Every morning in Malaysia as I lay on my sleeping pad next to six of my closest friends (TEAM ALEPH) in a room right above the church I hear the sound of a faint music of the call to Islamic prayer. As I lay, waiting for my eyes to adjust, I say a “good morning Jesus” and get up for the day. Every morning when I hear the faint music it stirs my heart to pray for the people here that they may know Jesus.
Here in Malaysia we are working with the Tamil people. The Tamil’s are people who have come from India. They are absorbed in their culture. It’s almost as if we aren’t even in Malaysia, it’s almost like we are in India.
But we aren’t in India and every morning as I hear the faint calling I am reminded exactly where I am.
Part of the Tamil culture is staying up late. This past week we have been starting ministry around 8 P.M. and going until 2 A.M. What have we been doing with our late nighttime slot?
CHRISTMAS CAROLING!
I am not talking about the kind of Christmas caroling that sweet and nice. The kind you picture with the people who are nicely dressed where there is snowfall and they sing in harmony. Nope. Tamil Christmas caroling is on a whole ‘notha level.
Pop lock and dropping Christmas where until wee hours in the morning you are having dance parties of Christmas joy in people’s back yards, front yards and living rooms to share about the good news of Jesus. Did I mention they walk around with guitars, drums and whistles to bring cheer to all that hear? Every house offers snacks of some sort; the Talmil’s in Malaysia snack on sardine sandwiches. I usually play a game called see how many sardine sandwiches you cannot eat. Usually I loose this said game. I have eaten close to 36, those people in the homes usually make deep eye contact into my soul that peer pressures me into eating them. The last house we have to wake the person up that we are going to bless and then have at least a 45-minute dance party. Often times the last house of the night we wake the poor person up and they allow us to have dance party at their house- extended version.
It’s like we have a portal into people’s homes, into their lives and in that instance we bring with us the presence of Jesus.
The second day of our caroling adventure we arrived at this home that was off the beaten path. Outside the house was a huge shrine to Hindu gods and inside were dozen’s more. The family stood adorned in the corner. Small red dots were painted on the woman’s foreheads. The father of the home had a child on his shoulders and danced with a huge grin on his face. We sang our hearts out and possibly in a multitude of cartoon voices.
At the end of our Christmas set we hug those who have invited us to their homes to sing. The father of the home smelled of booze, but shook my hand and was very over joyed that we were in his home. He then told me about how the rest of his family was Christian and that for years the carolers have been coming but he had never come to listen to them until now. He talked about the respect he had for his family but traditionally he is a Hindu and would stay a Hindu.
I said an internal prayer and listened to what God wanted to do in this man’s life.
In the midst of the moonlight I shared with the man the love of God and invited him to church this Friday night. Friday night is tonight, so we will see if he comes with his family to either tonight’s service or Christmas Eve service.
Either way I pray that God would move in his life. I pray that God would move in the Tamil culture that is here in Malaysia. I pray that God would move in this nation and would use our lives while here to partner with what He is doing.
It’s amazing how God brought me to Malaysia this Christmas to share his greatest gift Jesus. The truth is that God wants to be in every place, not just during Christmas. He wants us to bring His presence with us everywhere we go. He wants us to listen to what Holy Spirit is doing and partner with him everywhere we go.
You may be pop lock and dropping, in the Christmas bustle or having a quiet peaceful Christmas, which ever way I pray that where ever you are you would bring his presence with you and use every opportunity to share the greatest gift of all with those around you:
JESUS.
Sending Love from Malaysia,
<3
ASH
#Teamash
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MERRY CHRISTMAS!
