In sitting with the Lord this morning I started thinking about where to begin, knowing I needed to blog about my time in Malaysia, Thailand, AND Cambodia, and overwhelmed was just the start of the emotions. (Hate it when I procrastinate!) I’m overwhelmed just thinking about our time in Asia, all that He has done in my heart here, all that He has done in these countries, and all that I’ve seen happening amongst His people. How can I possibly fully explain to people where I’m at? How can I convey all that I’ve seen and experienced? It’s hard for me to accept that no one will ever truly understand or know exactly what this race has been like… the ins and outs of every single day, the high points and the low points, the fun moments and the awkward ones, the ones that make sense and the ones that don’t… but the LoRd. He is the constant, the one getting me through, the one who understands and knows it all.
As I sit here nearing the end of month 10 in Cambodia, thinking back on Malaysia brings back a lot of sweet memories. It felt like the middle ground between Indonesia, one of the poorest and most difficult countries on our route, and Singapore, one of the most developed places and bittersweet times on the race so far reconnecting with people from back home and having Josh leave. I had zero idea of what to expect of Malaysia and as a team, we didn’t have any personal connections, any knowledge of the history, or even any comments or tips from prior travelers to base our expectations on. We went in blind, and the LoRd came through in every way.
It’s impossible to think back now and go back to the time when I was in fear of Asia, its people, its cultures, etc. The enemy did everything in his power to scare me, and it worked for a while, but Malaysia was the place where fortunately, those walls came crashing down. I’ll never forget the first night in Penang after a long bit of travel we were hungry and street food was all that we could find. We passed noodle stand after noodle stand, skeptical just a bit of what they had to offer and more of how/where the food was being made, but I got a big plate of noodles and sat down ready. to. eat. Using chopsticks I got a big ole bite of some of the most delicious noodles I’d ever tasted and I heard the LoRd say, “You’re welcome” as I closed my eyes, thankful, and savoring every bit. I love it when He uses a bit of sassy humor:) I had been scared for so long of Asia, and from that moment on, He has been showing more and more of Himself to me here.
I was overwhelmed by Malaysia and everything it had to offer. After that first night of noodles, we found out that Penang is actually known for some of the best street food in the world! We actually were in town for their annual food festival. They did not disappoint. As I walked the streets of Penang, I fell in love with the feel of it. Around every corner, there was a mural or some kind of art depicting all different aspects of culture and history. The diversity was incredible. It was hard to tell who was actually Malay and who came from all the surrounding nations. In front of every doorstep, there was burning incense, confetti, plates of food, and sometimes money, all being offered up and given for the ancestors. There were Buddhist temples next to Muslim mosques and we were briefed about the fact that the Malay government didn’t care what religion you were, but once you declared belief in Islam, you could not go back. It was a bit tricky to navigate and it would take a lifetime or two to scratch the surface in understanding the way of life there, but it was all so unexplainably mysterious and beautiful.
I was overwhelmed by His goodness and faithfulness in provision – again. There have been plenty of times on the race where we have shown up in a new city or country with nowhere planned to stay that night; Penang was one of those times. We stayed at a hostel that was out of budget for our Sabbath, but we knew that night we needed to be somewhere cheaper which was proving difficult with the festival going on. We connected with Ed, a long-term YWAMer from the Netherlands (Youth With A Mission – based out of Colorado), and he graciously took our team of five in that very same day. We found their base and were welcomed with open arms by their team and an incredible team of South Africans who were on a similar journey. Not only did he take us in and brief us on the culture and people of Malaysia, but he offered up 3-4 ministry opportunities we could get plugged in with immediately! The LoRd. He is so overwhelmingly good:)
I was also overwhelmed by His heart and His people. We were able to connect and teach at a school with refugee children, go out and talk to women being trafficked, help clean up and complete small tasks at the church, volunteer sorting clothes in their consignment shop, and work with their homeless ministry serving meals and doing worship together on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. While walking to the store one day, I met Din. Din was a man from Thailand who was having trouble with his papers in Malaysia and was sleeping on the streets until he could get it all figured out. What a pleasure it was to go back and visit him often and tell him about the love of Jesus:) I think back on that time and remember being in awe of how the Lord was changing my heart for the homeless, but now I see how the whole time through he was changing my heart for Asia as a whole. It was all overwhelming in the best possible way. Our time in Malaysia went all too quickly, and we were off to Thailand.
