A sharing on our attendance by Mdm Foo Pei Gee and Mdm Shellen Ng
Another blessed and successful TRAC Methodist Women (MW) conference and it was conducted in the Novotel Hotel, Taiping Perak between October 13 and 15, 2023 being the 48th TRAC MW Session. Our theme for this year’s Conference is ‘One Heart, One Purpose’. The program started from Friday evening on the day of arrival on October 13th and ended on Sunday afternoon.
The message shared by our special invited guest, Dr. Joanna Pae from Korea was very informative and profound as it affirmed us the great insight towards God’s plan. It has reminded us that no matter how sinful we are, Jesus’ coming for once redeemed us from our sins. We are very blessed with her message. It would have been nice if she were able to share more messages in addition to the two that she shared during the plenary sessions. This could be also due to time constraints. We look forward to receiving her presentation materials soon.
As for the logistics and preparation, the organiser for this year’s conference has done a great job. The program started promptly and efficiently according to the scheduled timeline. There is no issue in registration process and most of us were able to check into our room without any delay. We loved our door gift as it is very practical. Considering not all the participants are tech savvy, we recommend that a printout feedback form to be completed by everyone and the questions should be more focused and precise, eg How do you find Dr. Joanna Pae’s presentation? (pick 1, 2, 3, 4 and 4 being the best), How would you want to see change in next year Conference etc.
Being a new hotel and strategically located near the famous lake and park, Novotel has much to offer. However, the meeting room was too small for our big crowd and therefore there were some compromises in term of space and seating arrangement. We also encountered hiccups and problems with their sound system. The lift was not able to take our group timely and there is no easy accessible emergency stairways. It is never easy to find an ideal hotel out of Klang Valley to suit a meeting of more than 100 participants. Overall, it was very well planned and executed – a great meeting!
A Visit to Taiping/Kuala Sepetang (Port Weld) on 14th October 2023) by Mdm May Leong and Mdm Wong Hua Swee
In conjunction with the TRAC Methodist Women (MW) 48th Session held from 13th October – 15th October 2023 in Taiping, a half day tour was organised by the Local Planning Committee on Saturday, 14th October 2023 from 1.00 pm till 8.00 pm for all participants.
Taiping is a beautiful historical town and we were glad that we have signed up for the half day tour and excited to have a break after one and a half day of meetings and plenary sessions. Some members joining the trip may already be familiar with Taiping, but going on a trip with other MW members is a great opportunity to mingle and get to know one another.
We visited the famous tourist places like the Taiping Lake Garden, Antong Coffee Factory, Eng Huat Biscuit Factory, Charcoal Factory and took the river boat cruise.
Many of us enjoyed the scenery, taking pictures and shopping. We also enjoyed the delicious coffee ice cream at Antong. It has real coffee taste and not just the coffee flavoring that you get at other places.
The boat ride, feeding eagles and watching the fireflies were also great experiences. The outing ended with a sumptuous seafood dinner by the river.
Overall, the tour was nicely planned with plenty of time at each location to take pictures and do some shopping. When it started to rain in the afternoon our tour guide provided us with raincoats.
Our thanks and commendation to the Local Planning Committee for organizing an enjoyable and memorable outing. It was not just a day to sight-see, eat and shop but most importantly it was a great opportunity for all of us to get to know one another. We laughed a lot together and made great connections and hopefully, lasting friendships.