Not Hidden from the Shepherd

By Esther Cheah

2020 was not a typical year nor was our Youth Camp a typical one. The theme of the camp was “Five Alive”. It was set in a fictional city, Leopolis, year 2035, and the church was in hiding. Instead of the usual worship sessions, messages and nightly suppers I had grown used to having at camp, we were to meet secretly in our individual ‘Churches’, groups of five led by a Shepherd. I was given the responsibility of being the Shepherd for my ‘Church’.

At first, I had many doubts: I’m not the most outgoing person, what if I’m not engaging enough as a leader? I had to facilitate Bible study discussions alone, what if no one responded to my questions? What if our group dynamics didn’t work out? What if I’m not a good Shepherd?

But God saw me through. In the week leading up to camp, He brought me back to His Word, both for comfort and for wise counsel. As I learnt about Gospel-centered leadership, I realized my incessant worrying was unnecessary. I had no need to doubt God’s ability to use me for His work, in whatever ways He had planned. I had gotten too caught up in the ‘What-if’s and the ‘How’s, ‘I’ this and ‘I’ that, forgetting I needed only be a willing servant, and God’s good and perfect will would ensure all things fall into place. For it is not by works or results that we determine the value of our service, because God is the Provider of it all. I prayed for Him to teach me to be the Shepherd that Jesus was to His people: loving, caring and kind.

In the end, God blessed our lovely ‘Church’, the Big Friendly Exciting Church: Adrina, Joseph, Luke and Ryane (and sometimes little Luther!) who each have a heart that yearns for Him. Through the tough decisions that we had to make throughout the camp, such as whether to give up our rights to proselytize or risk being persecuted, He gave us a fruitful time of discussion, fellowship and growth.

I’m grateful for this chance to lead as a Shepherd, and for all that I’ve learnt in those three days. One of our objectives was to explore what our faith means to us when worldly things change, and I can truthfully say that my faith is secure even in times of testing. I thank God for our wonderful leaders at Youth Service (YS), who willingly took up the challenge of planning and executing a camp amidst a pandemic. God has used each of their incredible gifts for His work and His glory. Thank you leaders for placing us at the heart of your service, we know how much you love us, and we love you too!

To my beloved YS, thank you for a most memorable Camp 2020!

“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” - 2 Cor 4:18

Esther Cheah with her Five Alive group