Month 2 is over, and I’m in Thailand.
What?!
Malaysia, in all of its confusing and beautiful diversity, is already a memory. We were told upon arrival that the best thing about this country is the FOOD. I don’t know the names of most of what we ate, but I will definitely remember the famous White Coffee.
And even more strongly, I will remember them:
Joshua is a bright, blazing flame in a dark place. We first met him at an afternoon youth group meeting at one of the Chinese churches. He greeted us with enthusiasm and got even more excited when we told him about the World Race. He LOVES Jesus, and lives out his faith so boldly. He is passionate about loving his community and his school, which we got to visit about a week later. He and his friends are part of a movement here called Recess Revolution. He leads this small group in worship, prayer, and teaching while their classmates play basketball or just sit around. Yeah… during recess. Joshua is only 17.
William Chang is a giver. We met him briefly when we went to a soccer practice for his sports ministry called IpohBUG. The next day, we expected a long, boring meeting with him to discuss the service we would lead that Sunday. William picked us up in the same sort of gray 10-passenger Nissan Vanette that every local church seems to own, and we went to Ilem Gospel Hall. He walked us through the building for about 10 minutes, then smiled, “Ok, that’s enough. Shall we go have a drink?”
We piled back into the van and William took us, not just out for coffee, but to the original, very first white coffee cafe. We talked for over an hour about his church, Malaysian politics, the language and religious tensions, everything. When he discovered that we had Mondays off, he immediately asked if he could take us on an adventure. Because of William’s generosity and hospitality, our team got to see 2 of the most famous things in the area: the limestone caves of Gua Tempurung, and the sprawling tea plantations in Cameron Highland. In short, he made our month.
And of course, in the clips below, the people you have already been told about.
Just as I prayed and hoped for, this part of the world, in my mind, now has a face.
-Katie
