So here I am in Malaysia embracing life on the island of Penang. We have been here a little over 1 week now. My team is stationed in the Georgetown district serving alongside an organization called YWAM (youth with a mission). Too be honest, simply looking at the name my team believed we would be working with youth in some capacity. Major FALSO! I have actually seen little to no youth as well as children.
Lesson learned, expectations get us no where!
Malalysia is not at all what I expected, but then again, I’m not quite sure what I did. Here are some figures about the people of Malaysia…
* over 1/2 are Muslims
* a little over 1/4 are Chineese
* some are Hindu’s (Indian)
* some are aboriginal
The area in which I live comprises of a multitude of different religions. There is actually a street here called Harmony Street. Why? Well, simply because the majority of the religious temples can be found on it: Hindu, Buddhist, Islamic, Catholic, Evangelical, etc.
While getting trained on the people of Malaysia, Ed informed us that Muslims (Islamic) are the most prevalent religous group here. When born a Malaya, one is automatically a Muslim because the government is Muslim ran. The child gets a stamp on his or her card stating that they are a Muslim for life. There is really no way out. If one becomes a Christian, that person is disowned by their family, much like an Amish, for the most part.
As we walked up and down Harmony Street, we came across this Mosque. We ventured inside to see what it was like. A man greeted us and gave us all a tour of the inside. Some of my team had shorts on so they had to wear these long black robes to cover their exposed skin. The robes had a little sister act action to them. Along with the robes, we all had to take our shoes off as we walked inside.
Five to seven times a day people will come to the temple to pray. Each time it is a different prayer. The people come in and clense their bodies from head to toe. They start with their Face, then go to mouth, inside of nose, ears, hands then feet. The men and women pray in separate rooms so there are no distractions and their focus can be soley on Allah.
It is quite interesting to learn about all of these different religions that surrond me here. Honestly, how effective can I really be if I were to approach someone from another religion knowing nothing about their faith? It is simply impossible because no relationship, no trust factor can be built. An arrogant Christian can get no where here.So there is a little bit about the background of Malaysia and all the religions that I am in the midst of. Please pray for us as we engage in the lives of people in this community. May walls be broken and eyes be opened up to TRUTH.
