A Trophy for Everyone

A teen’s experience during the Manila congregation’s Year-End Outing 2007

It has been a tough year for all of us. We struggle day by day living by God’s will and endure every testing of our conviction. Every year, it is very comforting to know that our congregation will be having a year-end outing, a time in the year when our brothers and sisters in the faith will spend time together to unwind and to relax as we fellowship with one another.

As the year 2007 came to a close, the Manila congregation chose the Blusyl Resort in Calamba, Laguna. The place was very conducive for fun and excitement. As a teen in the church, I joined the teens and singles activities during the year-end outing. We shared a lot of smiles and laughs, as we played the games prepared for us.

First we had the Line-Up Game. It was played by two groups. Once we were divided up, the facilitator instructed the groups to line-up in order of height, shoe size, or by some other criterion to keep the game fun for all. When the group had lined-up in a particular order, they were then supposed to clap to let the facilitator know that they were done. The first group to clap won that round and got a Spud as a prize. This was a good way to learn something you never would have thought to ask about someone and I was amazed to discover it.
Then, we had the Hula-Hoop Challenge. Each team was given parts of a hula-hoop that they must assemble. Once they had assembled their hula-hoops, the members of each team must line up and hold hands, and the members of the team must pass through the hula-hoop one by one. The objective was for all the members of the team to pass through the hula-hoop without letting go of each other’s hands and without breaking their hula-hoop. Once the hula-hoop is disassembled the team must start again. Of course, the first group to finish wins the round and get their fruit of success, Choco Mucho. It has been a very close competition since all of us gave our best in playing the game.

Next, came Leading the Blind Game. We already played this game during the Feast of Tabernacles 2007 in Baguio, thus some of us had a modest knowledge about it. The facilitator scattered pieces of coloured paper, cut in different shapes. Each team chose one member who they will blindfold. Once each team had one member blindfolded, the facilitator assigned a shape or colour for each team. Now the other team members would guide their “blind” team mate in picking up six pieces of that particular shape and colour assigned to their team. The first team to complete gathering their assigned six pieces wins the game. It was challenging to complete those six pieces because of distractions, like hearing what the other team is saying and you might get the wrong paper. Focus and strength of the senses were needed to win this game and to have Snickers as a proof of triumph.

Finally, we played our last game, as the prizes ran out, Apples to Oranges. There were printed slips of paper that were to be pulled out of a container. Each slip had been labelled differently as follows: before the apple, the apple, after the apple, before the orange, the orange, and after the orange. We, the players, stood in two circles, one circle inside the other circle. The facilitator gave the apple to one person in one circle and the orange to someone in the other circle, and then the music started to play. We are to pass the fruits until the music stops. When the music stops, everyone held their breaths as the facilitator pulled out a slip of paper and read it. If the paper states before the specific fruit, then that person is out. If it’s after the specific fruit, then that person is out. If it just states a fruit then that person is out. So not only do we have to worry about holding the fruit but where it is in the circle. It’s very unpredictable what that slip of paper would state, but one thing was certain, the winner would get Chips Delight as a prize.

Indeed, this was one of those moments that we could truly tell ourselves, “how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity” (Psalm 133:1). We all had fun during those games while the winners unselfishly shared their prizes. The spirit of competition heated up as each team tried to win. But despite that, it is very amusing to note how each one of us smiled even though we did not all win the game. It was then that I realized that no one really lost the game, because everyone won a very special trophy—that is, the trophy of memories that we would surely cherish until the time of the coming of God.

© 2007 United Church of God, AIA - Pilipinas