Hard to believe that our first month in Malaysia and month 8 of the Race has ended. We are heading to Penang for debrief with the squad for a few days and then off to Thailand to begin month 9. Every month goes by faster than the last.
In Malaysia, we spent our month at an orphanage. Once again, God placed us right where we needed to be. I was able to use my masters degree again this month by working with two kids here. Even though there really wasn’t much I could do without formal testing, it is still encouraging to know that God is placing me where I am needed.
Our month consisted mostly of helping out the ladies in the kitchen. Most day we helped chop vegetable and peel potatoes. I have come to find that on the Race a lot of what we do seems like it doesn’t have much of an impact. But at the end of each month when people thank us for all we have done and all the help we have provided, I see that even in the little things we are helping. Even by just giving rest to others and providing extra hands to get the work done faster.
Soccer is huge here at the home. All the boys play at 5 everyday. The older boys go to an outdoor field or to an indoor arena. When I found this out, I asked if I was allowed to join. After laughing at my question I was told no. They keep the boys and girls separated here and since I’m a girl I wasn’t allowed to join in with the boys. Saying I was bummed was an understatement. I really wanted to go and even just watch. But I couldn’t. Through my frustration I saw how good God is and how he blesses us with the most extraordinary gifts and the perfect time.
We were given a few days off in the middle of the month. Four of us decided to use those days to take a trip down to Singapore. It was only a few hours away and seemed like a great opportunity to check off one more country. After searching for over a week, we finally decided on a hostel that we would stay in. We booked it and then reserved our bus tickets. The day after, one of my teammates came running up to me. She told me we needed to cancel our hostel reservation ASAP because her sister and brother-in-law had just booked us two nights at The Westin Singapore for free! Her brother in law used to work at one in the states and was able to use his connections to give us this amazing gift. This is a five star hotel and for good reason. Infinity pool on the 35th floor overlooking the city and the ocean, executive suite with free buffet breakfast, room on the 43rd floor out of 46 with an incredible view, and in a prime location. None of us could believe this. Rolling up to the hotel in our typical world race attire seemed like a joke. We definitely didn’t bring the right clothes to look like we belonged there. In fact, while waiting for our room to be ready for us to checkin someone working there asked if we even had a room with them. Lady, we wouldn’t have been sitting there in the lobby for the heck of it. We joked all weekend about how we got “Pretty Womaned”.
I don’t say all of this to brag about our mini vacation. I say this to show how wonderful and loving our God is. In a moment where frustration was settling in and a lot of us were wishing for that first night back home again, God blessed us with something we never dreamed we would receive. There were so many people back home working to make this happen for us. My little brother even chipped in and gave me a late birthday present by adding $50 to my bank account. So many things lined up to make it the biggest blessing and gift so far on the Race.
God plans everything way in advance. He knew that in month 8 we would need a few days to check out of the World Race lifestyle and check into a life of luxury and relaxation. He gives good gifts. This is one example of how his gifts can be bigger than we could ever imagine. But everyday he gives us little gifts. A gift can be seen when the kitchen ladies tell us we made their day just by sitting and talking with them. A gift can be seen when we walk into the hall in the morning and the nursery kids run full force at us wanting a hug. There have been countless gifts given this month. Some, like our Singapore trip, are obvious. Some have to be looked for closely. But they are always there. Everyday, regardless of being on the Race, gifts are given from above. Tomorrow morning we leave Semenyih for Penang. Like so many months before, goodbyes will be hard but we will keep all the gifts from this month with us as we finish this Race with perseverance.
My word for month 8 is gift and my verse is James 1:17
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”
