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

11th September 2026 (Friday)	After I bathed, Elizabeth woke up and prepared breakfast for me. She heated up the leftover lasagna and dim sum, cutting half the lasagna into pieces for me and saving the rest for herself. She arranged the lasagna pieces and dim sum with chili sauce on a plate and made me a warm cup of Milo. I ate my breakfast while she showered. Although the dim sum was quite hard—packed dense with meat—I finished every bite. She ate her breakfast after getting ready. Elizabeth suggested visiting the nearby mall before heading to the conference. We left around 10:30 a.m., and I mentioned that I wanted to reach the venue early by 12:00 noon when doors opened so we could secure good seats. The organizers were holding ministry time and opening the altar for anyone needing prayer. After taking the lift down to the carpark, we used the connecting walkway between the apartment complex and the mall. At the carpark walkway, I stopped and converted my rollator into a transit chair by flipping its narrow backrest over. I sat down and asked Elizabeth to push me. I wanted to avoid walking long distances and straining my legs; I needed to conserve my strength so I could stand and dance during worship for the remaining three sessions on Friday and the final session on Saturday. My heart's desire was to stand alongside everyone else for as long as possible, so I only sat on the chair when absolutely necessary. Elizabeth found it much easier to push me directly, as it saved me from overexerting myself. We bought two 1.5L bottles of mineral water and a few buns before heading back through the carpark. I bought four buns in total—two for dinner and two for breakfast the next morning (though I ended up eating a third bun for supper that night!). I reached the conference hall a few minutes after 12:00 noon. After placing my backpack on my seat and taking a brief rest, I walked straight to the front where the open altar ministry was taking place. I navigated my rollator through the crowd of people sitting, standing, chatting, and walking, collapsing the frame whenever the pathway became too narrow. People graciously made way for me. I joined the line waiting for prayer. Many pastors were giving their time to listen attentively and stand in the gap for people's needs. After waiting a while, I flipped my rollator seat around to sit and wait patiently for my turn. I initially regretted not typing out my prayer request in advance on my phone, but the pastor seemed to understand me perfectly as I spoke slowly and clearly. In hindsight, typing it out wouldn't have captured everything anyway, as key prayer points came to my mind right while standing there. Now, I have a clear picture of what I am truly believing and praying for. Previously, I couldn't articulate my needs specifically because so many areas of my life felt overwhelmed. Many of the simple things I wish for are things most people possess and take for granted. After receiving prayer, I returned to my seat to rest before the 1:00 p.m. service began. A woman sitting in front of me—who was caring for her elderly mother in a wheelchair—turned around to tell me how inspired she was by my independence and passion for the Lord. Her daughter was also there helping care for her grandmother. I was touched when she asked for permission to pray over me as well. A brother sitting a couple of seats to my right kindly offered to refill my water bottle whenever he went to refill his own. Throughout the day, I saw our Penang church members walking past my section, and we warmly greeted one another. During one of the sessions, several Penang members sat together right in the row behind me, which brought me so much joy. During the short break between the day's early sessions, I noticed several missed calls from my mother. I called her back, but it was difficult to converse as the next service was starting. She was still at my house because my brother hadn't picked her up yet. I tried ordering food delivery for her—even though she insisted she was fine—but my mobile data was extremely slow inside the hall. After two or three failed attempts, I slipped my phone back into my backpack, stood up, and rejoined the congregation in worship. I didn't check my phone again until I stepped out of the accessible restroom after the session ended. There were over ten missed calls from my mother. I felt a sudden surge of shock and frustration that she kept calling repeatedly while I was trying to focus on spending dedicated time with God. When I called her back, she sounded disoriented and anxious about what to pack for her stay at my brother's house. I messaged my brother to clarify when he would pick her up. Since he was only coming at 7:00 p.m. after work (an hour and a half later), I ordered food for my mother immediately so she wouldn't stay hungry. I hoped she had at least eaten some biscuits, oats, or instant noodles from our pantry. I realized I should have clarified with my brother when he texted on Thursday morning saying he would pick her up on "Friday for lunch"—I should have asked whether he was taking leave or if he meant dinner, so I could have arranged lunch for her earlier, just as I had done the day before. I ate an early dinner before re-entering the main hall. I was able to enter right when doors opened at 6:00 p.m., as the venue team permitted participants with mobility impairments and their assistants to enter first. Countless people had been queuing outside long before each session, rushing in as soon as doors opened to secure seats, even though services were still half an hour away. After the 6th session concluded, the entire Penang team gathered at the lobby near the Lost and Found counter for group photos and videos with our state and national flags. Groups from other regions and countries were doing the same. I wasn't sure if everyone from our delegate list made it, as parents had to trek to the opposite building to pick up their children from the Kids Conference, and several members were volunteering there as well. Once photos were done, we headed back.
