Tuesday, August 01, 2006
Take the City Walk
Reporters: Teo Huili and Karen Chan (FS tribe)
It was hardly seven in the morning...the trains were packed with commuters, subway packed with eager participants…of “TAKE THE CITY WALK”! As I wriggled my way through the crowd, I saw people of different “makes”, young and old, big and small, smiling their way to THE PADANG. For those who do not know about the history of Padang, Padang is the place where our very first National Day was held, where our Leaders declared Singapore’s INDEPENDENCE! How exciting it is to be gathered in this place again, after 41 years…
The hosts! Ps Hee Jhee and Ps Victor, did a really good job in trying to wake the sleepy heads present. There was a little quiz for us to fill in. Although it wasn’t National Day, we were given a chance to wish Singapore Happy Birthday in advance! At 9:08 hours, we were to watch our watches and shout “Celebrate Singapore”.
With the help of our resident hunk Jonathan Wong and some motivators, it wasn’t hard to move the crowd. “Move it!” A rather unique way of conducting warm-ups, I would say. The last action actually required you to put the back of your hands against your forehead, as though one had a “Headache!!...”.
Dr. Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports, and Second Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts, was our guest-of-honour for the walk. Struggling to get past the crowd, I managed to steal some shots of him walking to the stage. He gave a really succinct but meaningful speech, describing the walk as the remembrance of the poor and needy. He called upon us to not only extend monetary aid, but to bless them from our hearts. Indeed, it is with the heart of worship to God that we give to the poor, as Jesus first gave us.
I was part of the Red Sector A team and we took the coastal route that brought us along the Marina promenade. Along the way, some of us started singing and the company was great! I give thanks for the many road marshals along the way. Some of them were the elderly. Their presence really motivated us to continue. God’s love could be seen through their radiant smiles.
It was a great time of fellowship for many. Werner Lee, a youthnet leader from Pastor Hee Guan network, thought that the walk was really a practical application of the principle of gathering. Though tired, Daryl Ong, his spiritual child, found the walk fun and enjoyable. He had a great time bonding with his spiritual father and brothers.
Despite the long walk, many gladly returned to the field to contribute their most “beautiful” smiles to the four thousand smiles project, a project initiated by the government and supported by TCS.
It has truly been a fruitful event as the nation and hearts are blessed. Hallelujah!
It was hardly seven in the morning...the trains were packed with commuters, subway packed with eager participants…of “TAKE THE CITY WALK”! As I wriggled my way through the crowd, I saw people of different “makes”, young and old, big and small, smiling their way to THE PADANG. For those who do not know about the history of Padang, Padang is the place where our very first National Day was held, where our Leaders declared Singapore’s INDEPENDENCE! How exciting it is to be gathered in this place again, after 41 years…
The hosts! Ps Hee Jhee and Ps Victor, did a really good job in trying to wake the sleepy heads present. There was a little quiz for us to fill in. Although it wasn’t National Day, we were given a chance to wish Singapore Happy Birthday in advance! At 9:08 hours, we were to watch our watches and shout “Celebrate Singapore”.
With the help of our resident hunk Jonathan Wong and some motivators, it wasn’t hard to move the crowd. “Move it!” A rather unique way of conducting warm-ups, I would say. The last action actually required you to put the back of your hands against your forehead, as though one had a “Headache!!...”.
Dr. Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports, and Second Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts, was our guest-of-honour for the walk. Struggling to get past the crowd, I managed to steal some shots of him walking to the stage. He gave a really succinct but meaningful speech, describing the walk as the remembrance of the poor and needy. He called upon us to not only extend monetary aid, but to bless them from our hearts. Indeed, it is with the heart of worship to God that we give to the poor, as Jesus first gave us.
I was part of the Red Sector A team and we took the coastal route that brought us along the Marina promenade. Along the way, some of us started singing and the company was great! I give thanks for the many road marshals along the way. Some of them were the elderly. Their presence really motivated us to continue. God’s love could be seen through their radiant smiles.
It was a great time of fellowship for many. Werner Lee, a youthnet leader from Pastor Hee Guan network, thought that the walk was really a practical application of the principle of gathering. Though tired, Daryl Ong, his spiritual child, found the walk fun and enjoyable. He had a great time bonding with his spiritual father and brothers.
Despite the long walk, many gladly returned to the field to contribute their most “beautiful” smiles to the four thousand smiles project, a project initiated by the government and supported by TCS.
It has truly been a fruitful event as the nation and hearts are blessed. Hallelujah!
