for the safety of each one of us. Believe it or not, one lady from another group nearly fell into the sea in the midst of executing that ‘action sequence’. God’s gracious hand was and is truly upon all of us!

Lights, camera…. Action!

The camp site was actually quite a nice enclosed and well maintained area. Thankfully, the rain stopped long enough for us to quickly set up our tents. Excitement was brewing. With all the tents set up and with the rain slowly fading away, we finally took some time out walking along the beach. God’s creation is something to be appreciated, His creativity is infinite! Some of us took time out to do some fishing while others strolled along the beach simply to enjoy the sensation of soft sand in between their toes. The kids had a good time catching baby crabs!

Getting those tents up.
“I caught a crabbie!” Nathalynn.
Taking a stroll along the beach.
God’s beautiful creation!

We spent our time at the beach about an hour or so and by then, the sky started to be grumpy and gloomy again. And it wasn’t shy to express itself as it came crashing down once more furiously. Rain again! It was cold and it was getting dark, we decided to huddle together at the hut nearby our tents, cook our dinner and pray hard that our tents would not be flooded!

Big question. Did our tents flood?

YES, it did!

We had to improvise and move to another nearby shelter instead. The rain and the circumstances did not dampen our spirits! We were adamant to still have fun together, to share with one another and to praise God for everything! At night, Chris spent some time sharing his thoughts about the book he was reading, “Through Gates of Splendour”. It’s about the life of Jim Elliot and his other missionaries comrades who, in heeding God’s calling to preach among the then primitive tribe called the Aucas, were martyred in the process. It’s a book that boasts of God’s glory in spite of the circumstances the missionaries and their families faced, even to the point of death. It also talks about sheer obedience, radical faith and unshakeable conviction in Christ alone. As believers, we are often distracted by the circumstances that surround us. We need to learn to look beyond the circumstance. These were some questions for us to chew on:

Are we obeying God’s purposes in our lives or are we throwing in the towel because circumstances around us seem to push us off course? Are we stepping up in faith to fight against fear? Are we truly convicted by His purposes in our lives, so much so that nothing else can shake it? Is Christ our foundation?

When we ended our sharing session, the rain was still pouring. We ended the night with simple fellowship with one another. We all had to sleep in the shelter due to the heavy downpour without sleeping bags! And sometime in the middle of the night, the wind decided to blow ever more furiously! Papers were flying all over, the sheer sound of the wind frightened all of us. But thankfully, there were other groups of people around us who were more than happy to help us pull down the blinds! Praise God again for such people! We braved through the night and survived! Thank God!

Looking back, it was truly an adventurous camping trip! It wasn’t exactly what we all had in mind but it was still an experience and the fellowship that we cherish! The camping trip was a testament to God’s gracious hand upon each of us - through heavy downpour and rushing wind - He pulled us through! Thank you, Father!

P.S. Oh, did I mentioned that we had to hike back out with all our gears? Thank God for strength too! :)

GCC Young Adults Connect Group, Camping Trip 2009!