1st Kuala Lumpur Girls' Brigade Senior Pioneer Council: 1st KL GB Company Camp 2012! :D

Seeking God’s Treasure

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find;

knock and the door will be opened to you."

Matthew 7:7

What do you think of when the word CAMP is mentioned? Do you think of fun, tiredness, happiness or over dosage of excitement? That’s exactly how the members of 1st KL GB felt when we came back from our company camp. Every year, we have company camps for officers and girls to bond and see each other more than just on Saturday afternoons. This year was no different. On the 18th to 20th of August 2012, 1st KL GB went to Virgo Batik Resort, Lumut, Perak to have our annual company camp. The theme of this year’s camp was “Seeking God’s Treasure”.

We had a string of memorable moments throughout the entire camp. From being in the bus for nearly 10 hours in total, to being washed over by the waves, we certainly had an enjoyable time in camp. This year, our camp was not organized by the officers but by the girls themselves. With a camp committee of 5, there were many ups and downs along the way to the first day of camp. Two of the committee members could not make it for the camp, leaving only 3 to run the show. Thankfully, we had or ever ready and capable officers to lend a hand whenever needed.

At camp, we had many activities. Among the memorable activities that everyone enjoyed was going to the beach! The tide there was quite strong even at 4pm! But it was fun as we sat on the shore and got washed over by the strong waves as it came crashing on the shore. Before going to the beach, the campers also had a round of scavenger hunt. They had to go around the hotel looking for the many items that the facilitator wanted and take a picture of it. Besides going to the scavenger hunt, we had Mystery Night. This game involved the camp committee acting and the participants using their detective skills to crack the case. It was an exhausting yet fun and memorable game for many.

Our theme was incorporated into our Awards Session I. This was where we had talks between our own sections. From the Cadets, to the Juniors and then the Seniors and Pioneers, everyone broke off to their own sections and the session was headed by the officers. In Awards Session I, we learnt about the theme of our camp which was “Seeking God’s Treasure” which was derived from the verse Matthew 7:7.

From Matthew 7:7, it says “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” We learnt that whenever we had a problem, our first solution to the problem should be by turning to God for an answer. We have to pray and build a connection with Him for Him to help us. Although we our first actions and instincts are to follow our own way, we have to learn to put our faith in God and make Him our priority in all things that we do.

We also had a few DIY sessions. Firstly, all participants had to design and decorate their own nametags. The creativity of our girls and officers shone as they wore their nametags throughout the camp. The other DIY session was during Awards Session II which involved the girls having to use their creativity and teamwork to display their interpretation of Matthew 7:7 through drama, singing and craftwork. We were all equally amused when each group went forward to present their masterpiece!

Truly, we all enjoyed ourselves in the camp one way or another. With the various activities, it was really a wholesome camp filled with fun and excitement. Even learning new skills were fun! Many of us brought home more experience and knowledge coming back from this camp. Departing from the place, many of the girls felt heavyhearted leaving. They had so much to say even after the camp! Here is a compilation of what the girls and officers had to say…

What the participants say…

1) What did you learn?

I’ve learned

… how to make a nametag. – Alita Pang, Cadet

… to ask, seek and knock. – Cheng Wan Rui, Junior

… what comes out of our mouth may hurt others. – Lea Ratos, Senior

… how to work together with my team mates. – Leong Yen Qi, Senior

… how to build teamwork. – Goh Yu Shaine, Senior

… leadership; how as a group leader, I have to guide and take care of all the younger girls. – Aileen Cheong, Senior

… how to take care of young children and also to Ask, Seek and Knock. If we really seek Him, we will find Him. – Ms Joanne, Officer

2) What did you enjoy most?

I enjoyed

… mystery night! – Nicole Chew, Junior

… scavenger hunt, the beach, the swimming pool and mystery night. – Esther Ooi, Junior

… the beach, treasure hunt, mystery night and the swimming pool. – Ng Sim Hui, Junior

… the sleeping time! Taking care of kids is not easy! – Aileen Cheong, Senior

3) What do you think is most memorable?

What I think was most memorable during the camp was

… watching movies in the bus! J - Mayern Ratos, Junior

… playing at the beach and having fun! – Amelia Hoo, Junior

… mystery night, which had dancing and acting and also playing in the waves at the beach with my friends. – Natalie Pang, Junior

… swimming at the beach and at the pool! – Zoey Ong, Junior

… the fellowship amongst everyone. – Iris Budiman, Senior

… being able to bond and have fellowship with the girls and know them more. – Joey Yin, Senior

… that this was my 1st company camp in GB together with the girls & officers. It started off with an unforgettable moment because of the long journey, which was about 5-6 hours, from KL to Lumut. Being stuck in the heavy traffic, stuck in the long queue to use the toilet and also starving for food, it was somehow a good memory for most of the girls. We had a good fellowship with one other as we shared the snacks among ourselves... I think these are the most memorable moments for me in this camp. What I learned most from the camp was the process of preparation of the daily devotional time and the two sessions of bible study. The learning of the bible study session helped us to share and exchange information with one another. Also, I noticed the committees members put in a lot of preparation, planning and thinking to ensure that the whole camp went on smoothly. Truly thank God for His guidance hand to make all things possible for all of us. – Ms Phoebe, Officer

Thoughts from our camp organizing committees...

It was a great challenge for me as it was my first time planning and conducting a camp. I went through a lot of difficulties such as planning activities, facing time constrain and much more. Through this experience, I learnt how to plan programs properly, have communication between everyone, practice time management, leadership, etc. Despite making a few mistakes and having busy schedules in the camp, I still really enjoyed the camp and the moments spent with the girls and officers. – YL Leong Yen May, Pioneer

This camp was very exciting and important because it was planned and arranged by the committee which included Yen May, Sarah, Kar Mun, Queenie and I. It was our first time planning a camp hence it was a great experience and training for all of us in the committee. I learnt how to plan things, work with people, how to take care of the younger ones properly and to set a good example. We were also told the “Do’s” and “Don’ts” of our actions in front of the younger ones. I enjoyed the whole camp and the most memorable thing in this camp was our trip to the beach. It was nice to play at the beach with my friends. – Lee Yen, Pioneer

I’ve enjoyed planning the camp as a committee member. Seeing the photos of the participants in the camp made me feel satisfied that the aim of the camp, which is to bond the fellowship among the girls and officers, has been achieved. – YL Queenie Yin, Pioneer

Throughout this whole experience, I know I’ve gained a lot of experience. We were given the freedom of having control of what activities to be put into a camp! How many people can get that opportunity? I had the chance to carry out my ideas and accomplish it through this. However, all this would not be possible without the support from our officers, the hard work of our whole team, the understanding of the girls, and of course our loving Father in heaven who guided us throughout the way. I enjoyed this camp thoroughly even though it was a bit nerve wrecking before each activity was carried out. The worry that I felt before Mystery Night was especially high. But the sense of fulfillment comes through when the campers appreciate our efforts and enjoyed the camp. The smile on their faces as they talked about is truly the icing on the cake for me! – YL Sarah Cheong, Pioneer