Penang, Malaysia
- Home of the best food in the world…Naan bread, curry chicken, doci, and roti! amazing:)
- a city of culture…Indian, Chinese, and Malays
- a land of idols and false gods…Hinduism, Taoism, Muslims, Buddhist…you name it
- a city in need of the love of Jesus…
Indian Temple
Chinese Temple
To be honest this month has been a hard one…a mix of spiritual warfare, new people, different personalities, random ministries, spiritual growth, and a low food budget:)
We live in an apartment in the middle of “little India” in Penang, Malaysia. I can go on the roof of our place and see mosks, Hindu temples, Indian temples, you name it… it is a city that is filled with darkeness and longing for the truth. A land where spiritual oppression is so heavy. A place where it could be easy to miss how God is moving and to get discouraged at the few people who do understand how God’s love can truly transform a person.
But in the midst of it I have seen Jesus’ love and goodness like never before!
The past week has been heavey spiritual warfare, especially within my mind…struggling with confidence in leadership, tired all the time, physically and emotionally worn out, and fighting another ear infection (each month it keeps coming back, no idea why!).
Tues, I was spent…almost at the end of my rope, so I went on the roof of our house and just spent time laying myself out to the Lord, needing Him to hold me cause I felt like I was going to collapse..I prayed, begging, cried, and layed it all out there, believing that though its rough, He would show me His glory
I went to sleep that night exhausted and woke up Weds praying for a day where I would actually hear God’s voice…I’m sick of feeling like I can’t hear Him. I went throughout the day struggling to do ministry with all of me, then went to our night of Evangelism and felt like I needed to stay back and intercede. So I did and the Lord used that time to minister to my heart. I met a native girl who prayed directly to what I had been going through, then she said, “Bethany, I feel like the Lord wants you to have this..” and she opened her Chinese, English Bible and turned to
Isaiah 41:10..
As I started to read it, I could almost hear a man’s deep voice saying it to me, I felt God’s still quiet voice saying,
“So do not fear for I am with you, do not be dismayed for I am your God, I will strengthen you and help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
I was filled with awe and amazement that He loved me so much… helping and strengthening me.
That was the 1st time in my life I actually felt like He truly spoke to me….it was amazing.
It didn’t stop there either, then another believer who lives here asked if she could pray for me…she began to pray and share a vision she was having of the Lord growing my roots and breaking through the cement of my heart…I was speechless, eyes filled with tears at how intricite and detailed she had prayed into my soul, only the Holy Spirit can do stuff like this!
My heart is filled with joy and knowledge that I am loved by my Father…he is protecting me and breaking me down so I can be his complete vessel…its rough but He promises to uphold me!
I will run, like the apostle Paul, with perserverance the race marked out for me…
I pray that you will feel His intricate love today! He is worth it all…pray BIG!!
