The Team that make things happen.......

 The very people behind the success of the recently concluded "In God, We Trust" - CCC Melaka Y-Me Youth Ministry Camp 2014......I am very indebted to all of you for your wonderful support , encouragement and hardwork! Truly appreciate it!

Our  Camp Commander /Leader of the ministry, Kenneth Pang

Camp Finance Minister & Asst Head, Jonathan and wife, Shirley.

Camp Secretary - Jenny Liong

Camp Helper - Alythea Tan

Activity Coordinators, John Ng & Stephen Raj

Helpers/Activity Coordinators, Joa Wee & Ivy Ong

Praise & Worship Coordinators, Esther & Joel Lim

Friends - Joo Li, Jessica & Abby Phua

Activity Coordinator - Dinesh J.Louis

First Aider - Ng Jui Jien

Activitiy Coordinators - Jessica & Errol Gan

Camp Speaker -inspiring, motivator and encourager - Bro Wong Fook Meng



Two old people enjoying the camp fun - Ivan & SLing.

In God , We Trust...CCC Melaka Y-Me Youth Camp 2014

The people of the camp.....

"Amazing!" "Wonderful!" "Great camp ever!" "Great message!" "I am so blessed!" and the list goes on - These are some of the feedback I received within hours after the completion of CCC Melaka Y-Me Youth Ministry Camp 2014 at Paradise Valley Resort, Broga, Semenyih, Selangor D.E. These accolades and expressions from the hearts of youths meant so much to everyone involved in the planning and running of the camp. From the Camp Coordinator , Kenneth Pang to the Speaker, Bro.Wong Fook Meng, this speaks volume of the close working togetherness and the enthusiastic passion in ensuring this camp to be a successful one. I have said it a million zillion times and I will say it again, when GOD the Father is being honored first and foremost, while PRAYERS ensued continuously, everything will come into place. I must say that fervent prayers from the leaders and friends had helped this camp to be a successful one. I am so honored and humbled to be able to be working along side with some of the finest individuals of people I've ever known. I want to thank each and everyone of them for truly taking the time, sacrifice,initiative, commitment and even put in so much hardwork in ensuring the camp to go on successfully.

The fun filled people of the camp...

Leaders like Kenneth Pang, Jonathan Lim, John Ng, Jenny Liong, Jessica Jonathan, Stephen Raj, Ivy Wong plus special family in  Errol Gan & family and Dinesh & family ( who had been supportive and encouragers in my endeavors with the youths ) are the real deal of leadership and I am very very thankful for their support. I know too that I have many others who had prayed along side us during the camp planning right to the camp proper and it is really an uplifting in the spirit knowing the support is always special.

I am thankful that the camp days were hot, bright and sunny days. I am so thankful for His mighty favour upon this camp. Prior to our camp, the vicinity area of Broga town was hit by waves of heavy downpour of rain for three days. I guess, prayer works and the heartfelt petition of the leaders had been heard.

Inspiring speaker, Bro Wong Fook Meng

What more could I have asked more! I guess, going through the 3 days of grueling fun under a hot sun had toughed everyone a bit but the soothing and meaningful messages from Bro.Wong Fook Meng made a lot of difference to the leaders and young people alike. I reserve my special mention of Bro.Wong Fook Meng as he has not only being a good speaker but he had always been a keen supporter of the ministry and one wonderfully jovial, easy going, humorous and a man of great gifts. I looked up to him and I have heard his messages to be inspiring and I know, it had touched the young peoples' hearts in this camp. Together with wife, Joo Li and daughter, Sophia Joy, they have enlightened our camp so much with their easy going ways, willingness to participate in events and even bringing so much closeness  in our hearts.

Joo Li, Jessica and Abby with their bundles of joy..

I am deeply thankful to the Lord for healing me in time for the camp. Prior to the camp, I had to endure high fever, a bout of sore throat and bad cough. I really fell very ill but I was very determined to recover because I really did not want to miss out the opportunity to be of service to the Lord and a blessing to the young people and the adults alike. It was so awesome for me to be able to attend this camp with the youth leaders team whom I have come to love and respect a lot. Slowly but surely their bond had become much stronger and more solid while young people are being blessed indefinitely. I guess, my heart is brimming with joy now that the leaders knows what it meant to be joyful in the Lord through the Word and the activities. The shouts of encouragements, the pep talks and the discipline of the youths during the camp was fantastic. I give praises to the leaders and adults who were there to constantly give words of encouragements during the activities such as flying fox, wall climbing, abseiling, kayaking, water polo and even the low rope courses. It was such a delight seeing the young and old gel so much during the camp and it soothes my heart a lot.

