Serving Coffee. Washing Dishes. Praying for Hospital Patients. Drumming for Donations. Prayer Walking. Loving on Prostitutes and Lady Boys. Fundraising for Children in Need of Heart Transplants. Watering Plants. Visiting Male Clients at a Drug Rehab Center. Making Panini Sandwiches. Praying and Serving the Homeless. Singing a Duet in a Pharmacy Lobby. Teaching Penang Children “Father Abraham” and “Every Move I Make”.
Welcome to ministry in Georgetown, Malaysia.
This past week, I stayed off the Internet and used the extra time to focus on Jesus in the midst of so much transition and ministry opportunity. Every country brings transition, but this month brought even more change with a new team. I am now a proud member of team Ascend the Hill, based on Psalm 24. For more information on my new team members and the meaning behind our name, check out my previous blog.
Penang, the island state where we are located is a melting pot of culture; so many languages, religions, dress codes, foods and walks of life. The countries I have already visited in previous months influence much of the culture: China, India, and Thailand. While most of the people who currently live in Georgetown, Penang have Asian roots, there is also a great deal of European culture, especially in the architecture and language. It is so much fun to interact with many different people groups, languages, and backgrounds every single day. Most people in Penang speak 3-4 languages and several dialects of each, which is necessary for communication in this environment.
As you may guess from my introduction, ministry has been a melting pot as well. I participate in most of these activities on a weekly basis with of course, some surprises every now and then. During the day, I work with two different ministries and at night, some of the locals and my team prayer walk, asking the Father for conversations and divine appointments. I will share a little these three ministry opportunities to hopefully give you a better picture of what my days and weeks look like.
Just Caffe
When I’m taking my lunch break from working in a coffee shop, with a shift drink in hand and a Panini sandwich in the other, it’s really easy to think I’m back in Raleigh working at Caribou Coffee. But then I look out the front window and see the ocean, and I quickly snap back into “reality” that this isn’t my job; this is ministry!
I never would have guessed that part of my World Race would include working at a coffee shop in Malaysia. Just Caffe, is a coffee shop and restaurant, opened only three months ago by a group of Jesus-loving friends from Penang House of Prayer. In crazy supernatural ways, they were given (yes, literally given) this amazing café space to reach out to the people of Georgetown. The shop is located right on the shore on the first floor of an office building, right across the street from a university.
The owners commonly refer to this place as “Papa’s Café” knowing this place belongs to God and that He has entrusted it to them. Before every shift, while making every drink, and washing dishes, we are constantly praying. Praying that when people enter this place they would encounter the presence of the Living God through the love we show them, the quality of food and drinks we serve, and the presence of the Holy Spirit that reigns in this place. My prayer for Just Caffe is that freedom would reign in that place. That people who are held in spiritual captivity would encounter peace and freedom when they walk through those doors.
One of the full-time workers is named CK and he is amazing! Up until three months ago, he worked with computer programming and had never cooked or made coffee in his life. But His Father called him to be the full-time barista and with this calling, the Lord has equipped him tenfold to love, serve, clean, cook, and make AMAZING espresso. Not only is CK a barista, but he also plays drums at PenHop and is one of three children in his family. So obviously with so much in common, CK and I have concluded we are Penang-American twins. CK and the other workers at Just Caffe are so intentional with their time, their opportunities for conversation with customers, have such a diligent work ethic, and are committed to making each customer’s experience the greatest it can be. God gave His sons and daughters this café, and I can’t wait to see how He uses it!
Penang Adventist Hospital
This past Tuesday morning, I sat at the entrance of Penang Adventist Hospital (PAH) drumming for an hour and half with a sign behind me that read, “Hear a Beat, Give a Beat”. I played for patients and families’ waiting for rides, those arriving at the hospital, and
anyone located right inside the hospital doors. Once again, I’m encountered with another ministry opportunity I would have never dreamed of. We have two different roles as volunteers at the hospital: fundraising and making patient visits with the hospital chaplains. We are currently fundraising for patients, specifically children, who need heart transplants but cannot afford it. PAH is known for its charity and financial assistance efforts to provide healthcare for those with life-threatening medical conditions. Each heart transplant surgery at PAH averages 25,000 Ringgit or $8,100 (USD). We spend some of our time walking around asking specific people for donations, while other times we get creative with musical performances.
The second ministry, and one of my favorites, is working with the hospital chaplains. We are assigned to a chaplain and “shadow” them during their morning visits to their assigned patients. I love interacting with the patients, telling them about Jesus, speaking truth into their physical and spiritual brokenness and praying for them. This past week, I talked with a Buddhist woman from Indonesia for a while, and it was an amazing conversation. Her children are Christian and while she has some desire to convert, her and her husband feel a burden to continue carrying for their ancestors (common Buddhist tradition). In that situation, I was able to tell her the words of Paul “cast your burdens onto Jesus, He cares for you” and the sweet message of Jesus “my yoke is easy and my burden is light”. By the end of our conversation, she was crying and we were able to pray together. It was such a sweet time!
Prayer Walks and Conversations
One night during the week, Christians from the community in Georgetown gather to pray and go to the streets with the love of Jesus. Before going out we ask the Lord to align our hearts, motives, and will with His own, knowing and rejoicing that His purposes cannot be thwarted. We have no other agenda but to love the people we encounter. The majority of the population we encounter fall into three categories: sex workers, backpackers, and the homeless. There is a homeless ministry that some other Racers work with, so we use this night to continue to meet with them, pursue them with love, meet some of their friends, and invite them to the shelter as well. Penang is a tourist hotspot where many people, especially Europeans, come for vacation to explore the island, and get a taste of so many different cultures. While many of these backpackers have an agenda of their own and don’t seem too keen on talking about Jesus, we come with a message of purpose, fullness, and satisfaction that many of them are searching for.
Both weeks, I have walked the same street with several others to love and talk with the sex workers in Georgetown. This includes female prostitutes and male transvestites commonly referred to as Lady Boys (men who dress and acts as females). Many of these Lady Boys have undergone a sex change and now physically look like women. When you approach one of these men or women, you never know the response you may get. Some act like they can’t speak English hoping you will leave them alone, some give short answers and are anxious to get back to “work”, some flirt with you either in an attempt to manipulate or purely out of habit, and others, while they are few, will carry on a conversation with you. I have made one really good friend during these prayer walks and am currently working on another blog to share with you; such AMAZING things the Lord is doing as He reconciles and draws His lost sons and daughters home off the streets of Georgetown.
