itz been five years since i was last at paramount canada's wonderland so you can imagine the excitement and anticipation to finally immerse myself in a place full of nostalgic memories. there was a time when i actually got full value for my entrance fee by going on all the so called "thrill rides". i conquered all wonderland had to offer from timberwolf falls, mighty canadian minebuster, skyrider, and even the bat. there wasn’t a ride that scared me back then but itz whole different story now. zooming along at unrelenting speeds high above the ground while doing 360-degree loops, corkscrews and a side-winding helix on scrawny metal beams isn’t my idea of fun anymore. if that isn’t scary enough, you gotta do it all now in reverse or on a decaying wooden track from the dark-ages or free-falling from a 230ft tower or flying face first through a long series of climbs, drops and turns. not to mention there are so many new rides like shockwave, psyclone and sledge hammer. umm...no thanks, i’ll pass and keep my yummy fully loaded funnel cake in my stomach where it belongs.

i’m not sure when things changed so drastically for me but i’m sure getting really sick on the days of thunder simulator ride one year must of contributed to my fear of "thrill rides". i’m not much of a risk taker anymore so sticking with "family rides" is what i set out to do this time around at wonderland. sure enough, things never go exactly the way i plan but sometimes on those rare occasions it actually turns out even better. this experience was definitely one of those times. i found myself having such great fellowship with the lights team. it was great having emily and jeff from the apostles join us in the game of ccsa tag. it was fun running into slingers and dunamis throughout the park. i made two new friends in angela and caleb from other ccsa softball teams who tagged along and by the end, greatly enriched my experience with their friendship. caleb was definitely the man, his backpack was like a grocery store on the go. you could live off the amount of food that was stored away on his back for a week. then there was angela, this seemingly gentle and soft-spoken girl at first, until it came time to coercing me to go on one of those so called "thrill rides". every time i asked her if a ride was scary she would smirk and reply with a resounding no. somehow i didn’t believe her and even after clearly saying "no, i think this ride is too scary, i don’t think i’ll go on this ride", i still found myself inline for the ride. go figure...i guess itz just a girl thing that us guys will never understand the kind of power they wield over us. yes laugh it up girlz!

so, while waiting inline for top gun i got an opportunity to fellowship with angela and caleb. it was great even tho it was just the three of us. most of the time it was me just trying to convince them that this ride was too wild, as the sound of the top gun train with feet dangling zoomed high above us. at a last pitch to persuade me i remember caleb telling me that there is no time like now to overcome your fear and he was right. i’m pretty sure he was just referring to the roller coaster ride but it got my mind thinking about the other fears in my life that keep paralyzing me emotionally and spiritually. it was definitely God at work nudging and reminding me to keep facing those fears and trying to overcome them. i suppose it all worked out in the end, i got to bond with two really great people and got reminded that i have to continue to press on and not let my fears have control over me. as well, top gun got shut down before we got on due to poor weather conditions so i got to keep my shrimp teriyaki lunch special that i shared with angela in my belly. and in the end, i salvaged some manhood by appearing like i had the guts to try top gun. my God is such a great shepherd.


click for pictures

the evening ended with an awesome time of worship with everyone that participated in the mid-season mixer and a personal message by pastor colin mccartney of urban promise. for me, it was more like a personal testimony as he shared his struggle with finding his identity and overcoming almost being paralyzed in a surfing accident. through it all, he really demonstrated how faithful God was to him when you first yield to His Will and allow Him to have control. his question that night was definitely a very poignant one, "who are you following?" are you following the world or are you following the great shepherd of the universe? itz not easy to keep focused on God at a time when we are constantly being bombarded by all forms of media. But how reassuring it is to know that no matter how far we fall from the track, God is quietly waiting for us to return back. so, like the vortex ride that i was on, we may experience sudden drops, twist, turns and bumps along life's highway but if we hang on with all our might and keep praying hard we’ll get through it, just like i did despite screaming and wailing like a little baby. thanx becca for your support on vortex even tho, i'm sure you wanted to bail out with all my girly screaming...lol! finally, the evening was highlighted by the winner of the first ever ccsa mid-season tag match at wonderland with the lights team prevailing over all other teams that participated. team covenant was a very close second while etcbc lumas slid in at third.

