Who do I Think I am?

I wish I had something profound to write…..I wish that I could captivate you right now. The problem is, my creative side has been stuck this month. I feel that I lack inspiration, that I can’t hear God’s voice, and that I might be missing something important. I see my surroundings. I see the idols, the muslim women confined to their scarfs, I see a lack of purpose, I see chaos. My heart seems to lack a passion, not connecting with what I am seeing. With this, I hear the bells ringing to gods, the chants echoing out of the mosques, the silence of this country……my heart doesn’t beat in tune with the sounds.

I sat in the Starbucks, with my teammates, trying to write…..getting frustrated at how depressing it was sounding. I began to get really thirsty and my eyes really tired. I kept saying I am going to find some water…..and yet I wasn’t budging. The more I sat there the more I thought about the strangers around me. Don’t they need the Kingdom? Why don’t I stand up and start proclaiming it? Do I fear that it would look like I was trying to convert and then be arrested? Finally I couldn’t take it anymore, so I walked out in search of water.

I purposely passed the place I was planning to get water and continued to walk down the sidewalk. Walking by a shop, I stopped and turned back. Peeking in the window, I could see that it was a health food store. Now you should know that I am a Nutritionist and I worked in a Health Food Store back home (Vitamin Cottage); so I always seem to find these places. Of course, by habit I entered. The lady who worked there was with another customer, but she handed me a basket anyway and asked me if I was on holiday. I did the usual, “no I am a missionary” and started looking around the store.

When the other customer left, she approached me and started asking me more questions. Eventually she asked what kind of missionary I was. “A Christian,” I answered. She immediately lit up and said she was a Christian as well…..for about 8 years. She then began thanking me for coming to Malaysia and for bringing God’s love; because it is badly needed here. We chatted some more about her church and about being a Christian in this country. She said that when the people, here, do choose to follow Jesus, it’s amazing the evident change starts to happen around them. After I paid for my items, she reached in a box and pulled out a gift (a product I had been looking at but didn’t buy because of price). I was speechless and after stumbling through my ‘thanks,’ I left.

Stopping outside, to put the bags in my backpack, I said to myself: “What the heck are you doing?” So I reentered the shop and asked her if I could pray over her and her store. She said yes and we sat down. I fell into a prayer, praying over her, her family, Malaysia, and that her shop would be a light in this darkness….. that it would be used for God’s purpose. She then prayed over me in broken english, that I would be anointed and protected every place I went……it was awesome. Apparently the shop was opened 3 months ago by her and a partner, who is also Christian. They opened it with a purpose to bring people in, so they could proclaim Jesus Christ to them.

We exchanged contact information and I left, thanking God for his amazing ways. He knew I was sitting in Starbucks stir crazy and frustrated. He sent me out on the street and guided me to that little shop, to meet this amazing woman. A woman for Christ in a country where Christianity is only 9% of the population. He made me realize that, though we may not be forming deep relationships this month….it doesn’t matter. I formed a relationship for possibly just 20 minutes here in Malaysia; but it’s a relationship that will last for eternity in the Kingdom of God. Who am I to think that the work we do for God is less then what it should be. It’s my job to proclaim and plant seeds; having Faith that God does the rest.