At the waterfall with SLing

Paradise Valley Resort had been a perfect host for us. They make it so much easier for us as the facilities were wonderful and the landscaping of the resort was breathtaking. The morning view was a scenic change from the hustle and bustle of the city. It was good to have our camp here and I know deep in my heart that this would be a great camp site for the youth's camp the minute I stepped into the resort. I must say that during our initial negotiations, SLing and I were in favour of choosing this camp site as we both felt the peace of God for this place. It wasn't so much of the great facilities and fantastic dorm rooms but the peace of God led us there after our good friend, Comdr. Eddy Law informed us of this great campsite. Thank you, Comdr. Eddy Law of Royal Rangers KL#1 for his willingness to help us locate a good campsite and initially helping us do a reckee of camp sites much earlier before the camp itself.

Throughout the camp, the proprietor's son namely PJ constantly asked me if there was anything we needed or are we comfortable with everything. Sure, we could have had better things from the resort but generally, we couldn't have asked for more and he was very impressed with our young people's behavior and high standards of discipline.

Flying fox sequence capture..thanks to Errol Gan

Even his instructors were surprised that our young people were not only good mannered ( I had ensured that the young people thanked the instructors after every activity. It is a simple gesture of appreciation  and thankfulness which we had discarded every day in our lives! ) but they were willing to listen to instructions and easy to handle. En.Naim , the head instructor praised our youths for their mild mannered ways and willingness to learn of the activities. He informed me that he was impressed by the encouragement given to one another and how well our youths handled themselves during activities whereby even his staffs were impressed that we weren't snobbish nor pampered city slickers. All these compliments the youths and the youth leaders for investing time in correcting manners and behaviours.

The team atop Broga Hill......

I remembered the first day I arrived and after sorting out the dorm and room, PJ had me in stitches of laughter when he asked me where was I sleeping. When I told him that I was sleeping with the boys in the dorm, he looked shocked, shook his head in disbelief and told me that he had not seen any organiser of camps sleeping in the dorm with the youths. He actually wanted to open up another luxury room for me and my family to stay throughout the camp but I declined politely telling him that he has given me a good deal for the youths and had given me the room to our camp speaker, Bro. Fook Meng and his family plus a few others. I am more than happy with that.

Jessica & Errol......lovely couple.

He asked me several times if I would be okay with that. I told him that I am more than happy at where I am with the youths and I only asked that all safety measures for activities be given full attention and ensuring that everything goes on smoothly. He was more than happy to oblige to that and promised me that every safety aspect would be taken care of. During the activities, I had befriended the instructors such as Gary, Tan, Nizam, Wan, Leha, Kelvin, Zami and Fai. Some are quite new while people like Gary, Tan, Kelvin and Nizam were more experienced hand by the way they handled the activities. For this I must thank my old sifu and dearest friend, Vive for instilling this wonderful sense of safety standard in ensuring a good & safe camp. I am very particular especially safety standards for activities as these precious lives of young people meant a lot to all of us.

Caleb ...at abseiling activity.....

For the campers of young people, they had been very happy with the activities and the Broga Hill walk was a great experience for many of them. Their smiling and happy faces says it all. When they were back in the dorms, they chatted enthusiastically about the walk and the climb as they inched closer to the peak and enjoyed the sun rise and invigorating freshness of the air. I guess, it was a sense of achievement feeling for some of them while to some, it was a life learning lesson. As for the waterfall hike, it was a real challenge for some of us especially the adults and the young people whose main waking hours were spent on the computer, electronic gadgets and handphone screens! The hilly terrain made it quite a climb to us while the small waterfall with gushing waters was our consolation after an arduous and muddy hike at some points due to a burst wipe. Great coordination, teamwork and great team efficiency helped made this hike a wonderful experience. Though tiring for some and sore muscles at the end of the day due to two hiking experience, I am so proud of each and everyone for making the effort to enjoy as much as they could at the surroundings they were in. Well, even Ethan, Sophia Joy and Caitlyn enjoyed the scenery and waters very much!

