Malaysia has been a wonderful country.
My team and I had an amazing host this month, a Husband and wife with three kids. The husband is the Pastor of the Church building we lived in and partnered with this past month. We call him PT. Him and his wife Sharmila took us in and made us instantly feel like a part of their family. We also spent a lot of time with their kids, Zach, Misha, and Felisha, and became very close with them by the end of the month. Last night saying goodbye, was really hard. I’m definitely going to miss all of their fun-loving personalities.
While there were a few things we did throughout the month, most of our ministry boiled down to planning a Christmas Program, preparing for Hospital Visits, and going Christmas Caroling.
One thing we did throughout the month were prayer walks. We would split up into groups and walk to designated areas around the town and pray over them. This included topics like drug dealing, gambling addictions, the bus stop where many make their way across the border into Thailand and get to Red Light Districts, idol worshiping churches, the economy, and for the town in general, that a new generation would rise up and that it would be a time of restoration for the Christian Church community. Throughout the month, we would also hold nights of worship and intercession for the town of Changloon.
Most days, I would also hold a ukulele lesson for the pastor’s kids. This was such a fun time! They picked up the chords pretty quickly and everyday were hungry for new material to practice. It was a bit hard finding English songs that they knew, but at the end I had quite a long list of songs to send their way!
The first event that took place was our Christmas program which turned out so sweet. Many parents dropped off their kids to come and hang out with us for the next hour or so. We played games, made crafts, and put on a play for them! The play was such a sweet rendition of the Christmas story. Each kid was assigned to be either an Angel, Star, Shepherd, or Magi, did a craft to make their own costume, and even had a role to play during the production. We sent them home with lots of smiles, goodies, and love from the Lord.
The next event we did was pass out balloons and goodies to the children at the nearby hospital. Again, it was so much fun. As we would pass by rooms we could see the kids peering out the windows, full of anticipation for what we had to offer them. The parents were happy to receive such special attention during the holidays and the nurses all had so much fun walking around with us.
After the hospital visits, we went Christmas Caroling! We had been practicing two English songs (Joy to the World and O Holy Night) as well as a song in Tamil and Bahasa Malay. We would play a song, end with “We Wish you a Merry Christmas”, PT gave a gospel message, and then we would pray over the house. Many of the houses also offered us food afterwards and by the end of the night we were all so full. It was incredible how much the families just wanted to bless and serve us even though we were there to serve them. Some houses that knew we were coming even had prepared food in advance!
Lastly, every Thursday night we would hold church. A few times we were asked to perform a song and throughout the month we all had a turn to go up front and share our testimonies with the congregation. It was so sweet to see the fruit of sharing our stories with others. After testimonies PT would give a sermon we would pray and then have fellowship afterwards.
In all of this, it has been really incredible to see how much community means to the people in Malaysia. They prioritize people. Spending time, loving on, and blessing people. It has been a hard month, but also so so encouraging.
I’m realizing how each country brings new surprises for us. New ways of living, culture, people, and so much else. And each country instills in me new little bits and pieces that I want to take back with me to instill in my life.
I’m continually feeling blessed to be here, to encounter the Lord in all the He has planned, and to pour out all He’s given me.
Which brings me to my fundraising update for the month!
Our final deadline is approaching in 1 month (January 31st) and I need $3,150 more to reach being fully funded. I am blown away at God’s provision during my fundraising journey so far. And being on the field, I am fully confident that this is where He wants me to be and that He will provide the rest. If you feel led to partner along with me, would you consider praying and asking the Lord how much to donate today?
Thank you and God Bless!
