Kingdom of God Cultural Practice Camp Bermuda Cruise

/ Meet God on KRC Cruises /

Photo courtesy/Mike Kao

▲Bermuda seems mysterious but very friendly. It has no aggressive vendors and no smoky traffic.

Sometimes, a photo not only triggers a series of memories, but also evokes a yearning for "poetry and distance" deep in the heart... Looking at the lovely faces of young and old in the photo, my mind once again returns to the mysterious Bermuda that makes time pause...

▲After waiting for a year, we are finally going to board the ship. The author (left) takes a photo with two teachers from the "Poetry and Painting Workshop", Li Wenping (middle) and Zhou Lanhui (right).

KRC's maiden voyage to mysterious Bermuda

The "Kingdom of God" co-workers have been carefully preparing for the Bermuda cruise trip for nearly a year, and finally it took place on May 22 this year. This trip was aboard the Norwegian Cruise Line's (NCL) "Breakaway" which departed from New York Harbor. The cruise ship is characterized by its "free style". The forty-four members of the cultural practice camp come from all over the world, with ages ranging from 18 months to 78 years old. The furthest away are two families from Taiwan, including Li Yingfang, a full-time co-worker of Kingdom of God in Taiwan, and his family of three, as well as a sister from mainland China, and several people who came all the way from California to attend Kingdom of God for the first time. "New friends in the activity. In addition to the new faces, more than a dozen old Godland alumni reunited on the deck of the cruise ship after a long separation and embraced each other warmly. This is KRC’s first voyage in seventeen years since its establishment. Everyone is excitedly looking forward to what is about to happen every moment.

Why choose the rumored and mysterious Bermuda? KRC founder Gao Lili said that the round-trip voyage from New York to Bermuda takes about four full days on a cruise ship, which is enough time for classes. On land, there are two and a half consecutive days for students to travel in depth at fixed points.

Perhaps because they have heard too many legends about the mysterious disappearance of planes and ships, when most people hear the "Bermuda Triangle", the first question that pops up is probably "Is it safe to sail?" The fact that there are so many accidents is not surprising as it is one of the most heavily trafficked areas in the world.

The island of Bermuda is located on the east coast of the United States in the North Atlantic Ocean, about 600 nautical miles due east of North Carolina. The triangular area formed by the British Bermuda Islands, the U.S. Puerto Rico and the southern tip of Florida, U.S.A., covers an area of approximately 450,000 square miles and is the so-called "Bermuda Triangle".

▲Looking at the cute faces of young and old in the photo, my mind once again returns to the mysterious Bermuda that makes time pause...

Bermuda has a population of about 68,000 people, 70% of whom are black people from Africa and 30% of whom are white people from Britain. It has a subtropical climate with an average annual temperature of about 75 degrees Fahrenheit. In addition to the beautiful sea views, white roofs and colorful stone houses, the island also has a special scenery, which is that white men wear formal suits or shirts on their upper bodies, brightly colored shorts on their lower bodies, and a pair of knee-length pants. Black stockings are full of British gentleman style.

Teacher Li Li said that she took a taxi on the island and was lucky enough to meet an enthusiastic and knowledgeable local who acted as a "driver and tour guide." The driver told her that the first person to discover Bermuda was not Columbus or the British, but a Spanish adventurer in 1503. Bermuda is named after the first person to come here: Juan Bermuda. The British came here to colonize in 1609. In 2009, Queen Elizabeth of England came here specially to commemorate the 400th anniversary of colonization.

Then, Teacher Li Li relayed a short historical story from the taxi driver about the relationship between Jamestown, Virginia, and Bermuda, an early American colony. No wonder Bermuda has such close ties with the United States.

▲Bermuda, here I come! —After landing on Bermuda, many members of the camp took photos with the costumed "pirates" in front of the cruise ship. (Photo provided/Wu Xinhui)

Meet God in every aspect of life

The theme of this cruise is "Meeting God at Every Level of Life." As usual, the morning spiritual practice at each camp was led by Teacher Li Li. The prelude to welcoming each day also begins with worship. "We are praising the Lord together again, we are in one accord again, good things are about to be accomplished, good things have been revealed, we are praising the Lord together again..." Familiar hymns filled the hearts of the students. Gather together to worship God together.

The six-day morning spiritual practice led by Teacher Li Li on the cruise ship was the most unforgettable KRC camp I have attended in the past 12 consecutive years. I deeply feel that every word comes from Teacher Li Li’s heart, and every sentence comes from her sincere call. I discovered that Teacher Li Li is already a master of telling stories, especially inspiring life stories.

▲KRC founder Teacher Gao Lili leads the morning spiritual practice every morning.

She talked about a conversation she had alone with her grandmother when she was sixteen, which became the most beneficial advice in her life; the story of the sincere friendship between the famous Christian writer Bob Goff and his friend Ramey; the touching true story of Peng Keli, the Dutch Christian author of "The Chamber of Secrets" ; An article in an earlier issue of KRC magazine, changing the life story of Chinese young man Arthur; the story of Joseph and the story of David in the Bible... No matter in ancient times or today, in the East or the West, Teacher Li Li always We can use those life stories that have been changed by God to inspire us and challenge us to meet God and love God even more at every turning point in our lives.

