We FINALLY made it to Malaysia.
But I’ll tell you about that after I update on the orphanage.
Last month was amazing. Probably one of my favorite months on the race, along with being one of the most exhausting.
As you remember from one of my previous blogs, my team was working to fundraise for the orphanage’s terrible financial situation. And THANK YOU THANK YOU to those of you who helped out!
We raised $3500! (That’s over $100/day that we were there!) This is what your donations provided:
Paying off 2 months of overdue rent
Providing 5 months of rice through the rainy season
An additional girls bathroom
An ice cream party for the kids
A dinner date for Ruthey (the owner) and his wife
Andddd..money in da bank! For Ruthey to buy the kids some toys and support other needs
(For those who were interested in longterm support. We were unable to find an appropriate solution to this in our short time there. We have written a note to future world race teams working there, trusting that God will bring a season of stability to Ruthey and these kids)
Talk about an emotional goodbye! It was REALLY tough to leave our ‘brothas and sistas’ in Cambodia. I pray that they received as much love as I did through our month with them.
I left Cambodia exhausted; drained from all the emotions of the race. But so grateful for a month of serious growth in Love, Leadership, Patience, and Perseverance.
So NOW!…we step into month 6! (where has the time gone??) We arrived to our ministry contact spot this morning at 6am. It took 4 days to travel what we expected to take 1 day. After planes, trains, automobiles, a lot of sitting on the side of the city roads watching bags, random hostels, being stared at (which we are used to by now), and another HUGE culture shock… we made it!
This month we are teaching English in a strictly Islamic state in Northern Malaysia. I don’t know much about anything yet, but I do know we are NOT allowed to pray in public, talk about our faith or worship openly, we have to wear name badges everywhere we go, dress very modestly, there is a morning prayer that blares through the city 5 times each day starting at 6am, and that this ministry is under strong supervision of the government to be sure that the are teaching English ONLY and NOT spreading the Gospel.
Please be praying for me (and my team) for increased strength and endurance as we start to get worn out; and an increased intimacy with our Lord.
So who knows what this month will look like! But I’ve provided a bit of entertainment for you all below… Enjoy!
