I. AM. HOME.
I’ve been back in the States for a little over two and a half weeks now and it’s honestly been so surreal! I can’t believe I’m actually writing my LAST BLOG. I want to end my series of blogs with a recap of my last two months and a small update on home life.
Malaysia
Our second to last month of the Race was spent in Penang, an island state located on the northwest coast of Malaysia. Our team of five girls shared a room in the home of a former World Racer who now lives in Penang. We worked alongside PenHOP (Penang House of Prayer) and it was made clear from the get go by our ministry hosts that during our time at PenHOP they wanted us to receive, rest, and learn. They had a prayer and worship space that was opened up three days a week to the public. During those days, we spent hours in the prayer room where we were encouraged to worship, journal, pray, or just sit and soak it in. We spent a large amount of our time in prayer focused on the Muslim community in Penang and the local churches scattering the area. With the encouragement of my friend Emma, her and I had the opportunity to sing during one of the prayer sessions. It was a super freeing moment for me to worship and sing from a stage again; something I hadn’t done in a long time.
When we weren’t engaged with the prayer room we had teachings and bible studies set aside specifically for our team. This opened up a great space for inward reflection and gaining wisdom from the leaders of PenHOP. We also partnered up with House of Hope, a donation house and food distributer for the local Chinese community. They often served meals to the elderly and those in need of some financial or tangible aid. We did some prayer walks around the apartment complexes as well as some “put your elbow into it” cleaning for some of the residents. I learned so much about what a life of prayer is supposed to look like during my time here. It was encouraging in the final months to be brought into a ministry where they so eagerly wanted to pour into us during our time there.
Indonesia
The last month of my trip is probably the hardest to put into words, only because it was so unique and scattered. With that being said, the ministry was very relational and rewarding. We teamed up with a facility in Bandung that encouraged relationships through teaching English. Our coed team of eight stayed in a bed and breakfast across from our ministry site and we lived about a five minute walk away from a mall. It was weird to be so close to a mall, yet also know that 15 minutes in the opposite direction people were living in severe poverty.
Our ministry wasn’t as structured in this last month mainly due to Ramadhan. Ramadhan is the ninth month of the Muslim year, during which strict fasting is observed from sunrise to sunset. Because of this, a lot of businesses were closed and many people left during the holiday to visit family. This meant that we got to put more focus towards whatever ministry peaked our interest. For example, jail ministry was appealing to some, while sports ministry was more appealing to others. I spent time doing children’s ministry, working with a free after school program called the SMART House that taught English, safety procedures, and social skills to local children in a community further out of town. As far as transport goes, getting to this specific ministry was my favorite. I had to take a “moto” (basically just a street bike) and ride up this HUGE, almost seemingly vertical, hill and the view was incredible! Bikes could go many places cars weren’t able to. I always looked forward to days when I got to see the kiddos at the SMART House and take in the beautiful view of Bandung on the back of a moto. I also met some great friends here! Some I met through mutual friends and others were just people from the area that I got to know throughout the month. Those relationships were amazingly rewarding.
It was a great transition month. There was optional ministry, but our hosts were good about allowing us time for ourselves to mentally prepare for our jump back to America. Overall, it was a great last month. Similar to the ten months prior, it seemed to go by way too fast.
Home
I eventually made it back from Asia to the States in one piece. Our squad landed in San Francisco on the 22nd of June and if the days weren’t flying by before, they sure did after that point. Our squad mates all went their separate ways and headed home. I stayed a night in San Francisco, got to have dinner with some familiar faces, and then headed out the next day for Chicago. I spent a few days around that area getting to see some close friends before I finally found my way back to good ‘ole Missouri. This last month has been a bit hectic, but also incredibly wholesome. My family and friends have all been loving, generous, and understanding. God’s shown up and has provided for me above and beyond in every area and something tells me He doesn’t plan on stopping. As for future plans…I don’t know yet. And I’m content with that answer for now. There’s a lot of newness in this season in ways I didn’t expect and I’m praying and talking with my family about future steps. Plans and ideas have been talked about and mulled over, but until things are set in stone I’m going to keep praying and see what happens. 🙂
Thank you to all of you who have taken the time to keep up with me and invest in this season of my life. It’s been uplifting to receive your encouragement and support during this time and I don’t know that I could ever truly express my gratitude. It’s been an amazing year and I feel so blessed to have had this opportunity. I’m confident in His provision and His timing and I’m expectant to see what this next season brings.
Thank you again.
All my love,
Alyx
