wres & essams bakoney

(This is JOHNSON KHOR's personal experience of the treasure hunt)

Sometimes, it’s hard to gather people to come for the YTM on Sunday, let alone, Captainball on Saturday. However, thanks to God’s idea for us to have our first and only first treasure Hunt. Indeed, we made a comeback. The numbers who turned out? Very very promising.

We started the day by assembling in the Church. Where Ivan started to brief us about the treasure hunt. Well to think about it, it’s glad to see many old faces showing up. Allysa Brought her konco- konco. And so did a few young ppl, Zhuo Ming, Matthew, Yen Ming, Kah Meng, I-Tzn turned up and so many more new faces, Ong in particular. Man, it’s really nice to have these people to join us for this event. The wheather? By God’s Grace, not even a drop of rain fell to the ground.

When we all went to the park, we assembled into our own groups. However, due to some complications, we only manage to settle down at 0500. much later than we were supposed to. Then, as I counted the people in my Group, there was only Kuang Ern, Zhuo Ming, Yen Ming and Matthew. When I looked around, the other teams have around 8 to 10 people.

Just when I thought we are doomed to be outnumbered, Ivan passed us our first Clue. This was doom for sure, the first clue was supposed to be a bunch of scrabbled words. It tooked the teams many mind tickling, discussions. However, the outcome? We got nothing. Ivan had to help us. Bringing us to the clue. The teams finally found it. However, thanks to some detour, my group found a clue we supposedly thought was the second clue, and we went looking for the clue. Much to our surprise at the end when Kuang Ern asked Ivan what was it? His stuned response was, “ How did you guys find it?”

Ivan showed us a face of disappointment. All I wanted to say was, “ God works in mysterious ways.” Ivan then showed us the area of the second clue. And after a thorough searching, we finally found the clue. Yet, seeing that the clue now requires us to run throughout the whole park once. It looks like the responsibility drops upon me, as my team members have exhaust their energy to find the previous clues. It wasn’t easy running throughout the whole park, especially when all the other teams are one step ahead. But this saying comes to my mind, “ The going gets tough, the tough gets going.” I kept on running and running. But Obviously, judging by the weight of my body, I guess Well at least I didn’t trip and fall even though we were way behind time.

When we got the second clue, we had to move up to the higher grounds of the park. Most of us stretched beyond the limits. Climbing the rocks of the waterfall, climbing through the hills. Still? No Clues there. We could only search hopelessly. Turns out this treasure hunt became Ivan’s hide and seek game after. He planted the Clues, and now he is finding them for us. Ivan came like Superman to our aid. As the third clue was embedded in one of the trees. No one could find it. Only Swee Ling found it. Seeing that our clues are not there, Ivan decided that he took out the clues to help us. Happily, we took the third clue. Ran in the opposite direction against the other teams. Reassemble, and discuss the possibilities. However, Zhou Ming got lost. Down to only 4 people now, we have to stick together as a team. As we are figuring out the clue, Zhou Ming ran towards us. Shouting, “ I got it, I got it!” The accidental clue we got before the second clue, was actually the clue we been looking for. As the competition got tougher. We were to look for now, the fifth clue. As we looked and looked, we got total blank of what was suppose to be the clue. And this time Zhou Ming took off without us knowing again. When we walk towards the playground, only then did he appeared again. Running with a happy face, he said, “ I went and got the Clues!!!”

I was stuned, here was I with a boy half my age. Found more clues than I do. I can only say, “ God really works in mysterious ways.” It was now the Final Showdown. The last clue. Either the team gets the clue, or live without it. I looked far and wide. As Ivan specifically said in the clue, “When you see me, please slow down.” I went to the opposite area of the park, looked throughout the every single signboards. Still no clue. Frustrated and Tired. I walked back into the park. When I saw Kuang Ern, all he said to me was, “ John, we found the Clue, we won.”

I never felt so relieved this year. Indeed, God can always work in mysterious ways, even through treasure hunt. Frankly speaking, I never won in any treasure hunt. This is my first victory in a sense. But what was great is that, we stuck together as a team. Although there was only five of us, but we pull it through, as a team. Treasure hunt was never meant to be an invidual activity, but a group work. Sometimes God can really use the small things in this world to shame the proud, me for instance. I thank God that this treasure hunt has in one way and the other, blessed our fellowship as a church. Besides knowing a few more people, we finally got to know the younger generation of Taman Tun. It was really God’s enriching experience.