In retrospect, God has been so good. Time and again I see His wisdom & strength steering the RR ship through Terence. There’s been incredible favour and camaraderie amongst the leaders and rangers – surely if you have been in ministry long enough, you would know that the latter cannot be bought instead it’s earned and often unmerited.

The AR girls growth is another milestone to shout about. In the short 10 months, I see timid personalities crawl out of their shells, new friendships made, trust established to be able to talk about  pertinent youth and of course… crazy girly fun. All this would not be possible without the help of my fantastic commanders that care as much for the girls as I do. So I continue to dream big and prayer harder for an even better year in 2010…

Snapshots from the anniversary (courtesy of Josh)

More than 6 months of planning, weeks of meetings, hours in prayer and footprints of faith is what it took to make Camporama 2009 a reality. 10-12 churches and 700 people from all over Malaysia participated in this awesome experience. If there were more bunk beds, there wouldn’ve been more people! Kudos to the camp committee for making Camporama 2009 a lifetime experience.

I’ve grown up in Rangers for as long as I can remember and Camporama is one of those camps I look forward to whether rain or shine. There’s almost a 100% guarantee that it’ll be mind blowing, this time it’s no different. 700 people made up 4 cities – Australia, India, China and Japan.

Since we were team India we spent 3-4 months reading about the country, culture, culinary spread and people. We visited Indian Street in Klang several times and made umpteen trips to the Global Indian Fair at Mid Valley. We went on a shopping spree for bangles, bells, oil lamps, lanterns, sarees, punjabi suits, jeepas, Bollywood movie posters and tupperware full of Indian sweets. With professional help from engineers and self made architects we build an archway made of steel and screws, lined it with hand drawn posters and wooden boards and lited it with running bulbs. We even had our very own lifesize Taj Mahal made of frigde boxes and pipes. The energy and life in our city was contagious – dance broke out every minute or so, food was served to every visitor, laughter roared as “Indian” stand up comedians took the stage.

Above all, at camps like this – the night rallies are always filled with a sense of expectancy. When I was a Ranger my very real experiences with God were always at camp. Now as a leader – it is undoubtedly so that I pray the same prayer for rangers who come. God showed up in a very real way to many of the young ones. I have been extremely touched to see God being real to the Adventure Girls (the ones under my care)… at 13, 14, 15 they’re being filled with a relentless pursuit for God. And I know that this experience will last them till eternity.

Seeds were sown and a declaration of faith was made – that this NOW generation will recognize their position and destiny in Christ and they will do greater things!

Pictures on the life and pulse of Camporama 2009… here!

I’ve been camping for most part of my life but only recently did I come across the term “responsible tourism (RT)” – or “responsible camping” in my case. Not only did I stumble on RT, I now have to wrap my brains around it to get a handle of RT for Wild Asia’s Responsible Tourism Award.

As rangers it was ingrained in our heads that camping should always be friendly to the environment. Throw waste in the garbage, carry the garbage with you until you see a rubbish bin. Don’t chop down trees and branches, use fallen twigs to build fires. Leave the campsite better than we found it. Well now I know that there’s actually a term for it – Responsible Camping!

This weekend a bunch of us are off for another outta-this-world kind of adventure. We’d be kayaking from mainland (PD) to a little unknown island, then parking our kayaks and staying the night on the island. No electricity, no toilets, no water source (except from the sea), no luxury of bed or mattresses – it’s back to the wild!

Since reading up on RT, I thought I should share some interesting pointers on how to camp responsibly leaving minimal impact on the environment.

• Camp on durable surfaces and place tents on a non-vegetated area.  Do not dig trenches around tents. (In Malaysia however, it is sometimes unavoidable since rain gets everything drenched in the dense rain forest)
• Don’t create new routes or expand existing trails.
• When building fires – use existing fire rings. Use fallen twigs & branches. Do not cut standing trees. Clear a 6ft diameter area around the site by removing any grass, twigs, leaves and extra firewood. (Rangers taught us well – we’ve been doing this since we started camping!)
• Detergents, toothpaste and soap harm fish and other aquatic life. Wash 200 feet away from streams and lakes.  (There are a lot of environmentally friendly washing agents out there)
• Pack out what you pack in. Carry a trash bag and pick up litter left by others.
• In areas without toilets, use a portable latrine if possible, and pack out your waste. If you don’t have a portable latrine then bury your waste.  Dig a shallow hole 6-8″ deep at least 200ft from water sources. Cover and disguise the hole with natural materials. Pack used toilet paper and carry out!
• Keep noise to a minimum especially in the early morning and evening hours (Oh! this has been hard especially with when camping with children!)
• Avoid “spooking” livestock and wildlife you encounter and keep your distance (The only wildlife we ever “spooked” were the nasty monkeys that crept into our tents!)

