Happy May from Malaysia!!
I am so excited to be writing my month 10 (yeah, TEN) Big Picture blog! This has been a great month so far and we are slated to do so many cool things our second to last month on the field – read on to find out what they are!
WHO:
This month I’m with team TMI, and we’re working with Elim Gospel church. One of our partners is IpohBUG, which is a sports program. Because we are ministering in a semi-closed country, the BUG changes meaning depending on who we’re talking to. We’re also working at a dementia daycare. So basically, we get to see how God is moving in both the young and old here in Malaysia!
WHAT:
This month we’ve worked with two ends of the age spectrum. Every morning, we join the volunteers at the dementia center, and every evening, we join young athletes at the YMCA.
The dementia center is a really sweet place. It operates not as a home, but as a day-center. The clients come in the morning, spend the day doing activities like singing, games, puzzles, and chats, and then they get picked up after lunch or afternoon activities.
Being at the Y has been a new experience for this *ahem* unique athlete. We play ultimate frisbee and football (soccer), neither of which are sports I’m good at, but both are fun to learn and even more fun to watch! We get to cheer on the teams and encourage them in their lives and their sport of choice when they’re warming up or on the sidelines.
WHEN:
We arrived in Malaysia on April 28th, and will be here until the 25th, when we’ll depart for Indonesia – month 11! We have official ministry Tuesday-Friday and Sunday. The last week here (the 18th-24th) will be spent in the capital partnering with ministries there until Indo!!
WHERE:
Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.
Asia.
Earth.
The Milky Way.
WHY:
The folks at the dementia center are so sweet, and it is a joy to love them and serve them, though they might not remember. But It is also a great opportunity to serve the regular volunteers, who work with these people every day. To be an extra set of hands or ears, to serve alongside them and encourage them in their work is equally fulfilling.
Sports ministry is a really cool opportunity in Malaysia, which is technically a ‘closed’ country. The greatest way to build relationships with youth is through sports, and once we’ve built the relationship, our friends here can share the good news with them more freely. Our organization has led championship teams in soccer and in ultimate frisbee, and have made extraordinary connections with young adults along the way.
Finally, this month, we are seeing so much that life is ministry when ministry is life. Because we cannot openly talk about our faith with just anyone, we have to live it out. Not that this should change anything, but I think for a lot of us it’s showing what life will be like when we transition home, sharing Jesus outright with those we’ve built relationships with and showing Jesus to those who are strangers.
FUN NUGS:
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leading worship and games for our church’s youth group
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eating incredible food (Ipoh is the food capital of Malaysia)!
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celebrating my birthday with the sweet folks at the dementia center and my team
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a weekend away with Dency and Wasu, a sweet and incredibly hospitable couple
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going up to the highlands for a day trip
I hope this gives you a better understanding of what May looks like for me! Thank you always for your support through prayer, and through blog comments and emails. It (literally) means the world to me. 🙂
