So I know it has been a while and I apologize. It has been difficult for me to find the motivation to write, let alone write on something I was truly feeling, and honestly I will probably avoid the not so joyful or exciting realities. I am not going to write about these certain issues, not because I don’t believe they may not be beneficial for others to hear when indeed to believe they may be very beneficial, but because of the uncertainty of my feelings on the topics due to the frustration they bring up in me.
Where am I at you may ask. Well we left Chiang Mai, Thailand 3 days ago and currently I am at a hotel called Green Park Village in Siem Reap, Cambodia during our transition of months. This month will be our “Manistry” month which means all the guys of the squad, a whole whopping 7 of 38 will be together for the month. I am so incredibly excited about it, as we have essentially been swimming in pools of estrogen for the previous 9 months. So it will be quite refreshing to be solely among men with the purposes of deep conversation involving honesty and the ability to relate with one another, serious spiritual growth, pushing each other in responsibility, maturity, and most importantly truth. Obviously there will be a considerable amount of adventure but I will leave it at that.
Quickly let me recap my months in Malaysia and Thailand for I think I failed to blog during those months.
In Gua Musang, Malaysia which is essentially in the middle of the jungle of Malaysia in the Kelanton District. The Kelanton District is an area which is mostly under Islamic Sharia rule and therefore experiences strict rules under an intolerant and oppressive government. Many of the laws that are enforced have severe repercussions on Malaysians Civil Rights. For example, a law that is being ruled on to be enforced is called “Hudud Law.” Essentially the law calls for the removal of the arm of any thief that is caught, whether male or female. In a near primitive fashion, Sharia Law promotes the further establishment of totalitarian, fear based leadership.
That to say, there is a huge disconnect between the diverse population of Malaysia. So while I did not have much encounter with the Malay, or Islamic based Malaysian people, I did have much interaction with the Tamil, or Indian people of Malaysia who were more Hindu or Buddhist. Our team taught English and tutored our hosts children most of the month, with small building projects for Tom and I included periodically. While this was a great opportunity to help encourage and support our host contact missionaries during a time of recovery from injury and transition, where our ministry focused was at a little restaurant nearby where we lived. The restaurants workers were mostly male and around 20-25 or so years old. They were from Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, and possibly even a few more nearby countries. Long story short, a majority of our ministry that we undertook on our own was to dedicate to eating atleast 1 if not 2 meals a day at the restaurant and building relationships with the guys. It was extremely successful and encouraging month in the relationships that were formed. Specifically there was one individual, who for his protection I will not name, who was from a berth strictly controlled area of Pakistan under Islamic Sharia rule and cultural Islam. He had a heart of gold and was so sincere in his communication, questions, and desire to spend time with Tom and I. While I have had young men around my age I have built relationships with over the race, the relationship, in terms of a spiritually encouraging and loving relationship, is compared to none. It was truly encouraging and special.
Thailand, we were involved with an organization called the Haven Foundation, which deals with homes for orphaned children, is essentially coupled with a Church, a school, as well as international support teams all with base camp located together in Chiang Mai. Our ministry was straightforward, with a few events here and there, but generally it was a month of construction and painting. Others in my team taught at a school or helped with administerial duties. Other teams in my squad were involved with ministering and building relationships with women and men in the Red Light Districts. I did a considerable amount of traveling by motorbike all around Chiang Mai, covering over 1000 Km with my good friend Francis. It was a good month, I have no regrets about it.
So yeah, the race is winding down. Month 10 is beginning. I’m ready to dive deeper, but at the same time still struggling with keeping myself present and keeping the future back home I so desire, in the back of my mind and trusting my God to be my Jehovah Jireh.
I know this blog was devoid of any personal growth. I desire to write and express some of this, but struggle to do so. I promise I will write another blog, which I will post hopefully within a few hours, concerning this growth and the work the Lord is doing to shape me, along with some snippets of information of this world we live in.
