The 2017 East Asia ICCFS for me was a BLAST!
I signed up for 6 events, 3 of which were impromptu. I was extremely nervous as 4 out of 6 events were new to me, and this was the first time I was participating in these events. The first event was Round Table, and it was surprisingly fun, and rather relaxed. It felt really nice to work as a team and not debate against each other. I liked how the day rolled.
This was the first time I was not aware of the entire tournament schedule. I didn’t know what lunch would be, who I would get my lunch from, what I was supposed to present for the showcase etc. (I ended up sort-of skipping lunch as I had only 15 minutes to eat)
Even though I was up on my feet the entire day, running from one speech event to another (in heels), then evaluating and practicing my part of the showcase, I liked the adrenaline rush. In fact, my mind was blank the entire time. I only remembered my script when I stepped into the room (I just jumped right into the speech and the words started rolling out of my mouth. I was initially quite worried as the night before, when I practiced my speeches, I forgot half of them…haha) It was really tiring, bringing my laptop around for my CAP (Computer Assisted Presentation), my presentation board for Informative and some stools for the Original Adaptation.
When it was time for the showcase, everyone had butterflies in their stomachs. Some of us had parts to say, some of us had speeches to share, but all of us were waiting to congratulate those who would get invitations. By God’s grace, I managed to get 3 +(1 roll-down) invitations to the International Tournament in the US. I felt satisfied that I had done my best and I went through each speech event smoothly. (I almost got a sore throat by the end of the day as I had to sing in 2 events- in a high pitch, and I had to do a squeaky mouse voice in another. Thank God my voice didn’t crack and I made it through both rounds.)
I competed with my brother for this award. Sibling rivalry at its finest.
However, that night when we were at home, I realised that my backpack was missing. Everybody had been very tired after the whole tournament that nobody had noticed it was missing. Word was quickly passed around in the group chat, to see if anyone had accidentally brought my bag home. I started feeling anxious as my laptop was inside there. This was when I knew I should pray and trust God. Going to sleep that night was not easy at all (I was feeling super anxious, and my dad was really mad). The next morning was the Student Leader Meetup and team bonding activities, so there were some games. The games and lunch (and chatting with friends) took my mind off the situation a bit. When lunch came, one of the aunties had brought my bag with her. I was so relieved! She had picked up my bag from an auditorium that someone had locked up. That meant that my bag was safe in God’s hands the entire time!
After this incident, my faith in God has been strengthened and I know and believe that prayer is important. Now that I have finished all three levels of the Young Speakers Guild (My public speaking curriculum) I am going to continue developing my speaking and leadership skills. I have realised that whenever I need help, I can always call on God 🙂
“God is able to accomplish, provide, help, save, keep, subdue… He is able to do what you can’t. He already has a plan. God’s not bewildered. Go to Him.” -Max Lucado
By Rebecca Teoh
I Can Do It! 