Batam Sevice Learning Trip (17-21 March 2011)

This was a highlight trip for me this year. I went with 51 of my other NP LSCT friends and 4 lecturers and we went Batam to help out the orphanages.

17 March 2011
Upon reaching batm on the first day, we went for team building activities to bond ourselves closer. After that, we had lunch and we went to visit different orphanges( Orphanage Gracia, Orphanage Viran and Orphanage Bethesda) After visiting these different orphanages, we went to Kepri mall to buy supplies we need( Birthday Party Hats, Medicines in First Aid Kits, Snacks etc) JCO donuts there was nice and cheap.

18 March 2011
After breakfast, we dispatched into different groups, we headed off to different orphanges. One bus went to Orphanage Viran. The other bus headed to Orphanage Gracia. We went to purchase the paints and brushes so we can help give the walls in the orphanages a fresh new coat of pain. I was with the bus that's going to Orphanage Gracia. At Orphanage Gracia, Darren, Chuan Yan, Catherine, Letty and me started to start drawing out pictures we are going to draw as the murals for the room. After discussing with the matron of the orphanage, we started drawing a Waterfall flowing into water bodies and another one showing Jesus with many children. Personally, I was very impressed with Darren's drawing of Jesus. It really resembled the Jesus he was copying from the image on his iphone. After lunch, we went to Viran to celebrate the orphans birthday and to meet up with the rest of the team. We offered them clothes we had brought and also gifts. It was my first time singing Happy Birthday in Malay.

19 March 2011
After breakfast we did the same thing. Completion of the murals on the wall of a classroom in Orphanage Gracia. Others who went Gracia helped paint the walls and others helped do first aid:) Others just started playing the orphans once the painting job is done. After lunch, we went to Bethesda to celebrate the birthdays of the orphans there. First the orpahns sang Mighty to Save and other christian songs. I was really touched and can feel God's pressence when they sing those songs. It was a sense of peace and joy in times of uncertainty. After that we started giving the clothes and gave the children snacks to eat to enjoy:)

20 March 2011
After Breakfast, we headed out to 2 other orphanages to give them supplies. We visited one orpahange which had an Islam Boarding school too. We started teaching a group of the orphans english. It was great to see how enthusiastic they are although some of them started to lose attention. Others did first Aid. Before we left the place, we saw the orphans( the guys) cheering and it was super cool. It was like a military cheer and war cry that can easily startle enemies:) After that we headed to Santa Theresa Orphanage and started helping out once we reach. We passed by the bridge through Tontong Island:) The Batam bridge separates Tontong Island from Mainland Batam. It had a spectacular view of the sea and the Islands:) Upon reaching the orphanage, we gathered them in groups, played games with them and gave them clothes. haha it was fun to play with them. When they sang christian songs, It was another reminder how God is so true to these kids even loving them that you can actually sense it from how they sang the songs. After we returned, we went back hotel. Dinner time was good seafood and karaoke after that. Although it was old songs, we still had much fun singing them.

21 March 2011
Today is the last day of the trip. We mainly went to a lot of places to shop. Last shopping centre we visited was Nagoya Hill Shopping Centre. This is the biggest shopping centre in Batam. A&W was great. Wee Min, Darren, Chuan Yan and me went to the lan shop to play CS for 1 hour. Haha. It was fun but seeing how funny it is to backstab them was really reaction time. After that, we just walked around the area. Personally, I wanted to shop but I had shop too much recently so I decided to cut down on the cash I use. After the shopping, we went back Singapore.