Our FHL annual training camp this year (2002) fell on the first to third day of the lunar new year! Coming back to help in the event meant we (Richard and myself) had to miss the reunion dinner at home!

For the camp itself, as usual, the formal FHLers from Maesalong came back to join us, and the other exFHLers from the nearby villages also attended, 50+ in all. Logistically it was big, but, at least in the adminstration of the event, we now have local organisers. "Shen Qiang"(our Lu Village leader in bible school) and the co-workers in FHL like "Lao Da" and "Yang San" all worked very hard, leaving us to just enjoy the camp!

The theme for this camp was "Be Doers of the Word" and we were fortunate that we had many speakers to handle the teaching. We had three messages every morning in addition to the nightly revival messages. Thankfully, afternoons were "free n easy"! The speakers included pastor "Wang Xing Wu", preacher "Liu Mao Xing", preacher Joseph, deacon "Liu Ming Xing", "Sheng Qiang",and the missionaries "Chun Lan", Richard n myself. Preacher "Ya Tu" handled the translations. ("Mao Xing", Joseph, "Ya Tu", "Gao Gui Fa" aka Elder "Gao" are all now recognised as preachers "cuan dao" with the official preacher card from the 12th District of the Church of Thailand).

We also had lots of children, and believe me, many of these are the children of the female inmates in Lu Village, and with the exception of Pastor Joesph's three children, all are ex-drug addict kids! While the adults are trying hard to concentrate in the main hall, with the static sit and listen program, the kids have their own seperate lively program with singing, story telling, memory verses etc. The kids were able to recite (literally shouted at the top of their voice) "The Lords Prayer", mightly impressive! I witnessed Richard tell the story of Noah, and it was a "multimedia" session with sound effects (vocal) and visual effects (such as lifting the blue floor mat to simulate waves! And the kids were attentive! Maybe Richard will think of setting up a children center somehow :-)

For the next "in-camp", we have ear-marked the Christmas New Year week (Actually it is still year 2002) so that we may come back next year for the reunion dinner!