January 1, Day 7 - Goodbyes

Well, we did actually wake up this morning, wonder of wonders... and headed over to the Flemmings' apartment, where the other kids-who-were-still-here were staying.































We still didn't know what we were doing, but we decided to head to chinatown and Vivo City, and see what happened.... ended up relaxingly hanging out all day, which was wonderful.

























































We finally had to say goodbye... yep, it was as terrible as I feared at the beginning of the week that it would be. But... it's part of the life God has given us... and I don't think that any of us would give up the awesome relationships we forged last week to avoid the pain of goodbyes.





























And now it's time to ... well... launch out on the next stage of life. It promises to be something of a wild ride, with some of the things that are happening.... well, but more about that on the next blog post. I think it has been a life-changing week. Isn't God amazing?!

December 31, Day 6 - Back to Singapore

As the title says, this was our last day in Telunas... we left for the ferry at around 10:30 AM.

Of course, while waiting on the dock for our boat, the guys started tossing the football around...















Come on, you know what happens next....















Football goes swimming. It was recovered, by the way.

We got some good pictures of our wonderful leaders, who made this a life-changing week.
















And yes, of course they were a bit crazy....














On the boat ride back, some other iPods' batteries died... so mine was drafted, of course, because I have awesome music....















The ferry ride back...















We arrived back in Singapore late afternoon, and quickly cleaned up and took the MRT (hm, does that stand for Mass Rail Transport?) to the New Years Eve party at Uncle Verne and Aunt Natalie Ward's apartment that night.

Ok, so what do YOU think a party will be like when you deprive teens of sleep for a week, feed them caffeine and chocolate, and then keep them up until one o' clock?

below, from left: Maria, Brenna, me















yeah, it was fun... and crazy... I think the four of us playing Rook were laughing so hard we were crying. We also looked at pictures from the last week.
















We took the MRT back to the Rigsby's apartment just before they shut down for the night. (The MRTs, that is. The two younger Rigsby siblings had shut down for the night long ago.) We planned to meet up the next day with the other kids whose planes didn't fly out until late the next night.... now, we had no idea what we were gonna DO all day, but that never stops us.

December 30, Day 5 - Making Choices

Our verses for today were 2 Timothy 2:1-7, 14-26, which talk about believing that it is possible to make a choice and be strong in Christ through all circumstances.

We had a very interesting activity today. We were told to meet on the beach, with something that could be used as a blindfold. We then hiked up into the jungle behind Telunas... a much more up-sloping trail than the one to the waterfall. Halfway up the trail, our guide, Yoshua, stopped us. He told us to put on the blindfolds... gulp... and then he led us the rest of the way up blindfolded so that we could not see where we were going. Our leaders then explained to us that we were going to be shown a rope, which was part of maze. We were supposed to follow the rope through the maze and find the end.
Here is the rope... be careful where you step... and if you need help, raise your hand.

I take a deep breath... well, but of course I can do this. How easy. Find end of rope. All you gotta do is hold onto it, and walk. The end will be there somewhere. In complete darkness, I started out... carefully, as I did not care to twist my ankle up here in the middle of nowhere. Step... step...step...step... oh, there is a tree. Feeling around the tree, I found that the rope turned. Followed the rope in it's new direction. Step...step...step...step... another tree. Another turn. Step..step...step...step... another tree, another turn. People are starting to grumble. This feels suspiciously like a circle. Being the person I am, I start to count steps. 20 steps, turn right. 20 steps, turn right. 20 steps, turn right. I have soooo tripped over this root before.

The leaders called out at intervals, reminding us to hold onto the rope tightly, and to raise our hand if we need help.

Suddenly I start hearing some exclaimations, and the footsteps of some of the kids move off in a different direction. I must be missing something. I hold to the rope tighter, and sure enough, on the other side of one of the trees, where the rope turns, there is another rope, leading off the other direction! Yes! a way out! holding to the new rope, I set off in a wonderful new direction. 20 steps. turn right. 20 steps... and this tree holds a colony of ants, how lovely. All of us discovered that tree, by the way. 20 steps, turn right... hm, now this feels suspiciously like another circle.