"From when you got up in the morning to now, what are you grateful for?" What Teacher Li Li challenges us is always the freshest grace. The students raised their hands to share. Some were grateful for a good night's sleep, some were grateful for having a bed to sleep in, some were grateful for seeing the sunrise on the sea as soon as they opened their eyes, and some were grateful for their first early morning jog on a cruise ship...

"The Bible does not talk about success, only about bearing fruit." Teacher Li Li used Chapter 15 of the Gospel of John in the Bible, the Vine and the Branches, as the theme of the series of spiritual exercises. "The culture of heaven is different from the culture of earth. Culture that is not in line with God's will will be pruned and removed." "In addition to loving God with all our heart, mind, strength, and all our strength, we must also use our eyes, hearts, ears, and what God has given us. Only by experiencing God and loving God with the whole person can we bear fruit.”

▲Every morning starts with worship to welcome a new day.

Poetic and Picturesque Workshop

A new course was launched at this camp, combining teacher Li Wenping's "poetry" and teacher Zhou Lanhui's "painting" to form a unique "Poetry and Painting Workshop".

We are no strangers to the painter Zhou Lanhui. She has been teaching art camps at KRC camps since 2005, and her whole body is full of artistic atmosphere. One of her famous sayings is "As long as you can hold chopsticks, you can draw!" Because of her words, she encouraged many people to pick up the paintbrush of childhood.

While listening to Teacher Lanhui explain the works of the masters, we let us paint by ourselves. Pink crayon combined with black ink, the reflection of the autumn light, the stained glass of the church, the self-portrait, Joseph's colorful clothes... each of the paintings was surprisingly produced in this way.

Teacher Li Wenping from Northern California is talented and can edit and write. She graduated from the Philosophy Department of Beijing Normal University. She once worked as a Chinese radio program director and anchor. Now she uses the gift of writing to participate in the ministry of many Christian organizations. She is also a website designer/manager. She is also the current executive editor of this magazine.

"Life is not a dry existence. To discover the poetry in your heart and live out the poetry of life is to live out the splendor God has destined for us." "Poetry is the condensation of culture and the freeze-frame of artistic conception. Poetry heals people and allows them to reconnect. Chic, smile again, and feel warm again." Teacher Wen Ping reminded us that writing poetry can express deeper feelings in the heart, and good poetry can arouse greater resonance among the masses. Condensed poems can enhance the artistic conception of life.

▲For the first time, this camp combines teacher Li Wenping’s “poetry” and teacher Zhou Lanhui’s “painting” to form a unique “Poetry and Painting Workshop”.

"You look at me sometimes, and sometimes you look at the clouds. I feel that when you look at me, I am far away, and when you look at the clouds, you are very close." Gu Cheng's new poem, "Far and Near." Ai Qing, a pioneer of new Chinese poetry, wrote "Dayanhe—My Nanny," Fu Tianlin's "Dream Talk," and Yu Xiuhua, a dark horse in new poetry in recent years... Teacher Wen Ping explained various types of new poems to us, unknowingly awakening the poetic spirit deep in each student's heart.

Teacher Wenping’s two new poetry classes included two homework questions. The first assignment, "Wearing a piece of home clothing for the soul," had an informal theme. We saw students looking for inspiration in every corner of the cruise ship and writing verses in limericks. The second assignment is "Let the soul wear elegant clothes" and the theme is "Gathering together". Several people who have never written poetry have their pretty good debuts here.

Teacher Wenping emphasized that the skill of writing poetry is secondary, and intention and sincerity are the most important. Good poetry often has the same ideological quality as philosophy. She also said that whether you write poetry or not, the loss is not that big, but if you can't understand poetry and live out poetry in life, it will be a big loss. However, writing poetry can help us discover poetry and live out poetry.

"Life is not just about the present, but also about poetry and distance." This widely circulated saying also became the subject of our chat on the cruise ship.

For me, coming to the cruise ship this time is not just for "poetry and distance"?

▲Four loving couples took a group photo with teachers Guo Yuanping and Liu Yongling (middle) on the cruise ship.

Love and Cherish Couples Camp

Another trump card of the Kingdom of God Cultural Practice Camp is the "Love Couple Camp" hosted by Mr. Guo Yuanping and Mr. Liu Yongling. The author has participated in two couples camps led by Teacher Guo and Teacher Liu and benefited a lot from them, especially "conflict resolution", "couple communication" and "intimacy", which are the three most important topics in managing a couple's relationship.

The biggest feature of the classes taught by Teacher Guo and Teacher Liu is that they do not use profound words or theories, but use simple and easy-to-understand examples and personal demonstrations by the two teachers.

