“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the Earth.” –Matthew 5:5
Along a dead end road, flanked by rumputan trees that tower over a yard scattered with chickens, there is a melon colored house protected by a chain-linked fence. Once inside, the house seems to play tricks on your mind – what appeared to be average from the outside (even AVERAGE Malay homes are big by my standards) is in fact an enormous abode. It would be perfect for a Bed and Breakfast, so many rooms offering plenty of space for guests, a bathroom around every corner… At the very least, a large family must call this place home. Alas, there’s nobody here but the chickens…
… and Sarah.
This sweet sister may well be my favorite person in all of Malaysia. She greets with a quiet, “Hello,” and the most peaceful smile you can imagine. My heart literally flutters when I ask how she’s doing and she so softly responds, “I’m fine. ‘Tank you.” And when I tell her she looks beautiful, she shyly bows and shakes her head, bringing tears to my eyes EVERY SINGLE TIME.
Her story amazes me! Sarah grew up in the very house she’s so graciously invited me into. The now fairly developed neighborhood was once a farm and land belonging to her family, full of cattle, goats, chickens and lots of rumputan trees.
*Check out my demonstration of "proper" rumputan picking… 😉 I'm pulling the limb down using a "grabber-hook" (technical term) while Alice pulled the fruit from the limbs. So worth the effort!!!
Sarah’s family – her father, mother and two sisters, – their cook, their driver, their farm hand, and several more occasional visitors, once filled the enormous house. NOW THAT EXPLAINS WHY IT’S SO HUGE! Sarah’s father worked hard to provide his daughters with a good education and took the best care of them that he possibly could.
Details are a bit fuzzy in translation, but when Sarah was 12 years old, her eldest sister’s husband, an Englishman, was killed in war. Six months later, their newly hired family driver fell asleep at the wheel, resulting in a crash that took her father’s life. Only four months later, her mother passed away, as well. All means of safety and provision seemed to have been stripped from her, all within less than one year! An uncle paid for Sarah to continue living on the family property, but she did so alone.
Fortunately, her father had left enough money for Sarah to continue her education, so for a few years she remained in school. All the while, however, she worried over how she would ultimately survive, knowing tat she could not allow herself to be anyone’s “charity” for her entire life.
One day, when she was 15, she found herself on the side of the road, wrecked with pain at the still-tender loss of her parents. Face buried in her hands, she found herself prayer, and through her tears she suddenly saw an image of a man. Without question, she knew the man was Jesus. He told her not to worry, that he would always take care of her.
And He has.
*Sarah's Pantry
This sweet Saint of God has trusted Him for provision throughout her entire life! She never married, explaining that she’s never really been able to get past the loss of her parents and (by my guess) has been afraid to love and lose again. She worked as a teacher for a while, but as a professed Christian, finding consistent, good pay has been troublesome. She doesn’t have children. She’s been oppressed by nieces and nephews wanting her to sell her house/land and move (although she has nowhere else to go.) She was caretaker for one of her sisters, who could physically do nothing for herself before her passing. Sarah hasn’t had things EASY at all!
*Sarah and I before the Children's Christmas Program and Candlelight Service at Tamil Methodist Church. 🙂
Still, whenever the church doors open, she steps inside. She prays with fervor for her friends and family. She will accept no payment for the rumputan that so many neighbors (and seven happy World Racers!) glean from her property, assuring us that, “God has blessed me with these trees. If I charge for their fruit, He will cause them to die.” While she admits that she doesn’t read daily as she once did, she knows the Word of God intimately.
Her pantry is full. Her home is warm and cozy (or more importantly in this climate, it’s cool and cozy!) Her door is always open! Her eyes are always bright! Her heart is that of a servant. Her smile remains!
*Sarah tending one of her sick chickens…
Be Blessed,
Ashlee