"Hold the rope... and raise your hand if you need help!"

Suddenly a little light came on in my head... maybe I DID need help! Maybe... just maybe...
my hand went up.

Noelle was behind me immediately, asking how she could help. I whispered, "are you allowed to show me the way out?"

She took off my blindfold, and led me to the side. Sure enough, there were two triangles of rope, connected by another rope, that I had been travelling confidently around and around.
"Good job" she whispered.
Yoshua announced, "One person has found their way out!"
Groans erupted from the group...

Well, as you can no doubt see, the point of this activity was that there are some things that we simply cannot figure out on our own. We have to ask for help. And usually, there are people who are willing to help us figure things out. We just have to ask. A well-made point, and one which I will remember every time I see a small yellow polyester rope, or run into an ant-filled tree.

below: me and Brenna coming back















When we got back, we had some fun jumping off the dock, swimming, playing volleyball, etc....






























One dock was quite high... and I did conquer my fear and jump off of it, I just don't have a picture of that on my camera. Go figure.














Sam and Verne did have a bit of fun with those who tried to push them in....































We got some group photos today, with our rendezvous t-shirts on...












































We had another bonfire tonight, roasted marshmallows, and sang... my camera apparently has an excruciatingly bright flash, so I was instructed to warn everyone before I took a photo at night... which resulted in lots of photos of people with eyes closed or hands over their eyes... but I won't make you see all of those.































We had a few heated discussions over whether you were supposed to burn marshmallows or slow-roast them... there seem to be some strong opinions over that issue... anyway, moving on.

During our night meeting, we talked about making choices as to what we were going to focus on in our lives... the difficulties and disadvantages that come with growing up as an MK/TCK, or the privileges and advantages that we have. Accepting our disadvantages, working through them, and choosing to joyfully focus on the positive is sometimes much more difficult than it sounds. We talked about how many times our "disadvantages" are just in our own minds... they are things which we believe that simply aren't true. We each wrote out a list of these lies, and threw the list into the bonfire... which was fun!
I think it is going to be very hard to leave that list in the bonfire and not take it back out and reconstruct it piece by ash-filled piece... however, with God's help it is possible!

After a few more games... and talking... we... went to bed... well, some of us did... eventually........ hey, we are teens at a camp. Who needs sleep?!

December 29, Day 4 - Culture Shock

I woke up at a more reasonable time this morning, headed to breakfast, and then did devotions. Our verses for this morning were 2 Timothy 1:8-12. Included in these is one of my very favorite verses in the whole Bible (it's actually my profile on facebook):
"I know whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day."

I love this verse because as my world shifts and changes drastically every once in a while, and as my identity seems shaky, this verse really speaks a solid, unshakeable identity that is grounded in something other than me or my surroundings. Another thing that hits me about this verse is that God is able to keep what I have committed to Him. In other words... for Him to keep it, I have to commit it to Him. My achievements, my desires, my ambitions, my friendships, my world... if I commit it to Him, He is able to keep it.















After breakfast, we headed out on some boats bound for a waterfall! ... on the way, we stopped by some charcoal kilns





























About an hour boat ride took us to the beginning of our hike to the waterfall... about an hour and a half hike through the jungle, which was nothing new for most of us, but pretty cool nevertheless. Some of us saw monkeys... I got a real good look at the tree shaking after the monkey jumped.















We made good time to the waterfall, so we got some extra time to swim


































And we took a couple group photos that make us look like some edition of Survivor...





























We hiked the hour and a half back to the boat, and then rode back to Telunas. On the way back, some of us discovered that if you stick your hand out of the boat, into the water, it creates a fine mist that disperses evenly over all the passengers behind you....
yeah, anyway, we got back to Telunas in time for lunch, thankfully, and make short work of the amazing food.

Our activity for this day had to do with culture shock... demystifying something that we were all familiar with. We were divided into two groups, and each of our groups were given a list of rules and goals that defined our culture. Then, one of us was sent to the other group, and one of them was sent to our group. We were not allowed to tell them the rules that defined our culture, they had to figure them out by interacting with us... and the one of us that went to their group had to do the same. Then, the two explorers went back to their original groups and explained what they had figured out about the other "culture." This was repeated until everyone had had a chance to see if they could figure out the other culture.... a very interesting activity, as the two cultures were quite different. A discussion followed, having to do with how to figure out other cultures... and also defining what culture shock is and how to deal with it.

