It has been one week today since I left Texas to start The World Race.
(take note this was written Wednesday.. due to a spur of the moment thunderstorm it was posted late)
It began with 4 days in Chicago for Launch where we spent time listening to teachings about attitude, preferring one another, ministry, prayer and a little more of what to expect while away. I loved getting to catch up with friends I hadn't seen since training camp and spending time with the squad as a whole since we will all be split up while traveling.
Saturday afternoon we…
-loaded the bus to the airport at 11am
– our flight took off at 3pm and we arrived at 8pm Sunday in Hong Kong where we had a 5 hour layover followed by
-a 4 hour flight to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
-We then boarded a train which took us to the hotel where we would wait for 5 hours before
-loading the bus which took us to Georgetown, Penang, another 4 hours away.
I'm not quite sure how long I was in route but around 7 pm Monday evening we arrived at our housing for the month to meet with Peter our host contact. It was quite a blur but I was overjoyed when I walked into a room with air conditioning and beds. The weather in Malaysia is much like it is Texas, hot and humid! … the rain is a little more unpredictable.
My team and I spent Tuesday exploring Penang and getting our first weeks worth of groceries. A big part of The World Race is learning to live in community.. a trip to the grocery store can quickly reveal different personalities and backgrounds, after an hour and a half we were able to walk away with food for everyone and even stayed under budget. I am excited for our family style spaghetti dinner and easing into the Malaysian food.
-so far Chicken Fried Rice has been my meal of choice when eating out.. i have tried a few things from teammates plates 🙂
This month my team is paired with another team from the squad and there are a few different areas to serve, these being …
a homeless shelter which provides food, laundry service and a place to rest
a coffee shop and a prayer room located across from a university
a local hospital which needs help raising funds and prayer for the sick
and street evangelism
I will not find out until tomorrow in what area I will be working but today all 14 of us went to Kawan (the homeless shelter.)
After a quick introduction and tour we all split off into different areas to serve. I found myself in the kitchen side by side with the sweetest woman and fellow team members cutting vegetables, garlic, peeling pepers and cracking eggs. Once all the prep work was finished I went into the dining area to sit and talk with men from the city. With people from India, China and Indonesia, Penang is a pretty diverse area but many can speak english and if not everyone can understand a smile. I sat and listened to the many stories, looked at pictures of families and churches even listened to some Lady Gaga on one mans phone.. They all just wanted a chance to be heard and a bit of attention. Take time to notice those around you, the ones you just simply over look and remember everyone has a story. To often I get caught up in telling my own to step back and just listen to others.
Tonight we met back at Kawan to join different people in street evangelism. This is the first time for me to participate in such a thing and I must admit I was a bit hesitant to go out into the streets but God will never give you something you can not handle. As we walked down the streets I prayed for God to take away my fears, give me the words to say and to prepare the hearts of those that I would meet. I sat down next to men and started up random conversation which was much easier than I had imagined.. as conversation progressed I was able to learn about their beliefs and ease into how Jesus works in my life, with others I simply just listened and learned about their life.
Today was a lonngg day and I found myself challenged and pushed out of my comfort zone but I believe that is the only way I will grow. I can not do it all on my own, I need to ask God for courage, I need God to remind me to listen and to take away any fears I might have.
I am excited to learn what ministry I will help with for the rest of the month and pray that God will hold me close as I am pushed beyond my boundaries.