Wall of faith....

All in all, it was a great camp experience for the participants. I couldn't have asked for more, actually. In my heart, I am blessed beyond words by the participants willingness to take part in activities, enjoying the serene environment and most important of all, correlating the Word of the Lord with a special time of night rally. To me, the activities and all the good we have done meant nothing if the Word is not shared or God is not glorified in any way. I am so thankful that God prevailed each time with a seed of message embedded in the heart of our speaker, Bro. Wong Fook Meng and his willingness as a vessel of God helped touched many lives at the youth camp.

I want to record my special thanks to Errol & Jessica and their two daughters, Josephine and Jocelyn for being a constant friend to me and my family. Your words of encouragement and friendship meant a lot to me and SLing. As for Dinesh, Abby and the children, I am ever thankful of your support and your great love for me and my family. To my "brothers-in-arm", Stephen Raj, John Ng, Ivy Wong, Stefanie Sim and Joa Wee, I am forever thankful for your support and love for these young people. Don't forget, Bak Kut Teh Pan Mee is still the best dish to eat in Broga while Iced Passion Fruit with Green Tea is still the best, cool and refreshing drink in Broga!!!!

Flying fox plunge view...6 seconds of thrill and madness....

Yunno, there is nothing more satisfying and a fulfillment of the heart when a parent walked up to you and say, " You are Mr. Ivan Foo? I just want to thank you for giving my daughter a great camp. She thoroughly enjoyed herself. Thank you so much."  To me, you know that the joy is not only yours exclusively but it is a joy for ALL who had made this camp such a great success. And......you know that the ministry is on the right track when smiles are etched on the faces of the young people and the adults.

This is my greatest joy and always will be.........children and youths growing up to be better individuals in life enriched by the outdoor experience and learning the beauty of God's love to each and everyone of them as the grow in Him steadfastly. Thank you everyone for a great camp! Your reward is already in store for you. Look up there towards the sky...........

Me and my lady, SLing

Seafoodilicious - ShellOut

The protection bib.....

Taking a welcome break and just being with family and friends are really the best things in life. What more could you have asked for , right? From being really sick for the past week with high fever, relentless bad coughs and excruciating pains in the body, having a break out is a welcoming delight. I guess, in many ways, I am sick of 'punishing' my ailing body with relentless "supply" of cocktail of medicine that a full dose of seafood goodness would be proper. Seriously, I don't really fancy seafood fares but as Errol & Jessica testament that this place would be heavenly for me and the family, I guess, I couldn't miss out on such chance.

Moreover, it was a time for Jessica to do her regular visit to IJN for some test and I was game to see and look at what IJN is all about. Who knows, I might have to go there someday for some checkup, right? Naw, don't worry , I ain't superstitious like some folks out there who would probably be bathing with 7 different types of flowers just to throw off the "sueh' or bad luck. Like I said, ain't superstitious as I believe the living is always more dangerous than the dead!!!!!

Crab and crawfish....

Anyway, after the taking out of  the device which had been with Jessica for some time, it was time to do some window shopping at Suria KLCC. Well, I am not much of a shopping person and as the family enjoys it, I am okay with it. I must say that I find it rather interesting looking at people that day. People from all walks of life, all types of shapes and sizes plus all sorts of characters and antics filled my time there. I find it interesting that even on a Sunday, people in KL actually "dressed up" and try looking pompously "rich" in many ways. I also realised that there is a lot, and I mean , a lot of foreigners in our malls today. They roamed freely at our malls and even congregated among themselves creating a small groupings of little world for themselves. Though the hustle and bustle is considerably lower than weekdays, it was still a flurry of activities in the malls. I kinda like the ISETAN food court whereby food are served fresh. I kinda like this kinda of impromptu action of eating. We had NZ grilled beef on sticks and terrayaki chicken on sticks too. They tasted really good. Not expensive but certainly edible. 

Yabbies & the vegetables......

