It’s hard to believe, we just finished our first month which we spent in Gua Musang, Malaysia which is in the state of Kalanta, and is a very conservative Muslim state. Because of this, Christians are not allowed to “actively proselytize to the Muslim community.”
Our time in Malaysia was wonderful! I loved getting to know the students that we had classes with at KJ Generation Resources, and the contacts that we were able to work with; Kumar and Josephine along with their children, Kenrick, Judith, and Joash.
Kumar and Josephine were called to Gua Musang a few years ago from Penang, Malaysia where Kumar had been an associate pastor in the church he had worked in for over 13 years. When he told his church that he felt God calling him to Gua Musang he was told that the church wouldn’t support him, and that he was crazy for wanting to go to this mostly Muslim area.
Our ministry involved homeschooling Kumar’s children along with one other five year old boy named Azamat, in the morning and afternoons. Then in the evenings we would start teaching English classes for students of all ages.I have to say that my favorite group to work with was the adult class that came in on Tuesday nights. There were only about five adults enrolled. Although the group changed a little each week, Mr. Wong and Mrs. Wong were there consistently.
Every week Mr. Wong would walk in the door, sit down, and I would ask him how he was doing, and every week he would respond in broken english “Very good, thank you!” with a smile on his face. Conversation beyond that was somewhat difficult, but he never seemed to mind my attempts to try and communicate with him even though he didn’t understand and couldn’t answer many of my questions.
As the first class went on I had each of the students take turns reading our worksheets, and when we got to Mr. Wong he responded “I don’t write.” After talking about the differences between reading and writing, I encourage him to try. As he struggled to pronounce each word, he gradually began to gain confidence. By the end of the three weeks that I was able to work with the adults, I felt a strong connection with Mr. Wong.
At the end of the last class, Mr. and Mrs. Wong asked me if they could have a photo with me and told me they wanted me to come back. I wasn’t able to directly share about Jesus with him, but I pray that God would lead him to take the time to explore Christianity for himself.It is hard leaving the relationships that I have built in just these few weeks in Malaysia. Even though we were not able to directly share the Gospel, it is encouraging to know that God is still at work in the lives of those I got to know, like Mr. Wong, as well as through KJ Generation and future world racers.
“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” ~ Psalm 23:6
