Bugs in the Food…

       “Guys there’s bugs in the cheese”.  The comment comes across the room as my team sits eating chicken “cheese” wrap sandwiches we had just made.  What response might you expect?  With only a slight pause in the bit to think about the possibility, the response ignorantly echoes from person to person “Not mine!” Ignorance truly is bliss.  Don’t worry everyone was just fine.  Just goes to show a few bugs won’t kill you. 
       So you might think after a story like that that things have been rough here in Malaysia but it’s been quite the opposite.  Coming from Cambodia where it couldn’t have been much more basic (no AC, bugs bugs bugs, squtty potty and bucket baths) to Malaysia has been another dose of luxury.  We have been staying in George Town, which is a small island off of the mainland in Northwestern Malaysia.  Our ministry has been much different than any other time on the race.  We are serving a local Christian Hospital to help raise funds for needy families and children to have surgeries they would not be able to otherwise afford.  10 days…$15,000 ringit (about $5,000 USD)…Praise God.  While this has not been my favorite type of ministry I am learning to enjoy whatever the task God places before me to do.  During our off time we had opportunities to do street ministry and some other ministries that where offered through our YWAM (Youth With A Mission) contact.  They were amazing to us and treated us so well.
       So what has God been teaching me this month?  It’s been a hard, but good, month. Fear has a way of always wanting to creep into our lives…fear of…failure, the future, the “what if’s”, and…and…and.  The list goes on and on.  It’s so easy for fear to slip into our lives and start controlling our lives.  So often I never even realized that fear was infiltrating every part of my mind, thoughts, and thus actions.  But the beautiful thing about this month is that I am seeing more and more evidence that I don’t function that way anymore.  A paradigm shift has occurred in my life and I am learning to refuse to walk in fear any longer.  That my God is, and will be, greater than any problem I can, and will, face.  He has become my source of strength and my reason not to fear.  He is my strength, my stronghold, my strong tower.  These have become more than words to me.  I am learning that I don’t fear because He is God and is greater than my mistakes and failures.  Falling is part of the journey but I am learning to embrace the challenge, look fear in the eyes, and attack it because He is my great God. 
       Thanks for following me on this missionary journey as I travel the world looking to be His hands and feet.  I thank you for placing me on the field, as without you I could not be doing this work.  It’s an honor…I pray and strive to represent you well.  I leave in 12 hours for China so you may not hear any updates from me till we get to the Ukraine (around the 22^nd of March).  Until then…love ya…keep the faith…strive for unity….love God….love others.
 
Serving Him

Billy