Hello everyone!! This post is dual purpose.
1) To show you my Philippines summary video. Enjoy the show.
2) To update you on Malaysia.
We’ve been in Penang for two weeks now….and I love it here! The food is outstanding (forgetting the 2 days of intense stomach sickness from either too much spice or food poisoning). But really, one of the things Penang is renowned for is the street food. Amazing! We are staying in Georgetown which was recently named a Unesco World Heritage site. Google some pics. Pretty much everything you will see on the postcards is situated within walking distance of the budget motel we’ve been staying at. Last, but not least, the people are are richly diverse. There’s so much culture here and depending on which street you’re standing on it can change drastically. What an experience!
Regarding ministry, we’ve been partnering with groups that work with homeless/street folks, prostitution, and the past two days we’ve spent playing with mentally and physically handicapped youth at a local facility. It’s been challenging physically and mentally for me to work with these kids. Every one of them is different in their needs and abilities. We have had a lot of fun, but have also struggled to make a difference there. I guess our presence is the biggest thing we can bring along with love and smiles. It seems like it’s not enough. One thing I have definitely learned from this trip is you can make a difference in your own neighborhood just by showing up and having conversations with people, because you already know their language and know their culture. It’s just a matter of getting moving. We move a lot here, but I wonder sometimes how effective we are, and often just hope I’m not doing any cultural damage along the way!
My encouragement to you and hope that I will do more often when I get home is to seek out those people who just need a friendly visitor- at a children’s home, old folks home, where ever. Seeing these kids smile makes my day. It’s better than any comforts of home.
I’m sitting at an internet cafe without my camera, my laptop, or any pictures on my flash drive. So, after you watch the video, all there is to do is read and for that I apologize! Thank you very much for reading my blogs, for supporting me on this journey. I appreciate it very much, and I pray for each of you a renewed joy today that comes only from the Lord.
Phil 4:4-8