There were an array of pork products from 'char siew' to 'siew yok' and my mouth was watering like a leaked tap,man! Luckily, my palate desires were checked immediately lest I end up in IJN sooner than later. The cheese array were really good while the seafood array were equally good. You could see prime sockeye, rainbow trout or even king salmon cuts along the finest looking tuna cuts. Guess, these are meant for the affordable fellas,huh? Well, good for them as the would be paying premium for premium quality, I guess. BTW, the fried soft shell crabs looked really really tempting indeed....Then it's the assorted cakes and breads too. Wow, so much to savour while the leaking mouth tap continued!!!   

Jocelyn, Josephine,Jessica & Errol......

For dinner , we headed out to ShellOut Restaurant in Kota Damansara. As Errol & Jessica had been here before and enjoyed the meal, SL and I readily wanted to try out the seafood fare. My verdict : Wonderful seafood fare and great food! It is sorta corner lot ground floor shoplot and nicely decorated with fisherman cottage ambiance. The cozy environment inside bring you back to fisherman cove type of eatery. Every nook and corner of the walls, mirrors and wood panels are covered with writings from patrons who had eaten here! The wordings are all over the place. I like it! I like it very much! The table was spread out with a big piece of oil paper and we were given bib to ensure that we do not soiled or dirty our clothes when eating the seafood fare. 

Spicy butter garlic crabs......

Errol ordered crabs, yabbies or crawfish, scallops, bamboo or razor clams, potato, broccoli and cobs of corn. Errol order it the spicy garlic butter style which suited us real fine. Though we waited for some time for the food as the crowd filled the place, we were happy that when the food came, it did not disappoint our palate. The L size crabs were delicious as I sampled one claw before SLing devours a good portion of the crabs ( She loves crabs, actually !!! ). Then came the sweet and succulent crawfish or yabbies as they are bets known. Hard shell like prawns is what they are. Errol taught us how to fish out the succulent meat and enjoy the fare wit our fingers. I must say, all my 10 fingers were drenched with the spicy butter garlic goodness. Good......very good......The bamboo clams or razor clams they are know sometimes were also very fresh and nice. Scallops were good and so were the baby octopus. The baby octopus were cooked perfectly ; crunchy, springy and tasted great. Okay, okay, we did not just had "unhealthy " food lar....we actually had some green lar like broccoli, some potatoes and cobs of corn. There, we have a perfectly healthy diet too. I guess, the most intriguing food of the night were the Shashimano fish which were basically filled to the brimmed with egg sack. There weren't any flesh at all and I ate everything from head to end tip of the fish. Rich, creamy and tasty! 

Scallops.........

What a fish! As I dissected the fish , you can find much meat except the eggs sack.I know, I know, it seemed so sinful to wallop down the poor little eggs sack but yunno what, if it looks good, eat it and eat it I did! With some of the spicy butter garlic sauce over the eggs sack, it is just heaven waiting to explode and explode it did! Love it....very much. As the hammer and the crab clamp came to use, you could hear the sounds echoing throughout the restaurant. That's the sound of good food eating in session. Luckily, we had some of the Hotel Bread which was bought by Jessica and with the bread in hand, the appetite grew better and filled our stomachs indefinitely. The spicy sauce with some razor clamp flesh, crabs and yabbies on pieces of bread sure look nasty but tasty!! Down it goes to the well oiled smooth throat into a cauldron of satisfaction anchor called the stomach pit! On and on we meticulously attached the seafood fare and when the battle was finally over, we have many satisfied customers.    

Satisfied customers indeed......

We then met up with the Manager, Mr. Derrick Yap and paid compliments to his wonderful seafood fare. A young bespectacled man in his early 30's, I must say, he did a real fine job of setting up this wonderful seafood joint! That night, we really had a good time eventhough it was only a short trip to KL. I guess, memories of such trips last longer than the longer vacations as time spent with good friends and family are always priceless. I guess, my friends are right in saying that some of the best food do come from KL as it is such a demanding places and food lovers are generally very particular of food quality in KL. 

Selfies at ShellOut.....

You also get to pay through your nose when good food are served on your tables. Me? I would still rather have my Pak Din roti canai, curry wan tan mee and even curry laksa anytime. But I certainly won't resist the temptation of going back to ShellOut again when I get by that place. It is such a delightful place, I must say and the food taste much better, really. Yeah, the price comes with the quality and it is good right down to every ringgit spent. 

So, cheers to you, ShellOut Restaurant!