STRENGTH - Hillsong Conference 2005

Hillsong Conference this year is just awesome. It has become the largest conference annual conference in Australia. There are heaps of stories about the conference in the local newspaper as well. I am on session recordings the whole week together with Joe and Krystle.

Sunday...
Besides going to church in the morning, I went for me and Steph's birthday party that was hosted by the Brinsdens. There were many people from Asian and some of Steph's friends. Some of the people were watching the new DVD of the live worship album. I can't wait to see that. After dinner, the guys set up a bonfire. It was awesome. It is just fun and cool to have a bonfire during winter. It just warms you up. It does makes sense if you have a bonfire during cold weather. It is so freaking hot to have a bonfire when it is summer or having it in Malaysia. I got some presents. Most of them are earrings. I love them. I love earrings. I don't have a lot of them and I am glad that I got heaps of them. At the end of the day, whatever I get for my birthday I am thankful for it. We stayed back at the Brinsdens to watch F1 and I only got home at about 1 ish.

Monday...
First day of conference. Krystle, Joe and I drove to Superdome together and we got there at about 8 in the morning. Session recordings started off by fixing up all the display shelves from IKEA. We had to put up all 3 of them. After that we had to label all the shelves with the specific day, time, speaker and streams so that it would be easy for us to find the resources that people are looking for. My supervisor; Josh Olson, taught all of us how to work out the cash register and other things that we need to learn. The sales was really really slow. We were selling last year's conference recordings as well. It was slow and boring. Lunch was good. We had lasagna and at night we had some rice and the european style satay. I got to sit in to see the opening. It was alright. I prefer the opening last year though. It was more grand and cool. This year is good too. It was very meaningful. Every single thing represents STRENGTH and I almost cried at the end of the opening. I get to sit in for both night rally. I love John Maxwell. He is such an inspiration. I didn't have my bible, notebook and pen; I ended up using my mobile phone to write down all the key points. At the end of his message, he wanted to pray for all the leaders. The presence of the Holy Spirit was so strong that it touches my heart big time. I can't stop crying. God was so real to me that very moment. It reminded me that I have been chosen to do what He has called me to do and I need to be bold in every thing that I do. It's just so good.

Tuesday...
Woke up really early today. Got to the Superdome at about 7:30 a.m. Joe, Krystle and I walk to Mackers to get some breakfast. I rushed to the volunteers stand to get my college stand scan. It's really annoying that I have to walk all the way to the Northern foyer to get my tag scan. If it is near it is ok, but it is sooooooooooooooooo far away!!!! Our stand is still very quiet today. There are some people that came and ask for the session last nite. But other than that, we are all just sitting around chatting and chilling. Cece Winan is just so awesome. Her voice, the way she sing and perform and lead the people into the presence of God is just speechless. I almost cried when she sang Alabaster box. It's just so awesome how she could sing and minister to you at the same time. Man... she is such an example for me. I really hope someday I could travel the world and minister to people at the same time.

Wednesday...
Got Mackers for breakfast again. Joe went to get it for us. We ended up sitting in the HMA suite while listening to the preaching. The session recording stand starts to get really crazy. When the stand opened after the main rally, none of us stop working till like 3 p.m. We didn't even have lunch so I ended up going to Mackers to buy some lunch cum dinner for Joe, Krystle, and Josh (our team leader) and myself. When I got to mackers, it is just MADNESS!!! The queue starts at the side of the road. After 15 minutes of waiting in line, the line went out to the road. It is just crazy. Come to think of it, I do not know how I actually survive that 45 minutes of waiting in line just to get mackers. The worst part is carrying 3 big cups of drinks and 3 big bags of food walking back to the Superdome. I must have magic or wonder hands. Hahahaha.... There is a girl in our team, her name is BUTTERFLY. Honestly, I find it funny and in shock when I find out that her name is Butterfly. Well, she was not in our team on Monday and Tuesday. But she came and so called "kaypoh" while we were closing the stand. She ask whether we are closing and were there a lot of customers. I thought she is just some volunteer that happened to know one of the girls in our team or happen to know Josh. Today, she came and help out. I did not say anything. The most annoying part is that she kept on giving people the wrong information. Whenever a customer that got the wrong information come up to me and ask for other stuff, it is so hard to clarify to them. To make the day worst, she is always in the way. There are so many people coming in and out to buy stuff, and all of us are trying to be fast and accurate in our change and so on, it is just so hard. Not only that, during peak hour, she asked some of us how to work the cash register and the eftpos machine. *SMACK FOREHEAD*. Sigh...it is just extremely annoying!!!

