Touched...

Last training day before shut down. How sad. Actually, there's a training session once a week till the exam period, but I won't be able to make it anyway so I'll just have to relly on my push-ups. But since today's the last proper training day before the Term 2 Shutdown, today was also Washing Day! Yup, that time of the season when all the Canoeists take out all their equiptment and rags and buckets of water and give the boats a good scrub-a-dubb-dubb. I had to scrub off some algae that was being harvested on the Stern Styrofoam (Yeuck...), but it's entertaining in its own ways. This is one of the only momments you actually get to shove your head into the Cockpits of the boats and see it inside-out!

Also found out that my Understudy is Rocky! Cool! So since I now know who's gonna take over my duty as Lord of the Life Jackets, I won't have to worry too much about retirement. (Hee hee...)

I then had a quick change, quick journey home, quick 2hour nap, quick lunch, quick shower and quick departure to Petir LRT Station just a couple of blocks away. Took a LRT to Chua Chu Kang and took a North-South MRT to Jurong East MRT Station to meet up with Ben and his Christian gang. If you don't know, today's suppose to be Part II of a preaching visit by Pastor Benny Hinn! And for those who don't know who's Benny Hinn, he's a powerful American preacher of Middle Eastern origin who's well known in the Christian world for his closeness to the Holy Spirit. In his previous visit to Singapore, all he had to do was wave his hand to the right, and almost the entire East Wing of the Indoor Stadium colapsed with the touch of the Spirit! Even Auntie Ai Boon fell in that session! So I also wanted to experience that feeling of being touched by God, and also recieve a few points on living the Christian life.

Ben told meto meet him at the Jurong East Entertainment Centre at 4 o'clock, so I arrived at 3.3o after the experience of a previous outing with him (Sorry, Ben...). So during the half an hour of waiting, I walked around the centre, looking at a few movie posters, watching a Halo match in the games shop, buying a vanila milkshake from McDonald's and reading a few books in a bookfair. But after waiting 45 minutes, I started to panic, thinking that I might have went to rhe wrong place and missed a shuttle bus which Ben and his friends rode away with already.

After checking the Bus Terminal and coming back to the centre, I quickly SMSed Ben and asked of his location, only to be relieved to find out that he's just a few minutes away and Iwas rather early. I continued touring aroung the building until Ben called and asked me to meet his friends at the MRT Station. So in total, I went back and forth the link between the MRT Station and the centre 3 times, meaning that I was given 6 copies of every brocheir available on that stretch, from tution schools to facial products to charities.

Once at the MRT Station, I made a quick comb around the area, only to find Ben and his friends the momment he called me. Caught up with the guys/gals and was rather surprized that not only did they remember who I was, but they also knew how to pronounce my name! Now that's a great achievement! (*applause*) We then waited once more for LCIDNDDVI (Coded by request), then set off by MRT to Kallang, and from there took a shuttle bus to the Singapore Indoor Stadium. We queued up behind a short but timely queue before being able to enter the area, finding seats at the North Section Balcony. Halfway while we started to chat away to kill off waiting time, the musicians started playing music, and being the music appreciator I am, I started being amazed at the variety they could play, even as far as Ancient of Days! I LOVE Ancient of Days! And City Harvest Church, the Church that organised the event, had the largest chior I've ever seen live infront of me! I mean, it literally occupied the entire South Section Main! And with their coloured attire, they made a cross-formation on the section. How nice!

Soon, the event started, and we began by singing a few songs of praise! The instruments were very well coordinated, and the choir was superb! Many forms of music were covered, like Jazz, Rock, Gospel, Jewish and so on, and it was great quality, I must say!

Then after that, Pastor Benny Hinn came on stage, and for the first time I saw how he looked like! I'v eheard a couple of his CD sermons before, and my Mom has a few books which were written by him, but I never got to see how he appears like. And now I've got the chance. A rather tall man with tan skin and white, if not silver, hair covering the entire crown of his head.

He started off with the message of Not Having Enough Time, first emphasizing about God's abundant Grace, but also that the second chances could be over when the Endtimes comes, and that it is somewhat close now. He's not the first person I've heard that from - even Pastor Prince thinks it's within 20 years - but I don't really panick over it that much. The Bible also states that we souldn't be bothered over this stuff, although we must be aware that it can be anytime.

Then he later asked for people who needed Spiritual Healing, which he explained was more important than Physical Healing, to come forward to the edge of the stage so he could pray for them, and LCIDNDDVI went over. A few of Ben's friends and I clapped for him as he made his way to the stairs to get down to the main floor, but then some of them advised me to follow him for friendly support. So I went down thinking that he wasn't too far infront, only to be lost in the sea of spiritually broken people. After searching half of th ecroud, I decided to stop and just pretend I needed the healing too (Which I might have needed, you never know). Once the prayers were said, we were sent back to our seats, and I found LCIDNDDVI back in his. Ah, well. At least he's met up with God.

After a bit more singing, Pastor Hinn shared a testimony over the topic of Paying Your Dept to God, so He Can Pay Yours, and it was real funny at parts! The story goes that in the early years of his Ministry, they started using television to pass out the word on Christian channels in North America. Back then, these channels were alot more rare than now, so the bills started to pile up, and in a matter of months, the Ministry was under dept. Then when he met up with what was soon to be his father-in-law, he shared his problem with him. So his dad-in-law asked how much he placed in the offering. He responded with a few coins. The father-in-law then got up and exclaimed that he knew how to solve his problem. He told him to give more to God, so that God can help pay back. In fact, he even specified that whatever he owed the bills for the few months, Pastor Hinn was to pay back $1000 more! A rather risky choice, so risky that it sounds insane. But Pastor Hinn soon took the advice and went back to his office to fetch the check book, signing off checks to the many associations he knew, even to those he didn't like.

