So I wrote this to my church earlier this month, and since my computer has been getting fixed, I havn't had time to blog at all, so this will have to suffice until my next blog. Heres an update I wrote to my church on April 1st about the going-on's of Malaysia!
"Greetings from Georgetown, in Penang, Malaysia!
It's so great to be back in civilization! This month I'm staying in a beautiful tourist/ backpackers town that's riddled with public sculptures/art, parks, easy metro systems, malls, tourist vendors, restaurants, french-colonial architecture, bistros and people! I'm staying on an Island called Penang that is incredibly lush with huge trees that are all lit-up at night.
It was really weird being here at first. You know being somewhere that people actually drive vehicles in an orderly fashion; there's street lights, stop signs and cross walks… better yet, people obey them! And I was overwhelmed when I went to the grocery store and was able to find things like Goldfish crackers, cheese, ice cream, pop corn, and even frozen chicken breast ground beef and misc. spices that I've been without for so many months! I was absolutely flabbergasted when I stepped foot into a 8 story mall, complete with cinemas, food courts, department stores, and clothing stores that where so 'beautiful'. I found myself just starting… i must have looked like a lunatic.
Accommodations: This month we're staying at a YWAM community house. It's got about 10 bedrooms and a community kitchen/living area. We've been cooking all our own food and enjoying our A/C. This is the first time on the race that I've felt somewhat normal, or like someone from back home. We have internet readily available to us, hot showers, and we've totally taken advantage of the kitchen. Katie, a fellow racer on my team and I cook often. We've made Mexican, Italian, Thai, Chinese and Indian. We've spoiled ourselves with brownies, choc chip cookies, Cajun prawn linguine, Omelets, and delicious food. We've been coming under budget with our $4 per day food allowances too, because everything here is able to be bargained for! 🙂
For ministry, we've been working at a local hospital, fundraising for heart surgery patients that can't afford their medical bills. We sell stuffed animal-piggy banks and sing worship songs on guitar in the hallways. It was one of the most impressionable moments on this race for me, when an Islamic person dressed in traditional garb, a Hindu, a Muslim, and a Catholic all came up and put a donation in the jar. It was so moving how people from all races (it's an international city) were all willing to lend a hand, and work together to help children receive surgeries… better yet, as they were emptying their wallets, i was singing songs with words like "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain" and "Holy Holy is the Lord God all mighty" along with "In my life, be lifted high". Even if they could't understand the language, i know the spirit was present as our team lead worship in the halls of that hospital.
All together, after 4 days, we raised about $ 1,300 USD!!!
This coming week we'll be working with a drop in centre called "Kawan". Here the homeless people in the surrounding communities can receive a meal, shower and a place to sleep securely with no threat of someone stealing their belongings or telling them to 'get-lost'.
God's working in mighty ways in this country, and it's so exciting to be apart of the revival in Malaysia!"