Thursday...
Mackers for breakfast once again!!! As it is almost end of the week / conference, more and more people start to come to our stand to buy the session recordings. We are getting more and more busy especially after the main rally by Reinhard Bonnke. He is such an awesome speaker. I got my notepad and Bible ready to write down whatever he is preaching / teaching. At the end of the day my notepad is just blank. There is nothing to write about. Not that he is not a good preacher. Whatever he preach is just too awesome that you do not know what to write at all. Michael W. Smith sang at night. Oh man! It is like my dream coming true to see him lead all the people in the superdome into the presence of God. He and his team did such an awesome job.

As all of us has been working for more than 12 hours in a day and getting less than 6 hours of sleep, we tend to get angry, annoyed and agitated easily. Well...my dear brother and I got into a huge fight today. I do not want to elaborate because I do not see a neccesity to do so here. It is just a bad experience I must say.

Friday...
We are still not talking. But before dinner, we sort things out. I find that I see many differences in us but there are also many similarities in us. I must also admit that both of us have our own differences that can cause both of us to explode. But I believe that God is faithful and loving that He made both of us friends that care, share and changes our flaws and our bad habits and attitudes. During lunch, there were leaders and volunteers that came and anoint all the volunteers with oil and we got prayed for. It was so cool. At the end of the night rally, our stand is just MADNESS. People line up till almost to the Grand Foyer where the expo is just to get all the session recordings and also to get Reinhard Bonnke's Cds, Dvds and tapes. We were doing as fast as we could so that people could get whatever that they need before the superdome closes. We pack down everything and I got some freebies. YAY! We drop by at Mackers to get some dinner. We watch Friends and had our mackers till we fall asleep.

YUP! We had Mackers 4 days in a row and now we are officially on a Mackers fast.

Saturday...
Had to go to church at 2p.m. because I am rostered to sing. I totally lost my voice when I woke up but oh well, I had to sing as well. Church was good. A lot of people came. Auntie Kim preach for a while and then a Reinhard Bonnke Dvd was one. I went home (Joe's house) with Krystle to get some stuff and a jacket for myself because I was freezing. Then went back to the church. Then Isaac, Irene, Joe, Krystle and I went over to my place because I want to make sure that my house is still in one piece while Joe drop Krystle home. I found out that Esther (Lydia's friend from Melbourne) was staying in my room throughout the week. Hmm... I didn't know she came to Sydney. When I saw my room, I was kinda in shock because it looks messy. Sigh...but I am sure that they will tidy it up once I am back. Got the opportunity to talk to Joanna. She told me her experience of being in night excellence where some of the college students had been asked to help the team out. Instead of being a help, they cause Joanna and her team to do the work again because they didn't clean properly. Joanna also told me that she had to dig deep into cleaning all the toilets and there are things that you do not want to know. It is just gross.

Got pick up again and then we went to Towers to get some food in the food court. Almost all the youth from Asian; including some of the Filos came and watch Fantastic 4 together. The movie is kinda stupid I must say. If you plan to go for the movie, please don't! I was very disappointed with the movie actually. After the movie, we went to the Brinsden because Isaac and Irene wanted to get some clothes but too bad; the brinsdens were already in dreamland when we got there. So we ended up going home. On our way home, we stop by so that Joe and I could get a night picture of Sydney. It was freezing cold man.

Sunday...
Woke up extremely early because Joe, Krystle and I are on duty for the session recordings in the church resource center. Andreas (one of our team mates) were there too. It was quite busy before and after the service. But we survived! YAY! We went to Hilltop Restaurant at Towers together with Hanna and her hubby for yum cha. It was good except that some of the dish were quite disappointing I must say. After lunch we drop Krystle home and then Joe and I got home. Rest for a while and I went to pick Hanna and her hubby up and drop them home. I went back to Glenwood for a while to check things out and chat with Calvin and Lydia's sister. I went back to Joe's house and took a nap. At about 7 p.m. I went to church to pick Hanna and her hubby and Ada up to go for dinner with Lydia and sisters. We went to hogsbreath and I tried their chicken and ranch salad. Man...I never had such a big bowl of salad in my life before and it is so filling! After dinner we were just chilling outside at the Piazza and Jeri and gang came. Calvin tried to throw Amy into the small tiny water thingy. Siggi and I got wet because Calvin and Lydia I think splashes water at me. I went home and watches F1 with Joe. I was fighting with Dan for the couch.