The world is a confusing place filled with so many differences. There are different cultural norms and standards of life everywhere you go. In Thailand I experienced a completely different world than the one I’m used to at home in America. The roads were crowded with street vendors at every corner and people would try to sell us stuff or give us a weird look as we passed by. It almost seemed like no one really wanted to get to know the strange new Americans. I think what I’ll miss the most about Thailand—other then the Pad Se Ew—are the children at the Orphanage. The kids were somehow able to rejoice despite their unfortunate circumstances. Most of them have the life threatening disease of HIV/AIDS and they were the happiest and most loving kids I have ever known. Thailand will now have a place in my heart forever because it reminds me of these precious kids.
Leaving Thailand to come to Malaysia was bittersweet. The goodbyes were tough but the thought of going to Malaysia excited me—especially when thinking about the mysterious unknown that lie ahead of me. On the first full day here, we had the privilege of walking around the entire city and were tasked with completing a scavenger hunt to learn more about the different cultures. Walking down the street I saw people of all different religions and people from all over the world. Not only are we staying in a huge tourist area, but we are also staying on an island that holds the top four out of five religions from around the world. You walk on one street and meet monks dressed in full robes, people wearing short shorts, indian styles, and so much more. It is literally a melting pot with such a variety of people.
Our ministry has been completely sporadic and it has been difficult to hear God’s voice. It hasn’t been until the past few days that I’ve actually been able to hear God’s Voice again. The other day we were walking the streets and my teammate and I met a homeless man. We ended up talking to him and learning his journey and that eventually lead us into talking about his spiritual journey. He ended up being a Christian and when we asked to pray for him he actually said he doesn’t deserve to be prayed over. He had tears in his eyes as we started talking about how he is loved and forgiven by God. He asked us to pray for him and give him strength and in that moment I knew God was watching over all of us. The next day some members of our team went to a homeless center for a church service and shared our testimonies; right after that I asked my teammate if she thought anyone here was actually influenced by my testimony. Right after the church service a man asked to sit with me and my team. He ended up telling us how influential our stories were for so many reasons. We sat and talked to this man for a while and he seemed super interested in what we had to say. God has recently been showing up in ways that continue shocking me. And I just want to share these amazing stores as a reminder for everyone to keep pushing forward and to have trust in the Lord even when gets increasingly harder to do so!
