So VBS took place last week, and it was my first time volunteering at VBS. Every single one of us volunteers were so unprepared for VBS this year. Captains, REC, Worship, and even the SMU schedule. I didn't think it would be possible for VBS to happen, or for it to even be good at all. I was so angry at the fact that none of us were ready for VBS in terms of the responsibilities we had to do for VBS, but we've learned so many lessons during our preparations for VBS, and during VBS week.

Looking back, i do regret the lack of preparations, and doing everything last minute.. but i'm really thankful and blessed to have been able to serve alongside my brothers and sisters for VBS. We've been through alot with one another.. we've gotten into fights, tears were shed, and we all dealt with alot of stress. The theme to this year's VBS was about serving, and we learned just as much about serving as the kids who we were teaching it too. God also taught us volunteers so many other things. One thing that I came to realize from God was that we ourselves are so weak. We can't do anything without God. If we don't rely on Him for strength, and don't ask Him for help through prayer, nothing will work out because our plans always fail but God's plans never fail. God really showed us that not only do we need to rely on Him for help, but also on each other. If there is something that we can't do ourselves, we need to let go of our pride and thinking that we can do it on our own, and ask our brothers and sisters for help. God has placed people in our lives so that we don't have to go through things alone, but rather we have shoulders to lean on, and carry our burdens together. Although we were very unprepared, God showed us that He has everything in control and all we need to do is lift it all up to Him. I'm not saying that it's okay to be unprepared and leave everything to God, but we were all so worried if something went wrong, or if a mistake was made.. but it really doesn't matter if mistakes were made in worship, or the message, or the games, or cheer.. because there will always bound to be mistakes.. because that's how we improve for next year.. but rather hoping that the kids are focusing on God and growing closer to him instead of looking at the mistakes. God is only using us as His tools to reach out to the kids.. we should be invisible when we serve so that all people can see is God and not us. Although the weeks leading up to VBS and even during VBS was difficult and stressful, it was really rewarding when we saw the older kids who are "too cool" to do worship and dance, to get out of their comfort zone and sing and dance for God. And even having the grade 5 and 6 class offer to serve us volunteers instead through cleaning up after lunch. It's those little things that matter the most, seeing just how much God has touched their hearts that they want to do something in return.. and even in the kindergartens when they cried during the calling on the last day. It doesn't matter how young you are, because God can use you to touch other people's heart.. and in this case, the kindergartens understood and felt God, and it touched us older ones, when we saw them cry. It was a very humbling experience to be able to serve God and His children at VBS this year and being able to bond with the other volunteers as well. Definitely an experience I won't forget.

Blogging about this, because i want to remember every second of it forever.

So on Saturday night, my mom told me she wasn't able to pick me up from church because she had personal reasons, and that she was gonna ask someone to bring me home instead. She told me this at night, and the next morning, and both times she told me this i got mad at her for not being able to pick me up. In the end, it was settled that Matthew was gonna drive me up. But he told me that him and Rebekah will be going out, and so i'm just gonna go wherever they went.. making me feel like a third wheel :( After service ended, I went with the career group, Matthew, Rebekah and sam to eat bun bo hue for lunch. After lunch, Matthew, Rebekah, Easy, Jen, Joseph and I went to costco to buy some groceries because Easy and Jen had invited Matthew Rebekah and i over to their house for dinner. I felt like a total 5th wheel, not knowing who to follow around since Joseph left to do his own thing, and so I would follow either easy and Jen, or Matthew and Rebekah LOL. After we went to costco, Matthew, Rebekah, Joseph and I went to yorkdale for a bit, while Easy and Jen went home to start prepping for dinner. We headed to Easy's house straight after yorkdale. Easy and Jen made seafood linguine and berry fruit punch for us, which was so delicious <3 We had dinner, and then we watched a bit of tv until around 8:30. We then left Easy's house to go to Destiny's because Rebekah said she was craving bubble tea all day. but before we went to Destiny's, we went to shoppers drug mart first because Rebekah said she needed to buy some stuff there. We finally arrived to Destiny's at around 10pm, and when we entered, Rebekah all of a sudden covered my eyes with her hand. I got so confused and was so oblivious as to what was going on! Matthew and Rebekah then guided me to our table and when Rebekah took her hands off my eyes...

BAM! TGAC WAS THERE SITTING AT OUR TABLE.
I had absolutely NO idea that they planned a surprise birthday party for Sam and I. All the career people I saw earlier on in the day, Joyce, Sam, and some of his friends were all there. I just started crying because i was so surprised and touched that they had planned all of this, and for everyone that showed up so late at night! Although it was mostly the career people who made it out, I'm so grateful for everyone at TGAC who helped with organizing this! Especially Esther Tang who initiated all of this, texted Matthew, got my mom's number and made a plan to get me away from going home with my mom. This surprise party was so unlike her to plan, but i'm so grateful to her for doing this! <3 So blessed to have been able to bond and become closer with her this year especially because of TC. So throughout the night, we just ordered drinks, talked, and played Mafia which was absolutely hilarious. And then at 12am, The server at Destiny's brought out a cake for Sam and I. It was bought by Jen and Easy and it was an oreo ice cream cake from DQ. They sang happy birthday to us, and even the tables that were sitting near us was singing :) We then blew out the candle together since there was only 1 candle, and made the first cut in the cake together :) The cake was so yummy even though it was all melted. The funny thing was that when we were at Jen & Easy's house for dinner, Matthew pointed out their big freezer and had wanted ice in his fruit punch.. and when Jen went into the freezer, she opened the freezer really small to get the ice out. Apparently the cake we had was in that freezer HAHAHA. They're so cute. They went through all that trouble to buy us a cake and everything! We ended up leaving Destiny's at around 12:45ish, and i arrived home at 1:30. The entire day was planned out for me, including going to shoppers drug mart for a bit so that Jen and Easy could arrive to Destiny's before me LOOOOL.

My church family is absolutely the cutest and sweetest! I honestly don't know what I did to deserve all of them or any of this surprise. So thankful and grateful to each and every one of them. Those who came out, and those who couldn't. They all hid it away from me so well even knowing for more than a week and even getting my mom involved into this! Totally blessed to have a family like them whom i can always laugh with, talk with, and turn to. These people are absolutely the best, and I'm so thankful for God to bless someone like me with wonderful people like them. <3

It's really cool hearing someone have a prayer request, and then later on they update you telling you that God has answered their prayers. It goes to show prayer is powerful, God listens to our prayers and answers them, but what's the coolest is God's timing. His timing is perfect