MORE TESTIMONIALS
Hello!
Here are three more testimonials of past Alpha Camp experiences. Hope they encourage you and its still not too late to invite your friends!!
Only 2 weeks to Alpha camp!!
Jian En
It was in Alpha camp 2003 that I first asked a friend to participate in the Camp. I did not hope much hope because rejection was something common when you approach a non-christian friend to attend a church camp. She agreed to come but left half way through the camp due to some other commitments.
In 2007, I decided to head the Alpha Camp committee. There was nothing more difficult in the whole preparation than to ask a friend to attend the camp. In the 4 years between the 2 camps, I kept in touch with that friend of mine. However, talks on God and faith were rather limited and we spend most of the time talking about worldly issues. It was in 2007, the thought of asking her to attend the camp again came across my mind again. I waited for the opportunity to arise for me to ask but it never really came.
I prayed. Half-heartedly. Knowing that that most of the time, rejection would be the reply.
By God’s plan, my friend approached me. She asked me about faith. She talked to me about God. She questioned the purpose of living and existence.
I was baffled. I took the opportunity to invite her for the camp again and she agreed. This was however, not without any hurdles. There were a lot of obstacles such as clashes with her schedules and work that was obstructing her from attending the camp. I was helpless in trying to find a way around it and could only pray about it.
Once again, God was amazing in His work to pave the way for her to come. She attended the full camp, had her questions answered, and accepted Christ as her saviour, 4 years later.
Her name is Shiqi.
I supposed all of us have a lot of worries and concern inside us as we try to ask our friends to come. We fear rejection at times or being caught in awkward positions with our peers. However, we need to remember that God has gone before us to work the way. All we have to do is ask.
Alpha Camp is the opportunity for us to tell our friends how God has work in our lives.
Alpha Camp is the opportunity for us to show our friends how God can change their lives.
Alpha Camp is the opportunity for us to let God show us how He works through us.
“I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, But God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything but God. The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labour. For we are God’s fellow worker; you are God’s field, God’s building.’ 1 Corinthians 3: 6 – 9
Are you willing to plant the seed or water the plant for God today?
Shi Qi
My first Alpha camp was in 2003. Jian En invited me to the camp and told me that it will be a fun-filled camp. Having just completed my 'A' level, I didn’t have much to do and accepted the invitation without much hesitation. I didn’t know about the main purpose of the camp and so I went with an open mind. However, I left the camp pondering over the subject of religion and also the presence of God. Unfortunately, I was subsequently influenced by my mother and ended up practising Buddhism. However, God is amazing. He crept inside my heart one day and told me to seek Him. It was then when I started to talk to Jian En regarding God and Christianity. I was sceptical at first. I struggled with some of the beliefs that contradict with my Buddhism/Taoism upbringing. I was also afraid to accept God for fear of having to walk the narrow path and also the possible objection from my family. However, Jian En told me to try speaking to God. I tried and ended up knowing God in a more personal level. In 2007, Jian En invited me to the Alpha camp for the second time. I hesitated a little as I was still unsure. However, I wanted to know more about God so I accepted the invitation (although I know I was super overage for the camp, hahha). I am glad that I have attended the camp. What happened at the Alpha night was still very vivid to me. It was then when I accepted Christ.
Just some encouragement. Don not be afraid to ask. When you ask, you are actually creating an open door for your friends to think about God. And you might have already planted a small seed in their heart simply by asking them to come to the Alpha camp. Even if they reject you, continue to water the seed. Its need water to germinate
Yu Juin
Evangelism by spreading the gospel always felt like an extremely difficult and awkward thing to do. But I very much wanted my friends to know Christ. And, hence, what better way to do that than Alpha- you didn’t have to do it yourself, and your friends would be playing games in the midst of it.
Because Alpha made it easier to evangelize, it was a method I particularly preferred. But it wasn’t easy. I’ve tried quite a few times asking friends to go for the camp, but often I’ve been rejected and even shot down, which makes it even more scary to ask others the next time. Other than the fears of rejection, there was also the fact that even if my friends accepted there is still the task of making them happy and entertained though the camp. What if the games aren’t fun enough, or how should I attend to them in all 4 days?
In the end, though, all that doesn’t matter. It’s rather strange that we’d tell our friends about a great movie we just watched, or share a juicy piece of gossip we just heard, but it’s so hard for us to invite them for a simple camp.
