My Journey to Sergeantship and Knowing God in BB

By Sergeant Jack Lim Kuan Wei of 12th Kuala Lumpur Company

Time has definitely flown and I am now a Sergeant of the 12^th Kuala Lumpur Company. Although I am now no longer in Wesley Methodist School Kuala Lumpur, the memories and moments were definitely still vivid in my mind. It was the first year that the 12^th Kuala Lumpur Company became based in Wesley Methodist School Kuala Lumpur. Being a total stranger to Boys’ Brigade then, I still felt the sense of enthusiasm of trying something new. I used to be a Scout member back in my primary school days but I never really liked it. With my parents’ encouragement, I went ahead and joined 12^th KL’s first Parade.

Throughout the entire year, it was uneventful indeed. I could remember the most memorable moments were the one during our first Boot Camp. It was barely a few months for us in Boys’ Brigade and yet we were put through a strenuous boot camp. It was filled with punishments, scolding and fire drills. All of us were so relieved when the camp ended. Soon after that, the strength of the company fell drastically as most of the Boys had dreaded the Boot Camp greatly. However, I persisted and stayed on along with a few of my other fellow Recruits. Now, as I look back, I really wonder why I made that decision then.  

Soon after the Company was taken over by our current Captain, Mr. Nicholas Yeap, things started changing for the better. More and more events were planned for the Boys and much more attention was given for our development in the Brigade and badges and awards that we could work towards to. I am very proud that our company had the highest percentage ratio for members participation (32 Boys out of 35 attended) in the 2012 Pesta in Johor Bahru. It was through Pesta that we finally got a taste on how big the Boys’ Brigade world is and this had sparked the interest for many of us to stay on and to really build up our interest in Boys’ Brigade.

To be frank, I have definitely worked very hard and help out wherever I could in my Company. And I am glad that my efforts were not in vain! At the end of 2012, I was given a golden opportunity to advance my leadership skills to the next level. Being the first batch of the Form 2s at that time to get promoted to Lance Corporal, I felt the sense of responsibility and felt the calling of God in my life to serve the Boys’ Brigade. I was born and raised in a Buddhist oriented family. My dad is a Buddhist and my mom is a Catholic. However she does not practice any catholic rituals and does not go to church. My parents have not taught me much about religion and I have lived with not much spiritual guidance all these while. They do bring me along for certain Buddhist festivals but I still don’t not know much about Buddhism.

Through Boys’ Brigade and all the bible teachings by Mr. Mark back in Form 1, I finally got to know our mighty Creator, our Saviour Jesus Christ. Though I did not act upon it much at that time, I felt a deeper sense that I belonged to Christianity more than any other religions. Throughout the years, I got to know more and more about God through the school as well as Boys’ Brigade. I have also started to read the Bible and prayed to Him. In the many camps that I have been to, such as Pesta and Concordia, I have always stood up and raised my hand whenever the Pastor asked who is willing to accept Christ. Those times I did not truly understood what it meant significantly.

I moved through the ranks and file and was promoted to Corporal in 2013. In fact, I was one of the only two Corporals in the company working under our two Sergeants. It was also this year that the school made it compulsory for all the Form 1s to join Boys’ Brigade. Before I got promoted in the middle of the year though, there were only 5 NCOs running the company; two Corporals and three Lance Corporals. All of us had to run the entire company with over 100 Members. It was no easy task but we made it through by God’s grace! Our jobs and tasks were made much easier with the promotion of the new NCOs in the middle of the year and 2013 was a really successful year for 12^th Kuala Lumpur.

My personal breakthrough came this year when I have finally accepted Christ truly on the 30^th of January under the teachings of my Lieutenant, Mr. Andrew Tan, who is also my teacher. He has definitely brought me closer to God and through his constant bible study sessions, I got to know Jesus more than ever before. It was also in 2014 that I got promoted to Sergeant. It was really a life-long dream for me as I always had fantasies of wearing that red sash when I was still a Recruit. With me now bearing the responsibility of the entire company on my shoulders, I am determined to work harder, smarter and to move the company forward to another level.

Before I end my sharing, I would like to encourage all Boys’ Brigade Members; Recruits, Privates or NCOs, to never give up in your fight to success. As long as you put your heart and mind to it, anything is possible with the hand of God behind us. As from the slogan of the 2014 Pesta held in Kampar recently, “Dream High” and believe that you can achieve all of your hopes and dreams. With courage, determination and hard work, the sky is the limit. I would also take this chance to encourage those reading that are still not in Boys’ Brigade. Don’t miss out this opportunity to be part of a large community as a teenager. You learn many values and experiences that you would never be able to get elsewhere. Boys’ Brigade has definitely changed my life for the better in many ways, and I’m sure it would be for many others too.