The Apprentice

After a most relaxing spa session, I went for the second appointment at church yesterday - The Apprentice. Basically, every participant was not informed of the nature of the game. We were just told that it was something like The Apprentice lar. So, I was just expecting an afternoon of fun, completing some tasks with my team members.

But the minute that it was announced that the game was structured so that we can learn to be better Apprentices of Christ, I developed a sinking feeling in my stomach. Visions of me evangelising to total strangers and sharing my testimony that afternoon made my knees quake. Sure, I've shared the Good News to strangers before but I've always been told in advance and have ample time to prepare my heart and mind for it.

And so, like the first son in the parable in Matthew 21:28-31, I gave a bunch of excuses to Esther (my team leader) that I wasn't prepared for this and I most probably wouldn't do a good job at it, bla, bla, bla. But the minute the game started, my competitive side took over and I perked up. By darn, we are gonna make it to the top 3 teams of this game!

The rules of the game is very much like The Apprentice. Each team was given a sum of RM10k (fake currency, of course) on which we have to spend on getting permission to use our cars, handphones to make calls to find the answers to some of our tasks, and to get our new tasks when the previous ones have been successfully completed. If your team is the first to complete a task and is the first to reach the next station to get your next task, you would only pay RM500 for that new task. The second team would need to pay RM700. The third pays RM900 and so on.

The winning team is the one who successfully completes all the task at the most minimal cost.

We were all divided into 12 teams (after the 12 disciples of Jesus) with 3 members in each team. Esther was gung-ho about the disciples' names that start with J (ahem, I suspect it's because her sweetheart's name starts with a J mar... hehe!). But I chose Luke despite her protests and so, Luke it was.

And thus, the game organisers had us all racing all over PJ to collect our next assignments. Thank God for Esther's psycho speedy driving which always got The Lukers to the destination fast - always the first three to reach the stations. The first task was to call 6 people and get at least 3 to come for our Christmas musical. Fine, that was rather easy to do. The second task was to share our testimony to at least 3 people in a nearby hill. Each person must share to at least one other person. Now, this was the part that had me quaking in my knees. But this was also the part that The Lukers enjoyed the most. God led us to people who really wanted to know more about the Christian life and about the power of Christ in our lives.

I got to know this auntie who had kind eyes and nicely listened to my 3-sentence testimony. Her English was not that good but she opened up and asked for prayers for her son who was a drug addict. I was amazed that she was so open to a total stranger and my heart went out to her and her son. It reminded me that sharing the gospel is not merely by words alone, but more so compassion in action.

Which led us to the fourth task, which is to see a need and meet it. The third task was very simple - just filling up some blanks in a form. The fourth task had us combing the streets for beggars whom we can give some hot food to but the MPPJ has done a good job in cleaning up the streets and no beggars were to be found. So, I helped an old lady to cross the street and she was amused at our eagerness to help her. I felt rather embarrassed at the real motivation behind our eagerness to help but the good thing about this task is it has trained us to be on the lookout to see how we can help the people around us. That was what Jesus did and so should we, as His Apprentices.

One team did a lovely thing. They went to a Home for the needy and asked what their needs were. They were given a list of items that the Home direly needs but have no funds for. Basic stuff like garlic, oyster sauce, potatoes were lacking. The team took the list and bought what they could afford which amounted to over RM150. And they promised to visit the Home during Christmas to sing carols and play with the handicapped children residing there.

Another team bought some hardworking cobblers some soya bean drinks. At first they were met with suspicion but after a while, the cobblers accepted the drinks and they were speechless with gratitude. No stranger has ever treated them so nicely before, with no strings attached.

It's sad but our society has become such a place where kindness from strangers are often viewed with distrust and are normally rejected. Kids are trained not to speak to strangers and adults believe that there is no such thing as a free lunch. Crooks have used kindness to lure unsuspecting victims into their trap. So yeah, some of us did encounter difficulties in getting people to accept our kind favours.

And some teams were more interested in connecting with the people that they did not manage to finish the other tasks. But it was alright, because the intention of the game is not to win the gifts that were given to the first three winning teams, but to capture the heart and passion that Christ has for the world.

At the end of the day, J-son (the head organiser for this game) said that he hoped that The Apprentice has managed to instill some good things in us. In making us come out of our comfort zone and from being pre-occupied with our own needs and wants to actually noticing the needs of those around us, we would understand the heart of God and be His hands in loving and helping the needies around us. To share the reason behind the hope that we have to those who have lost hope.

It was a great and meaningful day despite the initial apprehension. I was glad that Esther made me do it.

Oh and by the way, The Lukers got third place. I got a Coolcat Wallet... hee!

A Wallet Made For Me??! Waah...