i remember when it was announced that the lights team won, i couldn’t help but feel so proud of the team for their accomplishment. and while bob’s feat of single handedly beating out so many other teams in the tag game was amazing, the lights team really demonstrated what team unity is all about and what more can be achieved when you pull together and have a common goal. but then again i wouldn’t expect anything less from this community of believers that make up salt fellowship at rhcbc. i think matt put it best when he said…

"the more i go deeper, the more i am involved among them, the more am i able to be inspired...for the first time in a long while, i feel motivated by their energy, their commitment, their joys and their support for each other...all of these things have served nothing but has given me inspiration, even happiness..."

i can’t help but share the same sentiment as he does because there truly is something special about this community of believers that i have been so blessed with and truly thankful for. i am certain that there will be many more experiences to come.

lastly i just wanted to say, i survived white water canyon with just a drop on my white pants while everyone else got soaked...lol! you know who you are...muwahahahahaha! it took almost 30 balls but I won that madagascar penguin for becca...yeah! no trip to wonderland is complete unless you try the funnel cake and don’t forget to take a ride with sponge bob at the spongebob squarepants 3D motion simulator movie ride...thanx angela for the heads up on the freaky flying ball and crushing me into the corner at the spinning tea cup ride...lol!, it was a great day!

the night was a great time of fellowship, food, bonding and board games. thanx jan for opening your house and to alex for slaving over the bbq for us all. it was definitely better then staring at the tv screen and watching will smith in hitch create opportunities for men to catch their fish. although i’m sure some of us secretly took notes...you know who u are...lol! if there are two things i learnt that night, it is:

the first is, just cause syd has an innocent, kind and gentle demeanor, he can be ruthless in board games so don’t let syd play monopoly. he was at a disadvantage by going last and yet still manage to acquire the majority of the property then build houses/hotels and own more than half of the board. it was all over for me when i landed on his boardwalk with a hotel in which i had to pay him over 2000 in rent...ouch! good game syd!

the second is, just cause she is sweet and super adorable doesn’t mean she can’t play the game of risk. just when you think becca is done for, she makes a major comeback with lucky dice roles and some sort of unexplainable aura about her. she conquered with an iron first plowing over her adversaries with little resistance and chanting "i will rule the world" followed by her evil laugh that resonated throughout the room. in the end, it all came down to the final battle in australia (isn’t it always about australia in risk...lol!) with syd having only one solider left against the entire army of becca. syd definitely put up a good fight but there was nothing that would derail becca tonight. like i’ve said so many times, itz just a girl thing and the power they have over us mortal men. good game becca!

definitely looking forward to the next games night and more fellowship with the lights team.

nitty, jan & bi having a little to much to drink of their concocted punch


itz chow time for the lights team


matt, jalen, jay and steve enjoying their food while looking cool!


joyce and syd all smily as always


alex doing a little dance while bbq, supposedly it makes the food taste better


jacquline holding up the extreme jenga game, you know itz illegal to do that rite!


risk after 10 mins of play, daniel & jan(blue), will(silver) & becca & louis(green)


risk after 1 hour of play, jacquline(red) & syd & merv(yellow)


risk after 2 hours of play, matt & jay(black), syd & merv(yellow) & becca(green)


jan and syd going head to head


risk after 4 hours of play, then there were two: becca(green) vs. syd(yellow)


itz commander becca signaling her famous "i will take over the world" move


becca assembling her massive army


risk after 5 hours of play, itz becca(rest of the world) vs. syd(one solider)


jan showing us what not to do during a game of risk...eww!!!