I had a change of perspective last weekend when we (the Discovs) visited the Taiping Zoo and night safari. I was bewildered by the sense of pride the zoo keepers had for the place. I was mesmerized by the amount of info provided at every stop. The Taiping zoo has a rugged feel to it. It’s not as “clean” as the Singapore Zoo, with shrubs growing on the pavement and moss carpeting some rocks but there was no indication that the place was poorly maintained. The animals looked hale and hearty (whoops I wasn’t planning to eat ‘em when I said hearty!)

What surprised me was the absence of the “zoo stench”! If I think of Zoo Negara, the first thing that comes to mind is the stench that greets you at the entrance. Needless to say it was repulsive. However magically or not, I was not greeted with the same stench in Taiping. It wasn’t entirely absent through as we caught a whiff of it as we approached the deer sanctuary… thankfully the air cleared after a bit. The Taiping Zoo and night safari was a hidden treasure we stumbled upon. I’m glad the government taking the effort to keep this hidden treasure alive; at least children will have a chance to visit a proper local zoo.

Here are some snapshots of Taiping (taken by Josh Chan). For more pictures and a virtual walk thru the zoo – click here and here, otherwise these are my favs:

One of the few colonial building in Taiping town. The weather was awesome too! What a great shot – reminds me of Christchurch, NZ.

At the zoo.. just girls (p/s Jirene we missed you!)

All pumped to go in!

Chimps – this was my first time seeing a real life one. I was amazed at how BIG they were!

Spotted Civet although small in size can be quite ferocious..

Up close and personal with the deers but not for long because they poop really stinks!

King of the Jungle – I would pay a million bucks just inch close to it!

How odd to be standing on only one leg – reminds me of my ballet training years ago!

I wonder if the world upside down would pose a better view? Hmmm….

The most friendly animals in the zoo!

Time for a dental appointment?

Trip to the zoo was almost a family affair

After the zoo, we stumbled upon a great ride – the giant slide at the park!

First up – Hannah, Esther & Lydia

You’re never too old for some fun!

Weeeeee………

Swish…

Then the guy commanders had a go!! They went berserk!

Sarah… such a gem!

Hannah – the rugged lil gal!

Isabelle – my lil monkey

Spot the “animals”

Finally a decent shot…

The sun soon descended and night covered the jungle, as the guests took their seats around a council fire. The huge sand pit looked amazing, with spotlights illuminating the place, the council fire sandwich between two huge and outstanding backdrops and the Malaysian, Selangor and Royal Rangers flags at the entrance. For the next 2 hours, the council fire blazed as we celebrated our 20 years with songs, skit, award ceremony and other items.

When Sel 7 first set out to plan our anniversary celebration, we wanted to capture the very essence of what Rangers is about. Our mission remains the same that is to reach, teach and keep boys and girls for Christ. Today we look back and acknowledge the lives we have touched but the job is evidently not done yet. We also wanted to embrace two decades of priceless memories. Indeed Rangers is about enduring relationships fostered throughout the years and the common passion we all have for the great adventure.

Above all we wanted to remember and radiate God’s faithfulness. I’m overflowing with thanks for His hands in all of this but I also know that greater things are awaiting us. Many times we look back and celebrate milestones (what a great reflection we all should practice) but milestones are not only for the past, it’s also for the future. What’s the next milestone for the Royal Rangers? Our anniversary celebration was aptly themed “Empowering The Next Generation” because reminiscence and awesome memories are just not enough to spur us on. It takes the unmerited grace and power of God to take us where He wants us to be. For this reason I’m challenged and excited at the same time humbled at the fact that I’m part of something greater myself and my capabilities.

Photos coming soon…