Hey Everyone!
For this past month of November I have been living in the beautiful city of Penang Island, Malaysia. It has been such an amazing experience to be here amongst the several different cultures here in Penang. I never expected Malaysia to be such a diverse country. Here in Penang the three major cultures present are the Malay, Chinese, and Indian cultures. It almost feels like you are in a different country depending on which street you are on. With each of these cultures comes different religions as well. The Malay people are typically Muslim, the Chinese are usually Buddhist or Taoist, and the Indians are primarily Hindu. In the 1800’s the British came to Penang and brought Christianity with them to Penang, so there are a few Christians here and there. We have a street right behind where we are currently living that has a Mosque, a Hindu temple, a Taoist temple, an Anglican church, and a Catholic Church all within a half mile distance of each other. I have never experienced such a diverse city.
For ministry this month, my team and I have bounced between several different types of ministry. We have done maintence at a homeless shelter, outreach to homeless men and women on the streets, taught english, and have been a part of a bible study for Bangledesh men who are new believers. These have all pushed us out of our comfort zones in many ways. For me doing outreach has been the most uncomfortable. I get so nervous walking up to someone I have never met and asking them how they are doing and what their name is. I don’t know why I get so nervous, but each time I do it, it becomes a little bit easier. It has been really cool to experince these many different ways of ministering to people.
God has been challenging me with the word speak. Before leaving Thailand and coming to Malaysia, I knew that God wanted me to focus more on creating relationships with the locals and be more outgoing. During the first week of being in Malaysia, my teammate Zach G. prayed asking God if there was a word He wanted to give each of us guys and the Lord answered him. The word Zach felt the Lord was wanting to tell me was speak. Zach didn’t know what it meant, but it was very clear to me what God was saying. God wants me to simply speak. He wants me to reach out to the cashier at the small store next to us and ask how his day has been. He wants me to be intentional with my teammates and ask them how they are doing and what God has been teaching them. He wants me to be the one to step up and pray or share my testimony. He wants me to use the voice He has given me.
If I don’t use the voice that God has given me, then what is the point of having one? One of my squadmates challenged me with this question the other day. I need to use the gifts God has blessed me with to bless others and point them towards the Lord. It has been a struggle for me to get out my comfort zone. There have been many times when I know I should talk to that person, pray during a group prayer, or simply help someone with something, but I chicken out. I am tired of being a slave to fear and bound by its chains. I am tired of worrying about what people think of me or if I will be rejected. It isn’t what God has planned for me and I want to live in His amazing freedom. I love the song “No Longer Slaves” by Bethel Music. If you haven’t listened to it before, I highly recommend. It is about having freedom in Christ and declaring that we are God’s children. Because I am a child of God, I am no longer a slave to fear. I continuosly need to remind myself of this when I face those moments of, will I keep to myself or will I speak?
Anyway, this has been something that God has been teaching me and I wanted to share with you. I also want to ask that you be in prayer for the people of Malaysia, that their hearts would be opened to recieve Christ and the truth of the gospel will stand out amongst all of the other false religions. Please be praying for the Christians who live here in Malaysia that they will be protected from persecution. It is not easy for a citizen of Malaysia to be a Christian. Those who convert are typically ridiculed by their families or cast out. Also pray for a change in the law, that Christians will be able to evangalize about Jesus. Thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers!
CJ Shiner
