This month is ATL.
(Disclaimer: This blog has nothing to do with Atlanta, Georgia if any of you are wondering)
In the beginning of April, our teams were sent out to “Ask The Lord” where he wants us to go.
Translation: There are no ministry hosts, no scheduled ministries, and no place set up for us to stay. We pray as a team and together we ask God to show us his lead. This could be through visions or dreams, a person he puts on our mind, or simply just going into a town and seeing a way we can love on the people there.
For some of you this already sounds completely ridiculous.
I agree and that’s because it is.
But we strongly believe that the Holy Spirit still speaks and he still leads just like in the Bible. So with that being said we wanted to let God take the lead. I mean he after all knows where we will end up.
For some of you this sounds scary.
I agree and that’s because it is.
It’s scary to trust God to tell us where to go and where to move because what if he doesn’t say anything at all? What about safety? The Lord reminded me of the verse in Joshua 1:9, a verse I spoke about in an earlier blog called “God Broke my Heart.”
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
No matter where we go he is with us, so we are believing that wholeheartedly. I know… it’s crazy to think but just stay with me here, guys.
During debrief, our team had the pleasure of meeting some amazing women at a Starbucks in the city of Kuala Lumpur. Interestingly enough, we had no idea we were going to run into these incredible girls. Literally just ran into the Starbucks one late night before catching a movie (Beauty and the Beast) and asked if they were still opened. Hidayah the store manager was sitting at the table as I ran in. Trying to catch my breath, I asked (more like pleaded ) if I could order a coffee. She smiled and waved her hand to come in and grab something. She also invited me to sit down with her. So I did. Her and I introduced ourselves to each other. My team leader Felicia was with me too. She began speaking to a lovely barista named Wani. Our initial plan was to have a devotional time but those plans immediately changed.
We hit it off with the girls pretty well. Hidayah is one of the most genuine and sincere person I have met. She and I spoke about her job, her fabulous team of baristas, her family, and her dedication to her customers. She is a great manager who loves her team and invests in each one of them. We also met Wani. A vibrant, fearless woman who exudes so much joy and life. She managed to keep us laughing every time!
The ladies of my team and I saw them for about a week and a half just to grab a coffee or a muffin (The Mississippi muffin is delicious by the way).
Over the course of a week we got to know these women, their dreams, their goals, and their faith. We had lunch dates with them and went “out on the town” to get some delicious street food in Kampung Baru one night. They were extremely generous and bought us dinner. They even surprised us with cute espresso mugs with our names on it. We got them to try some of my teammates favorite desert: Oreos and peanut butter. The girls were thrilled!
The day we left to Penang, we came to visit them one last time. Hidayah’s eyes welted up with tears. As the tears fell she smiled at us. “Thank you for being our best friends.” We embraced and told her and the crew we would never forget them.
As we left, I couldn’t help but think “Man, we really touched her.” Then I thought “Man, they really touched us.” Although God led us to Penang, I believe he also led us to meet these women. We just got to know them and love them for who they are. If they are reading this, Hidayah and Wani we want you to know that you both are such a blessing. We are so grateful to have met you. You are in our prayers and we will never forget you both. To the team, you guys are awesome! Continue to shine your light to each person that comes into Starbucks. We hope to meet again in the future.
Seriously the best Starbucks I’ve been to!
We believe that God led us to that particular Starbucks for a reason. We got to meet such awesome people! The truth is, God loves people and he loves relationship. His heart is for us. Our heart is to serve and love other’s the way Jesus did in whatever that looks like …even if that means getting to hang out with some cool baristas!
Please continue to keep us in your prayers as we go to the next country!
Blessings
xoxo
