Preparations: June 2008

Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

Colossians 3:12

this verse spoke to me during my days in National Service as a dorm leader. when i was first elected dorm leader, i found it quite a struggle. this was because i was already pretty much comfortable living in my own space and taking care of myself, and when i became the dorm leader it meant i had to look out for 20 other girls. and sometimes i found it frustrating and at other times i didn't know what i should be doing.

but even as i was worrying about it all and questioning why in the world did i have to become the dorm leader, this verse spoke to me.

the first thing that touched me was the words God's chosen people. it meant that God was the one who allowed me to be the leader, who opened the way for me. you see, i never did raise my hand on the first day and say "I want to be dorm leader!!" or anything like that. and like i said i was comfortable just being a pangkat-less trainee. but God somehow made it happened and that meant that i had even more reason to lead.

it was encouragement to know that i was God's holy and dearly loved, knowing that i was set apart and that God loves me. i believe God would never place someone He loves into a situation if He did not have a plan and purpose for it, even though it may be tough and disappointing at times.

it's easy to be a dorm leader, all i have to do is get the girls out of the dorm on time, make sure out dorm is clean, know who's sick or unwell, etc. typical tugas-tugas of a dorm leader. but i didn't want to be just another dorm leader who did all my tugas-tugas, i wanted to be a dorm leader that reflected Christ in my life. and i wondered how was i to do that.

and the next part of the verse spoke it all. clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. this was what was going to make me different and an effective leader for God. but i admit at times i struggled in clothing myself with these. i found it hard to be compassionate and kind when i was irritated by others. i found myself not being very gentle with my words and actions at times (usually my words and no, i didn't whack anyone). and when my dorm mates are taking their own sweet time to get out of the dorm and berbaris, my patience ran. at times i caught myself having pride in me and i had to remind myself to be humble before God. as you can see, i was far from being clothed completely with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

but i believe God has taught me much through my days as a dorm leader. and i hope that i did make a difference for Him, He made a BIG difference in my life there. i cannot imagine what my days there would have been like without Him.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
Colossians 3:23

the verse says whatever you do. it doesn't say 'if you're doing cf work, then work hard at it' or 'if you're doing church work, then do it with all your heart'. but it say whatever you do, it means everything you do, every role you play, whether it's getting people out on time, homework, making sure your class is clean, helping your teacher,etc.

it doesn't matter what kind of leader you are, whether it's in a christian group or not. you may be a ketua kelas or ketua rumah or ketua kebersihan or ketua kumpulan for some project or a penolong or a cf leader, church leader, cell group leader or ...

whatever kind of leader you are, know that God has chosen you and that you play your role as a leader for Him. do it for God and see the difference it makes.

anyways, here's some pictures. memories as a dorm leader, i think the most important part of it at the end of the day was not whether i got the girls out on time or whether we had the cleanest dorm but the most important thing was the people themselves, the 23 other girls i had to look out for and care for. i mean looking back now, i don't remember how many times we were late to get in line and i don't think anyone does either. but i'll remember the girls, always.