By his next Church service, all he had left under his name was just a 10-cent coin, and the offering tray was soon passed to him. He stared at the tray, not willing to place the coin in it. But God came in and told him, "Drop the coin." "No!" Pastor Hinn kept argueing back. Reluctantly, he soon moved his hand forward and struggled to let go of the coin. He was finally bankrupt.

But then the next day, he recieved a letter from another Pastor somewhere else which contained a $1,000 check and a note saying, 'Hi Benny, The Lord told me to send you this check - I don't know why he asked me to but here.' And to cut a long ending short, all the bills were payed back in a week! Financial Miracles...

After this, we did even more singing, and by now my diaphram was getting really tired, then it happened. The Holy Spirit came! Pastor Hinn first told us to rise and praise the Lord and pray for our illnesses, which we did. I was closing my eyes and speaking in Tongues when suddenly I heard Pastor Hinn say out loudly, "TOUCHED!" I opened my eyes and caught a glimpse of the whole choir collapsing in front of me! It was some what shocking, yet I knew that Christ was just touching their hearts for a while, so I raised my hands towards them and cntinued to pray in Tongues. Then Pastor Hinn moved on to the Left side of the stadium. He gave another shout of "TOUCHED!", and most of the people standing collapsed into their seats with a slow cry. Amazed, but not surprised, I continued to raise my hands and pray for those who were touched. Then due to time shortages, he asked if the remaining sections could huddle close next to each other. Knowing what was going to happen, I closed my eyes and raised my hands as high as I could get them to.

He then said another "TOUCHED!", and most of the remaining people fell down, even I did! It was a weakening feeling, and I just felt a sudden 'change' in my heart. Once I fell back into my seat, still contious of whatever was going on but not wanting to move away from the peace, I started speaking ferociously in Tongues, literally. Another one of Ben's friends was crying, most assumably because God was comforting her in a certain area of her life, and so I wanted to pray for her and tell her that everything's alright. But I was still speaking in Tongues so hard I couldn't stop and all my words came out mispronounced. So I gave up and continued to praise the Lord in my peaceful state, trusting that the Lord had it all under control for her.

Then Pastor Hinn asked for another round, requesting that we all held each other hand in hand so the blessing could pass through the whole stadium. Everyone did so, and after another "TOUCHED!", almost the entire stadium fell down under the Holy Spirit! It was a nice experience worth praising for, and I'm assured my God loves me as always! The Pastor was also busy heling the many handicaped people at the main level, and you could see the many wheelchairs and walkers being taken away. Some of the other leaders who came also recieved blessing, which was rather interesting to watch them recieve on stage. I mean, you see this lady walking toards the Pastor, and the momment he waves his hand over her she collapses on the stage with two ushers catching her fall just in the nick of time. God's presense was truely felt there!

Then after all the healing, Pastor Hinn soon recieved a prophecy. He slowly shared with us that God has preserved Singapore to be the healing station of Asia, and He will attend to the masses of Asia (India, China, Indonesia, ect.) through her! SO in other words, we'd be the Asian version of the pool of Bethzatha (Read John 5:1-18)! What an honour! Then he also gave a request to City Harvest Church if he could borrow the choir on his trip to Israel at the end of the year, if he could convince the Israel Authorities. Everyone involved in the Church clapped and cheered along, and the Pastor of that Church then turned to the choir and blessed them. They again fell down in the Power of the Lord and soon started laughing for the next few minutes.

Then once the whole event was finished (Well, Part III is tomorrow, but still...), Ben, a small group of his friends, LCIDNDDVI and I tried to find our way back, since we all lived very close to each other. So begins The Great Midnight Adventure! (*Now Playing: Indiana Jones Theme Music*) It starts off with us trying to find a shuttle bus that can take us back to the MRT Station. Soon, a bus came and the great crowd flooded into the two doors of the vehicle. Most of the group already made it up the bus, and the only ones left struggling for a space was LCIDNDDVI and I. I shoved my way in, turning around to find LCIDNDDVI smiling, not moving at all and allowing others to get ahead of him. I guess he knew very well he wasn't going to have a space on the bus in the first place for some reason. So we had to separate from him on that part. *Gasp*

Once at the Station, we waited for a minute or so if Kirby was going to arrive any minute soon, but after no sign of him, we had to move on. We went in and boarded the East-West to Jurong East, on the ride of which we had a great chat on what we went through during the session and what was shared, also including personal questions and other conversations about life itself (School, CCAs, classmates, ect.). Been a long time since I had a conversation when I can mention God freely AND knowing the guy(s) ont he other side can relate to what I'm talking about. Praise the Lord for the reminder! We also met up with Clement, Ben's best fried since I-don't-know-when (They even had chicken pox together at around the age of three!).

Once we reached Jurong East, we got off and boarded a train that was on the track to our destination, only to find out that it's shutting down for the day. We quickly got out of the train before it closed shut and made its way back to its Head Quaters. We waited for another few minutes for the next train, while listening to the announcement that "trains will no loner be servicing on Platform A" and praying that our platform wouldn't be the next one to be affected, yet. But by God's grace, the train came soon enough, and later on we'd discover it was the last train of that route for the day! Praise the Lord we made it! Once at the agreed station, we went down and hitched a ride with one of Ben's friend's dad's car around Upper Bukit Timah, dropping us off one by one. (Never knew Ben's Condo was that big!...) Once at home, I went to my room, changed up into somethig casual and went to ben, praying thanks for such a nice day!