Love the weather here as it’s around 80 degrees every day! Sorry Wisconsin I do not miss your snows, ice, wind, scraping of the windshield, cold seats, slushiness, digging cars out of snow drifts, or early sunsets. That’s right, not at all. I do miss my peeps, super cool boots (right Brook?), fireplaces, ski trip with my teens, and the look of a fresh snow that glistens in the sunlight! As Thailand finished up it was most fitting that my least favorite place ended with complications (and by complications I mean adventures) as we had to stay in a hotel and walk across the border the next day!
This month my role looks different as squad leader. I still get to be with Sweet Aroma and do ministry with them, but I also will visit other teams. My main ministry now is the squad and helping with the debriefs. It’s been a wild ride of leadership so far and I know that God has so much to show me!
Here are a few of my highlights so far this month!
*THE ROOF! Listed first as it is my favorite as I have gone to it often to stay sane! Ha Ha! Not really, but it is some good alone time. This roof is amazing as it overlooks all of Penang! I am able to worship God and feel so close to him! Now safety regulations here are a bit lax so I have to watch my step as I’m up there praising the Lord! We as a team did a 3 day 24 hour prayer vigil. I had the time slot 5-8pm and loved every single minute. I have never had such a passion for prayer! We are seeing God do amazing things here.
*Going out for a “walk” means trying to get into an intentional conversation with someone! I went out the other day with Noah and we stopped at a rug store (don’t think one of those will fit in my pack!) and went in and got into a great conversation with the owner. He then invited us to sit and have coffee. It was great hearing from him and hear his point of view. A few days later we were out again and a guy stopped on his motorbike to tell us how the American dream is now the American nightmare and how there is no God. He ranted for a bit then took off. We wanted to say so much, but all we could do was pray. We later found a Chinese festival and made friends with a group of guys from India! It was awesome! They were doing a chant and dancing and pulled Noah in to join them! (check out Noah’s blog)! They were very kind and we listened to what they believed in and shared our love for Jesus with them.
This is the country where the state religion is Islam. If you are born a Muslim you stay one. We are not even allowed to try and convert them. The Christianity rate is about 9%. Most areas of Malaysia only have Mosques to worship in. This is also a country of great ethnicity. There is freedom to share our faith with anyone else! Just this morning we met a man at breakfast and heard his story. It’s great to just listen to people and hope that God opens a door for us to share! I love random encounters that aren’t so random to God!
*PenHOP. This is Penang’s House of Prayer! I’m thinking we need a WisHOP or CalHOP back home! The presence of the Lord is huge and the universal church is amazing. I met a girl from Holland and loved when she prayed in her own language! I love that I am experiencing prayer in such a powerful way this month. Thanks again to all who are praying for me! You are on the front lines of the Spiritual battle that is so real!
*The food is interesting. It’s like an explosion of spices in my mouth every time I taste something new. You could eat 4 meals a day here for 2 years and never repeat the same dish because there are that many variations! You have Malaysian, Indian, and Chinese food. It’s cheap too! My favorite drink is Te tarik and my favorite food is naan or tosai. We have to eat out for almost all meals as we don’t have a kitchen to cook, so it’s always a great adventure finding new places to eat. I don’t get too crazy with my choices; this is an area I tend to play it safe! Ha ha!!
*This month I have felt Jesus pursuing me in a new deeper way. He has been revealing how much He loves me and sees me right where I am at. He is constantly with me, speaking to me, working on my weaknesses and using my strengths. As the race continues on in close community feelings are bound to happen and while I haven’t had any toward squadmates (thankfully) I am falling deeper in love with Jesus. He is the pursuer of my soul. I was praying at PenHOP last night and found myself saying I am not overlooked. I am not forgotten. No one is. He is pursuing YOU! He wants a deeper relationship with YOU!
I hope as you read what I am up to you see how God is at work in and through it all! He has been giving me divine encounters every step of the way, as I was able to meet up with Micah Loomer in Thailand! I keep praying for more! It’s easy to focus on the bad in this world, the lostness most feel and show on their face. I am telling you though that God is HERE! He is at work! He is pursuing the nations. It is so urgent to join Him and fight harder in the battle. Just as this journey is going by so quickly, so does life. It’s important we don’t take a day for granted!
