The air changes. A soft breeze blows the humid air away and tickles your hair. Something coming smells soft and new. Desperate pleas to feel something, anything fill the heart of those who wait. Then suddenly, a drop. Just one, then two, then three fall on your skin. Suddenly the raindrops come, dancing as they hit the ground. Soft and cold they hit your skin as you turn your hands upward in an attempt to capture the cool drops.
The soft rain and cool breeze combines to fill your heart with peace. A message from the One who sends the rain: I am making all things new. The dancing raindrops pattering off the ground a reminder to the changing of seasons. To the growth that comes when the wet drops bring life to the ground.
I wrote this in my journal one day when I was listening to the soft rainfall in northern Malaysia this past month. The rain was a great parallel for how my month was overall, refreshing.
While I absolutely loved the ministry and the people in Cambodia, I came out of the month tired and desiring more of God. Our contact in Malaysia gave us some extra room and space to really seek God this past month. It was a great reminder to me to let go of the busyness that can encroach into my life at any time, even on the mission field, and make time to seek the Lord. We even had twenty-four hour prayer for Malaysia one night where everyone took two hours to pray for the country.
Malaysia is a country that is fairly closed to the Gospel, but Christmas gave us an incredible opportunity to share the love of God with people who might otherwise never hear the Good News. We were able to host a children’s Christmas program, visit a children’s ward in the hospital and go Christmas caroling to several Hindu households during the week of Christmas.
This was also my first Christmas away from home. Usually my December is filled with Christmas Starbucks drinks, shopping with my sister, and parties, parties, parties. Experiencing Christmas on the other side of the world, in a country that does not really make a big deal out of Christmas, was very interesting. But one thing that I learned is as long as I am surrounded by people I love on Christmas, that is all the decorations I need. We did, however, design some amazing paper stockings.
I am so thankful for my month in Malaysia and all the things I learned in this beautiful country. It is a place I never expected to find myself, but God exceeded my expectations yet again!
