As well as planting seeds we were also
given the opportunity to water seeds, both on the farm and in
Churches.
One day while working on the farm, the
water stopped working. Now water in this part of Malaysia is spring
water run in huge flexible pipes from a nearby stream or spring on a
mountain. It turns out the source was running dry, so we needed to
move the pipes to get water to keep the plants alive.
After dragging 6 150 meter long pipes
down the mountain the day before, we dragged them into the jungle.
Manik was leading the way pulling the huge, heavy pipes and it seemed
like he was taking the roughest, toughest course through through the
jungle.
He was pretty much running as we were
just trying to keep the pipe moving and not fall off the slippery
rocks and tree trunks we were climbing on. Occasionally we would
have enough footing to help him pull the pipe, but most of the time
he was too far ahead to see so we just kept following the pipie.
About 30 minutes into this, the sky
opened up and it began to pour down rain. Now it was pretty much
impossible to move, but the pipe and Manik were still moving at
breakneck speed so we kept trying to keep up.
After maybe 30 more minutes we got to
the thickest brush I’ve ever seen. The only way though was to
commando crawl through the tiny hole Manik had cleared. He never
slowed down and I still have no idea how he made it so quick through
the tiny hole in the thick thorn bushes, but about 20 yards after we
made it though we came out on the path and had the pipes run.
We were soaked to the bone and covered
in mud and leeches. So much so that we were still pulling them off
in the van on the way home. One managed to get loose in the van and
grabbed on to me and I found him while we were out for dinner that
night. The next day we connected all the pipes we had run and had
plenty of water to keep the green beans growing in the viscous sun.
We were also fortunate enough to be
able to water some spiritual seeds as well. We got to speak to
Tony’s church in KL and share some of our testimonies. Jon and I got
to hang out on Saturday with the college guys who lead worship, and
I got to meet a pastor from Pakistan who is one of the more
remarkable and faithful men I have had the privilege to meet.
Hopefully, Ill get the chance to share a little more of his story
later.
The next weekend we got to venture out
into the jungle to speak to a church that needed some encouragement.
We hopped in our less than reliable van and headed out on what we
thought was an 2 hour journey.
After 2 and a half hours, we ran out of
gas. As the driver and 2 others went out to get gas, I stayed back
and looked after the van. After 20 minutes or so it began to
sprinkle and right then a tow truck pulled up. As God would have it
the driver was named Moses. He was a Christian (which is rare in
Malaysia) and he towed us to the gas station for free. He then gave
us directions told us that we were still 2 hours out and we went on
our way.
The church members had been waiting for
2 hours by the time we arrived, but they were eager to hear what we
came to share. They led us in worship and we got to speak and pray
for them. Then they eagerly shared dinner with us. It was just like
we were back in Africa.. The music, the preaching, the travel
issues, the welcoming people. It was really like one extra day in
Africa.
At the end of the week we had been
fortunate enough to do some serious watering.