This topic was continued in the night meeting, with an explanation of the stages of culture shock.
Hm, lets see, I have my little work-sheet right here... ah, here we go:

Stage 1: Initial
- in this stage you just observe the culture you have entered, taking in the new sights and sounds, but not interacting with the culture

Stage 2: Fascination
-you want to try new things out, taste new foods, engage the culture- everything is exciting... this usually lasts 1-3 months. then comes...

Stage 3: Conflict
-things are no longer fascinating, but instead are draining, frustrating, and unfamiliar. you are trying to figure out how things work, and are failing miserably, and you want to go home. How long this stage lasts depends on choice... you can stay in this stage forever, or you can choose to accept your surroundings and where God has placed you and move on through the conflict stage to the ....

Stage 4: Recovery
-things are ok, manageable, familiar. still frustrating, but you sort of know how things work, so it's not so terrible. this leads to ...

Stage 5: Integration
-things are fine, enjoyable, fun, and natural. this culture feels like home.

Now, these stages aren't always clear-cut... even though after 8 years in this culture I would say I am fairly integrated, there are still things that frustrate me to no end. And our leaders also explained something that we have experienced at least some: when we re-enter our passport country, the same stages of culture shock happen all over again!

1. Ooh, look at that, people actually check themselves out of the store with a credit card... weird.
2. let me try, let me try!
3. dude, this is terrible. how can you stand this? it's so confusing...
4. ok, ok, I think I have it...
5. of course I can check myself out with a credit card... here, let me show you.

Some good discussion, great tips... and best of all, we found out that we weren't alone, that there were... well, at least 11 kids... who went through the same things we did!

These discussions didn't stop at the meeting, by the way... they continued on to the dinner table, on the beach... etc...

below: Maria and Esther















After meetings we played games until late.... of course....I mean, you can sleep when you get home!

December 28, Day 3 - What is my identity?

Wellllll, I woke up bright and early despite my best efforts to the contrary. What can I say? A normally early riser, plus jetlag, I was wide awake by about 4:30, waiting for the sun to rise. The good thing about this was that I got some great sunrise pictures!











































Of course by the time the breakfast bell rang, some of us had already gotten quite comfortable....

below: Esther















After breakfast we dispersed for devotions. Our assigned verse for this day was 2 Timothy 1:3-7:
"I thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience the way my forefathers did, as I constantly remember you in my prayers night and day, longing to see you, even as I recall your tears, so that I may be filled with joy. For I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois, and your mother Eunice, and I am sure it is in you as well. And for this reason I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline."

At 8:30 we met to discuss the verses: girls in the gazebo on the beach, guys on their veranda. I won't tell you everything we got out of those verses, but trust me it was a lot... I really enjoyed the devotion times, where we told stories, shared struggles, encouraged each other... they were awesome.

below: girls' devotions gazebo
















Our morning meeting commenced with a discussion about identity... well, of course... this was a week to help MKs... who are also TCKs (third culture kids) prepare for dealing with life as an MK/ TCK, re-entering our passport country, or whatever we are doing. We deal with identity issues... I mean, am I an American or a Fijian or a South African or what? What is my language (I speak a few)? What is my home? Where am from? What AM I? Am I in ministry because my parents are, or is it really coming out of my own relationship with God? We started in these discussions to talk about what about us was part of our identity, and what about us was just part of the cultures we are living and working in. Do we have core values and characteristics that will not be compromised, no matter what? Sam, Noelle, and Rachel guided us as we worked through these topics in discussion.

