Finding Strength in Faith: My Journey to the Kingdomcity KL Conference 2026 (Part I)

13th September 2025 (Saturday)	May was sitting beside me inside Halls 1 & 2 of the Setia City Convention Centre (SCCC), together with thousands of people worshipping God and encountering His presence. May had been with me for the past three days. She and her son, John, picked me up from my apartment at Jelutong, Penang Island, on Thursday at 9:30 a.m. and drove straight to KL for the Kingdomcity Conference 2025, where the very first session began at 1:00 p.m. John picked us up after the third session ended past 9:00 p.m. We dropped John off at their apartment before heading to the Courtyard Hotel, where we stayed for two nights—thanks to May’s client, who sponsored our stay. It was the final session of the conference, scheduled to end at 1:00 p.m., and I was set to travel back to Penang at 3:00 p.m. with a group from Kingdomcity Penang on a chartered bus. May mentioned that she had already registered for the Kingdomcity Conference 2026 and encouraged me to register as well. She expressed her happiness and willingness to stay with me and be my helper again for the next conference. I registered by 11:59 p.m. on 14th September 2025 at the Special Conference fee of RM80.00. The fee would increase to the super early bird rate of RM120.00 starting 15th September. I felt deeply relieved and thankful to be registered for our annual conference, knowing I had a helper and roommate lined up a full year in advance.
1st May 2026 (Friday)	Kingdomcity Penang held our Northern Family Camp at our hub on Level 1 of the Red Rock Hotel, starting with a Hollywood Theme Dinner on Thursday, 30th April, at 6:00 p.m. and running until 12:00 noon on 2nd May. I booked a room at the Red Rock Hotel and was delighted when May accepted my invitation to stay with me for the two nights despite her heavy workload. During our conversation, she brought up the upcoming conference, mentioning that she hadn't booked our accommodation yet but would do so soon.
31st July 2026 (Friday)	I sent May a WhatsApp message asking if she had booked our accommodation for the conference, which was scheduled on the second week of September. I also asked if I could travel to KL and back with her. She replied that she would get back to me over the weekend because she was busy with work. However, I didn't receive any further update. I stayed relaxed, thinking she was simply caught up with work and had forgotten to reply. After all, there was still a month and a half to go. Soon, I forgot about it too, immersed in my own work responsibilities and caring for my mum.
18th August 2026 (Tuesday)	I sent May another WhatsApp message letting her know that I had reserved a seat on the bus chartered by Kingdomcity Penang to travel directly between Penang and SCCC. My message went unanswered.
26th August 2026 (Wednesday)	After work, I took a Grab to church for our Global Prayer Night starting at 7:30 p.m. It was also the first day of our 10-day prayer and fasting leading up to the KL Conference 2026 (scheduled on 10th–12th September). I bought a chocolate Quick Bites cream roll and a can of Milo from the convenience store on the ground floor of the Red Rock Hotel before going up to the first floor where our church is located. While having a light dinner in the church pantry, Philo, who was eating a simple meal, asked about my plans for the conference. She reminded me it was just two weeks away and advised me to call May directly instead of relying on text messages to confirm our accommodation.
27th August 2026 (Thursday)	I sent May a friendly greeting on WhatsApp, hoping to hear from her. A couple of hours later, she replied that she had been extremely tied up with work over the past few months and promised to give me an update by the end of the week.
30th August 2026 (Sunday)	I took a Grab to church around 2:00 p.m. Along with my regular lunch bag, I brought a backpack containing a jacket, a Greenhouse t-shirt, long pants, and my travel toiletry kit. I planned to stay at church for the entire 24-hour prayer challenge, which was set to begin at 7:00 p.m., right after the 5:00 p.m. service. When the 3:00 p.m. Mandarin service ended, I went down to the convenience store to buy two Quick Bites cream rolls and two cans of Milo—one set for dinner and the other for breakfast the next day. While waiting in the room for the prayer challenge to start, I checked my phone and saw a new message from May. Hearing that she wouldn't be attending the conference was heartbreaking. Disappointment washed over me and unpleasant thoughts began filling my mind. I worried I won't be able to join the 500+ people from Kingdomcity Penang heading to KL. I hated the thought of missing my one annual trip out of Penang Island—my chance to take a break from home and the daily strain of managing my mum's dementia and her persistent fears. Part of me felt like rebelling by skipping church for the next week or two just to hide my disappointment and avoid hearing everyone else’s excitement. I quickly caught myself. No, I will not act childishly. I loved my church family and didn't want to miss Sunday services. I began trying to figure out how to find an assistant cum roommate on such short notice so I could still go. I tried to stay calm and focused on prayer, determined to stick to my plan of spending the next 24 hours at church. I hoped my body would hold up through the overnight prayer, especially since I was on my period and maintaining a simple fast of two light meals a day. I was relieved that it arrived on time so I wouldn’t have to deal with it during Conference week, when using unfamiliar bathroom facilities would be much harder. Still, when it started on Saturday morning, I wondered why it couldn't have waited until right after the 10-day fast, or at least until after this 24-hour prayer challenge. Fortunately, the flow had slowed down by the time the prayer challenge began. I still held on to the hope that a miracle might happen.
31st August 2026 (Monday)	I stayed in the prayer room until 3:00 a.m., although I fell asleep a few times. On the night of the 30th, I took only one of my two anti-depression medications, skipping the one that usually makes me drowsy so I could stay awake for prayer. (I never skip my medication unless it's for something like this or an urgent work deadline.) Later, I went to the Family Worship Auditorium to sleep on the carpeted floor. Before sleeping, I typed out a message and sent it to two or three Kingdomcity WhatsApp groups, explaining that my assistant was unable to attend and asking if anyone had a spare bed and was willing to assist me. I woke up around 6:00 a.m. and lay there for a while before returning to the prayer room, sitting through the 5:00 to 7:00 a.m. session. Afterward, I asked Philo, who was also staying at church for the full 24 hours, to accompany me to the female washroom to freshen up and change. Around noon, I took another hour or two of rest in the auditorium before returning to the prayer room until the event concluded at 7:00 p.m. By the end of the day, I still hadn't received any responses to my message.

To be continued tomorrow October 5th (Monday) at 8.00a.m.