It was a free Tuesday morning. We didn’t have English class until the afternoon, so a few of us decided to go on an “open eyes, open heart” walk. I wrote another blog that was sharing some of the challenges we have been experiencing this month, but I decided not to post it (yet). We had been struggling with feeling a bit purposeless here, and we were really looking for some genuine connection with people in the community. We had been praying, “God, we are hoping for the opportunity to connect with even one person today.”
We decided we would walk through “old town”, an older section of town that has a variety of shops and a few different locally owned restaurants. Just as we started walking, we climbed a flight of stairs that led us to the street we planned to walk down. In the stairway there was a middle aged man sitting on the stairs. This man looked like he was from India, with dark hair, dark skin, probably about 50 years old. Malaysia has a high population of Indian and Chinese people. We were preparing to smile, say hi, and continue on with our walk. God had a different plan.
Through a heavy accent, this man asked us if we knew the history of Kuala Lipis. We looked at each other, smiled, and then we said something along the lines of, “No, but please fill us in.” We found out that his name is Kumaren. Kumaren is a talker. He shared some info about history of the town. He filled us in on the historical palace that is about a mile down road. He commented on the color of our eyes. He told Amy and I that we looked like sisters. (Which is funny, because we are usually told Rachel and I look alike). He told Rachel that she looked tough even though she was smiling the whole time. He asked us why we don’t have boyfriends or husbands. He told us about his family in Kuantan, and how he is in Kuala Lipis so he can study. You could see the hurt in his eyes as he talked about his family. He said that he can’t work because of his hurt leg. He was wearing long pants, but we could see that it had been badly broken in the past.
Even though our conversation had been going on for a few minutes, I was still struggling with discomfort. Part of me wanted to check out and keep going with our walk so I could meet “that person” we had prayed about. I was uncomfortable because I couldn’t understand half the things he was saying through his accent. I was uncomfortable because the conversation was a little unpredictable. I didn’t have control over where it was going. I was a little uncomfortable because I thought he might be drunk. Amy is a good person for me to be going on these walks with, because she is genuinely trusting of people she encounters, and I often struggle with trusting that their intentions are good.
I sensed a gentle nudge, “Stay engaged. This conversation is important. Keep pressing in.”
Right about the time my flight response was kicking into gear, something cool happened. Kumaren hesitantly brought up the topic of faith. He did it in an indirect way by asking us if we had been to the church down the road. The church he was talking about was actually the Methodist church we have been connected to this month, so we were able to truthfully reply, “Yep, we’ve been there.”
Kumaren is searching for Truth, and that searching prompted him to ask us all sorts of questions. One he found out that we were Christians, he asked us if we were Catholic or Methodist. (The only two types of churches there are in Kuala Lipis). He asked us why there are so many types of Christianity. He asked us how Christianity differs from Hinduism. He told us that he is a Hindu, and for him to change from Hinduism to Christianity is unacceptable. He shared with some sadness in his voice how his son converted to Islam when he married a Muslim woman. The amazing part is that Kumaren shared all of these questions and information with us without any nudging on our part. Every time he asked us a complicated question, we did our best to give a simple, truthful response. None of us felt qualified to answer those questions in detail, and all three of us knew that those questions was not what this conversation was really about.
I was in awe that God arranged for us to have this conversation with him. I could tangibly see that he already knows the Truth, and he’s simply in a phase of counting up the cost, and making that decision for himself. He’s so close to choosing the abundant life that Christ offers, and I fully believe that he will be brought into the Kingdom of God in a matter of time.
Kumaren asked a lot of complicated questions, but we were given the opportunity to bring it back to simplicity. We didn’t go into deep theology, but we were about to share the gospel with him. We shared that Jesus says He is the way, the Truth, & the Life. We shared that through genuine faith in Him all our sins are forgiven.
Kumaren was not ready to make Jesus the Lord of his life in that particular moment, but he welcomed us to pray over him when we asked permission. We prayed a prayer of healing for the pain in his leg. We boldly prayed for the Holy Spirit to touch him and that he would come to know the one true God. We thanked God for the opportunity to meet with Kumaren, and we thanked God for his faithfulness in pursuing him. We spoke words of love, healing, and acceptance over our new friend. We invited him to the next church service, and he said he would like to come.
Before we launched into the nations, AIM gave us a valuable piece of advice, “lean into discomfort”. They’ve done this World Race thing long enough to know that things of eternal value don’t often happen in our comfort zone. I can do nothing in my own strength, but through the Holy Spirit working through me, people can encounter the Father’s love. The question I’m constantly asking myself, “When I interact with others, are they experiencing His heart for their life?”