below: our meeting room















During free time this morning, some of us played spoons... dangerous, I know, but oh-so-fun!
Then we met on the beach for an activity about identity... we were split up into three groups of three or four each. Then each of us (each person, not each group) was handed a slip of paper telling us what kind of sand castle to build. We were instructed not to talk to each other, but to build a castle together with the others in our group. Welllll, the thing is... we were each given a different instruction!
In my group, I was told to build a tall castle, Andy was told to build a wide castle, and Paul was told to build a highly decorated castle... now, our group being made up of the amazing people we are, our castle was somewhat tall, somewhat wide, and somewhat decorated! Of course it was. We are incredible. However, for some, one "identity" came through stronger than the other two, some didn't show at all... anyway, the point of the activity was to see how we deal with our identity. Do we push our identity at the expense of others, do we let ourselves be completely pushed aside, do we attempt to figure out and help others achieve their identities... etc. It was a cool activity... and ours was an awesome castle. Don't have any pictures of it though, I was too sandy to risk my camera, so you'll just have to take my word for it.

We also had some time to just goof off and have fun... we swam, played games... even played something like hackeysack, at which most of us are pretty bad, so it made everyone look silly and was great fun.















We also began a volleyball tournament that lasted all week... uhm... my team...lost...every game. I think twas mostly my fault... but it was lots of fun anyway!

At our night meeting, Fiona and Paul led worship















After some more discussion about identity, we did some practical stuff, like learning how to do job resumes... oh right, and how to tie ties....















And any camp would not be complete without sitting up late telling stories and laughing ourselves silly... which we did....

When we finally got to bed, I woke up in the middle of the night to a howling storm: rain, wind, the works. What woke me up was the rain that was rapidly drifting through the open window and landing on me... Fiona and I got up, closed the windows, and slept on. They told us the next morning that they only have about 6 storms like that year... how lovely that we got to share in that rare experience!

December 27, Day 2 - Out to Telunas

I woke up pretty early this morning... jet lag, excitement, and alarm clocks all playing a part in the time. Brenna's mom graciously provided me with the requisite two cups of coffee, thereby ensuring my good attitude for the rest of the day. The taxi came for us at 6, and we were off to the ferry terminal, where we were to catch a boat to Indonesia! There were 15 of us: 11 kids, and four leaders.















Above, from left: Ian Flemming, Zach Taylor, Rachel Ward, Andy Zane, Verne Ward, Seth Webb, Sam Fleischman, Brenna Rigsby (top row), me, Maria Kim, Fiona Fakaua, (bottom row) Noelle Fleischman, Esther Kim, Daniel Kim, Paul Kim

The Wards and the Fleischmans were our fearless leaders... a bit crazy, to volunteer to deal with a bunch of mks, but very cool people who made our week everything it was supposed to be.

We got some breakfast at MacDonalds and then boarded the ferry, where they were playing Tom and Jerry reruns... ha, I haven't watched those since I was like 9!

below: Noelle with MacDonalds!















We arrived in Indonesia... except for Verne, who joined us a couple days later... met Eric (an owner of the place where we were going to stay) and boarded a small wooden boat bound for Telunas Beach.















below: Maria and Fiona
















After an hour and a half or so of boat ride out towards the end of earth, we arrived at Telunas Beach... the most awesome little resort place ever!















The whole place is out over the water, including kitchen, dining room, lounge, dorms, showers, etc.
We were shown to our dorms, which we promptly made look like home... uh, for those of you who are not familiar with teenage decor, it usually includes clothes on the floor, iPods on the bed, cameras hung here and there, suitcases open (so you can access your stuff, of course)... etc.





























After dinner, we had our first meeting, in which we outlined what our goals and expectations were for this week... and something else, too: our fears. We defined what we had come to this place looking for, expecting, and fearing. I think most of us put down that we had come wanting to make awesome friends, grow closer to God, learn new things, and have a great time. I know that for me, my biggest fear was (and always is) saying goodbye to close friends. I have to make, and keep making, the decision that the joy of deep friendships is worth the terrible pain of goodbyes... that I am going to vulnerably trust God with the precious people he has brought into my life, instead of drawing into a shell for fear of getting hurt.

When our meeting was over, we headed over to the beach for a bonfire, and... oh my my...roasted marshmallows!!!















Falling into bed at the early hour of 10:30, I believe my last thought was something about hoping I didn't drop my iPod or Bible into the ocean through the spaces between the floor-boards......