B.B. of Friendships

By Corporal Dena Cheah of the 10th Kuala Lumpur Company

Published December 8th, 2014

From the age of five until today, I have always been involved in The Boys' Brigade. I was brought into this loving, Christ-centered family when I decided to join. I believe God has given me an opportunity to learn a lot from this experience - from being an NCO and a friend among my peers. Boys’ Brigade has always been a safe place for me to be myself. 10th KL is my second family, always have and always will be. The bonds I made with other Brigadiers and the sisters I made in the Company are the reason I continue persevering on. They are the reason I put effort into being who I am today. "Friends always show their love. What are relatives for if not to share trouble?" God gave me friends and family that are accountable for my life.

If you ask among youths these days, "Who are your true friends?", many would state many or sometimes very few names of people they meet in school, church and even tuition but if you ask me today, my answer would be very simple. My true friends are the ones I can always look for in times of hardship and trouble. I can share with them, my happiness, problems, curiosity, feelings, anything. They are the ones who stand by me through everything. Who are these people you ask? Well, they are no other than the people I meet every Saturday in Boys' Brigade. The thing is, many people would say "You only see them once a week. What makes them your family, your true friends?" or how can I believe that they are my true friends.

Being able to see someone everyday of the week doesn't make you count as a friend neither does spending every second of our lives together makes us family. You see, I don't have to spend a whole day with the members of the company to consider them friends or family. It is through the mistakes, hardship and troubles we face together during weekly parades, planned activities, outings, or events that makes our bond stronger. Don't get me wrong, we also build stronger bonds through games, band, simple conversations, uniform checks, badge work classes and especially prayer. Without all these, the bonds we have now won't exist. Boys Brigade itself builds friendship and unbreakable bonds not only among members but also among officers and parents of members.

If you ask me if I would like to trade friends for a day, I would say "never in a million years". I wouldn't ask for anything else even for a second. Yes, some friends can get annoying at times but only true friends annoy you in a way that makes you laugh and smile - even when you don't want to. For me, my friends in Boys' Brigade can never be replaced - as much as they can annoy me. I am truly thankful for the people I meet through 10th KL because even though we have different hobbies, interests, talents and others, we have one thing in common. We come to parade every week with a purpose and that is to serve the Lord.