A month seems pretty long. And when you are in the hot sun, cutting and carrying bamboo and wielding a machete like a ninja, a month can seem extra long. But surprisingly, March passed quickly.
We traded places with another team for a week in KT, being greeted with such lavish hospitality I didn’t know existed beyond the South (of the USA). That week primed us for the remaining week and half at the farm.
(Left: Lisa serving Alex ice cream at tea. We quickly learned “tea” was more than just tea, but a full meal.)
Woman Power! Rolling Carpet for a church in KT.
We prayed consistently for Manik and the men we worked with to have a vision from Jesus. God opened up the opportunity for Allan to work alongside Manik and have some good conversations. Manik told us when we returned from KT, that he had dreamed about us. (good, but let’s get some Jesus visions going!) Allan asked him the next day if he had a dream about Jesus. Manik said no. Two days later, Allan asked him again, and Manik said yes! I don’t know if this was a ‘lost in translation’ moment, but I hope and pray it wasn’t.
After our last working day on the farm, we returned with lunch for the men – none other than McDonalds. When we arrived, we were touched to see they had cleaned up our little shack where we normally gather and they had all gone to change and get cleaned up!
Men Proud of Work. All dressed up and ready for lunch with us – and always ready to show off some “baby vegetables.”
God provided an experienced pastor to translate as Allan shared our reason for being here (they thought we were being paid) and the Gospel. It was a blessing to have our guest translator since he was accustomed to Muslim tradition. He told us later that you have to build trust and a strong relationship with a Muslim before they will convert. For them, it is a high cost if they convert and they want to know if you’ll stand by them if they are arrested. There is high risk for both the convert and the person who leads them to conversion in Malaysia.
Our work crew.
Please keep praying for these men – that they will have an encounter, a dream or vision from God, and would be filled with the joy of Christ. Pray that when they return to their country, they can bring true peace, joy and love to their families.
