People MY age & Aussie Day Celebration!

The 26^th of January is a notable day for Australia. It is when Australians congregate regardless of race, religion or colour to celebrate the beauty of our cosmopolitan nation. This was my expectation for the day; however, things did not go according to plan.

Every great story has characters, a setting, a beginning, middle and end. My Australia day experience was no different. The morning began with a lovely sms from AMA, you know it’s going to be a great day when the AMA texts you.

On a slightly more serious note, we met up around eleven in the morning. The setting was picturesque, a shimmering clear blue sky, a cooling breeze and lush green surroundings. Matilda Bay! Today was the best day to be outdoors and praise God we were! Being Asian we had our fellowship over food, lots of it. There were refreshing jellies, scrumptious sandwiches which had an amazing variety of fillings (THANKS FELICIA & CO.), nuggets, corn and pizza! All these would fill our tummies.

But best was yet to be… The most awesome thing was all the MALAYSIANS! (I seriously think people from Kuching are taking over the world…). The number of people who came greatly exceeded our expectations. Our estimate was blown out of the water. We were anxiously concerned whether there was sufficient food! Regardless, God is always good. Everyone ate to their hearts’ content and there were still food left over!

Following our feast, we spent the afternoon playing and enjoying a variety of intense team games (to work off our makan makan)! Dodge Frisbee was the first game we tried. During the game there was an interesting twist as Max had to go for a quick dip in the river to save the Frisbee. Next was an intense and dramatic game of captain ball! This game had it all as people put in their blood, sweat and tears. A game which was played at an incredibly fast pace with a little bit of cheating but most importantly a lot of fun! It was a wonderful way to cap of the afternoon as the game came to a close.

Next, time to chill, relax and get to know others. We adjourned from the bay to the Caporn house.I personally had the most fun. There were individuals - folks from different parts of Malaysia with diverse upbringings getting along harmoniously. Everyone talked and played games as if they had known each other for ages! This to me was astonishing as people were ever willing to take the initiative to chat and be friendly.

The final part of the night was the barbecue and fireworks. There was an awesome array of food. Thanks so much to those who prepared and cooked the food!) The ambience of the evening was unbelievable; the weather was relatively cool and not a cloud in the sky. The fellowship between Passion and Young Adults was wonderful.

Lastly, the glittering fireworks that lit up the night sky. For half an hour we watched gob smacked, razzle-dazzled by the aerial displays, the colours, shapes and motions… For the first time, everyone was actually quiet! (This is actually quite amazing as we are a CHATTY bunch) .

The last job was cleaning up. As some us gathered up the rubbish, I was pleasantly surprised. All the freshies joined in. I thought it would have taken ages but with their helped it was completed in no time! Thank you freshies. Truly, these individuals have a bright future ahead. But my prayer is that God would be the centre of that future. This is our calling, our ministry and our responsibility.

Our vision for Passion this semester is

P=Prayer

T=The Word

L=Loving People

I believe when as we rally together to support this vision, put aside our differences and pride, we can truly be God’s hands and feet this semester! Orientation is coming and the MASQUERADE CRUISE. This is your opportunity to make a difference. Be the difference. You can make the stand. You can make the change. You can be an influence. All you have to do is be willing and God will take you on a ride unlike no other J So let us go and do what we are called to do. Being awesome because we have Christ. (TRUST me people will follow).