"Husbands and wives hug for twenty seconds each time, and they will be happy and worry-free every day." Why does it take twenty seconds for couples to hug each other? Teacher Guo, who studied chemistry, said that a quick hug can easily become a mere formality. Only a deliberate and sincere hug can convey profound emotions.

"Date once a month to be more sincere." Teacher Liu emphasized that dating alone can enhance the intimacy of the relationship between husband and wife. Especially after having children, it is easy to lead a child-centered life and develop a child-centered life. Deliberately dating once a month will definitely be a plus for marital satisfaction.

As a reporter accompanying this cruise, I visited the classroom of the couples camp to observe. The romantic Italian restaurant was the venue for the class, and a total of four couples participated. On the first day of class, as I expected, during the "ice-breaking phase", most of the wives spoke more enthusiastically, and the gentlemen mostly "cooperated" with their wives.

This cruise couple’s camp faced three major challenges. First, there were two couples with small children. The couple attended classes and took care of the children at the same time, which made them easily distracted (although childcare was provided on the cruise ship, the children were too young, so they stayed at the camp). parents). Secondly, some people get seasick on the cruise ship, and some people fly from Taiwan and are still jet lag, which is a big test on their physical strength. Third, the time is tight, with only six hours of class.

Despite the difficulties, Mr. Guo and Mr. Liu, who have rich teaching experience, still teach with all their strength. During dinner time, five couples sat at the same table and exchanged feelings.

"Every couples camp has experienced God's wonderful guidance, and this time is no exception!" Teacher Guo, who prays devoutly every day and works relying on the Holy Spirit, said that the biggest key to the success of a couples camp lies in whether the couple can truly open their hearts. Door, be honest with each other. To make a grown man cry from the bottom of his heart, it is definitely not possible to rely on what people say. It must be the work of the Holy Spirit to touch people's hearts and change lives.

The day before the cruise ended, Sister Wu Xinhui, the organizer of the cruise, specially decorated a small warm auditorium. The gentlemen who had not said a word on the first day were actually smiling and shedding sincere tears during the vows on the last day. , we want to be a couple that is in line with God’s will for the rest of our lives. All our members also became witnesses to the four couples’ renewed commitment to the covenant.

▲The party on the last day of the cruise was full of joy and laughter.

Wisdom Bible Financial Seminar

God’s grace filled our activities during the day, and in the evening, through Professor Wen Yingqian’s lecture on biblical finance, we received biblical and heavenly inspiration in the seemingly “earthly” field of finance. Professor Wen used his usual humor and fun to explain complex financial issues to everyone in a principled way around two topics.

The first topic is "The Way for Couples to Consciously Focus on Finance and Marriage". Professor Wen pointed out that more than half of the reasons why people divorce are caused by money problems. He took us to review God's beautiful design for marriage, talked about the relationship between money and marriage, the three major risks of financial management for couples, and the differences and conflicts in financial management. Finally, he gave practical and feasible suggestions to help couples make financial plans and run a beautiful business together. marriage.

The second topic is "The road from smart financial management to financial freedom", which points out the truth inspired by the Bible: all money belongs to God, and we are just stewards; to be a good steward in line with God's will, the required qualities are loyalty and kindness. , knowledgeable and planned. Professor Wen pointed out that this financial stewardship principle can also be applied to financial management practices, proposed several steps to achieve financial freedom, and gave some reference resources.

thank God! Such interesting and practical financial guidance is both educational and entertaining. I really enjoy it!

▲Professor Wen Yingqian explained the principles of financial management clearly while talking and laughing.

Encountering God in poetry

Trinity Cathedral in Hamilton, the capital of Bermuda, the rustic town of St. George on the east coast of Bermuda, and the "Unfinished Church" on St. George's Hill ), the Chrystal Cave, which is only one inch long in a century, and the most famous pink sand beach at Horseshoe Beach... There is no doubt that Bermuda will be a part of our memory. legend.

Buses No. 7 and 11 that took us across Bermuda, the round-trip ferries, and the friendly taxi drivers who also served as tour guides. Thank you for taking us closer to the coast and allowing us to regain our forgotten calmness. In front of the sea, we seem so small, just like in front of God, we want to get closer, but we still have a sense of awe.

During the seven days on the cruise, I enjoyed all kinds of delicious food. For me, dessert after a big meal can give my taste buds the highest sense of satisfaction. The sharing on the last afternoon of the cruise was like a delicious "dessert" that left people unforgettable.

▲The "Unfinished Church" on the hills of Bermuda Island.

Teacher Wen Ping asked each student who wrote poetry to present their results as the final sharing of the camp. We have specially selected some of the new poems for you to enjoy together (please see "Collection of Treasures" in the right column).

The ocean actually flows in our blood, so when we come in front of it, we actually return to ourselves—the bigger and more vast selves.

The “distant place” does not necessarily have to go to Bermuda. The “distant place” is actually all around us. "Staying still" is because in life we have forgotten the poetry and the potential God has given us.

I hope that everyone can reunite with themselves in poetry, and that everyone can meet God at every corner of their lives!