12th September 2026 (Saturday)	We woke up early to pack, eat breakfast, and check out. The final conference session—the only one scheduled for the last day—was set for 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., allowing participants to travel home immediately after lunch. Checking out required extra coordination: we needed to place the house key and access card back inside the lockbox, lock the owner's mailbox, take confirmation photos, and send them to the host as proof. Lift traffic was heavy with residents and conference attendees. Every time we entered the lift, we met fellow Kingdomcity members. To get to Level 4 carpark, we had to board lifts going up first, because descending lifts were completely packed by the time they reached our floor—a real challenge given our luggage and my rollator! When the lift reached Level 4, we missed our window to exit, so we had to ride it all the way down to the ground floor and back up again. When Elizabeth stepped out at Level 4, an impulsive thought struck me: instead of following her to the car, I decided to take the lift back down to the ground floor and wait for her there. Elizabeth was surprised by my sudden plan, but I rode the lift down, letting it transport other passengers along the way. While waiting on the ground floor, I browsed the convenience store for lunch options. Once again, I bought two Quick Bites Cream Rolls (which I ended up eating on the bus before our 3:00 p.m. departure). Sadly, because of my lingering cough, I couldn't treat myself to junk food or cold drinks. I sat in the waiting area near the mailboxes, and Elizabeth met me a few minutes later. Together, we safely deposited the key and access card and headed to the convention centre. At the venue, we asked a RELA officer for permission to park close to the hall. He kindly moved the traffic barriers so we could pull into an open space right near the building. Elizabeth helped load my luggage onto our designated Penang charter bus, which had arrived early at 10:00 a.m. for luggage storage. She then returned to her car, and we entered the main hall together through an accessible side entrance. My seat was located right near that side exit. I thanked Elizabeth deeply for everything over the past three days. Saying goodbye felt bittersweet—she even asked if I could stay one more day to attend the Sunday service in KL before returning to Penang. I apologized that I couldn't, as much as I would have loved to, since my bus transport was already fixed. She came to find me one last time after the service ended, accompanied me to the accessible restroom, and handed me over safely to Auntie Gullie, who walked with me to the bus. All seven sessions of the conference were deeply empowering. The pastors and leaders delivered powerful, awakening messages. I had initially worried I wouldn't fully grasp the native English-speaking preachers—especially when point delivery was mixed with fast-paced humor, given that my English listening and speaking skills are my weaker language areas compared to reading and writing. I had brought earphones as a backup to listen to the Bahasa Indonesia live translation stream, but to my delight, I understood every sermon clearly without help! My English comprehension had clearly improved. I was sad that I had briefly fallen asleep during the 6th session sermon the previous night. The preacher and message were incredible, but physical exhaustion had caught up with me. Thankfully, that same pastor preached again during the final Saturday session! The presence of God was so tangible and intense during that final service that I couldn't stop praying in tongues. I found myself speaking boldly in the Spirit like never before. Every year at the conference, Kingdomcity launches its upcoming Greenhouse courses and announces the location for the following year's gathering. Before arriving this year, I had privately told myself that this would be my last time attending—that the physical hassle and logistics for myself and those helping me were simply too great. But being there changed everything. My heart immediately looked forward to the next gathering, and I registered for the 2027 Kingdomcity Conference that very Sunday at the special conference rate. I no fear long travel days on our church-booked buses because our community is so supportive. Having traveled extensively during my university days at USM and my early career years, I am accustomed to long journeys, and I thank God for giving me physical bladder control during hours of road travel. I am so grateful to everyone on our Penang bus, especially those who offered physical assistance along the way. Special thanks go to Vanessa, who sat beside me during both legs of the journey. She even accompanied me in a Grab ride all the way to my doorstep before heading to her own house. When I posted in our bus WhatsApp group on Friday evening asking if anyone wanted to share a Grab from e-Gate on our return, she immediately agreed. I had been worried about arriving late at night and causing my mother distress over me taking a Grab alone with heavy luggage in the dark.
13th September 2026 (Sunday)	The conference was transformative, and we all returned home carrying a fresh spiritual fire. The very next day, I attended both the 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. services at our Penang campus. Both services were preached by a visiting pastor who had traveled straight from the KL conference to Penang before flying back to his home country. I didn't want to miss a single opportunity to hear the Word while the fire was burning brightly within me. During his sermon, I was deeply moved and re-convicted of my calling to keep writing and sharing my life stories. He reminded us that our testimonies are powerful when we share our scars rather than trying to hide them—because our scars demonstrate the healing power and grace of God.