We have been in Malaysia for about two weeks now. Life is very different here than it was in Thailand. In Thailand, we stayed in a hostel that had wifi, and you could walk to get about anything you wanted or needed. There was also transportation readily available the second you stepped outside of the door, and for only a few dollars! Where my team is in Malaysia, it is a much smaller town. We are staying in a house with a family, and it doesn’t have wifi or anything you can easily walk to (besides a little stand a family owns a few blocks over that sells egg rolls and tiny baked goods). Life is much slower and simpler here. Ministry is not on the same 8am-4pm schedule it was in Thailand. Here we are working with a local pastor and his church, as well as a school for children with special needs. We are told what we are doing the night before (or the day of) most of the time, and we never know what to expect. We go wherever we are needed! As soon as we got here I knew that Malaysia would be a lot different, but in a good way. This will be a month of immense growth. A month of going outside my comfort zone. A month of learning to rely solely on God and not the usual things (wifi, snacks, social media, music, literally anything) I sometimes go to. I have so much love and hope for the rest of this month, the people here, and this country.
I like to think of time periods in my life like the course of the Sun, similar to the way people compare times in their life to seasons (winter for hard times, summer for good times, etc.) My life before my eyes were opened and I was saved, I think of as night. I was sleeping, going through life not really understanding my purpose. It wasn’t a bad life, but it was lacking what really mattered. I was constantly tossed and beaten by the waves of this world. I had no solid rock to stand on, so when life wasn’t good, I immediately sunk. I was so caught up in what I thought mattered that my eyes were completely closed to seeing God for who He really is. When I was saved and I truly found God, I consider that to be the end of the night, or when I woke up. When I was in Thailand, I began to really see God work, and I connected with Him in a way I never had before. I saw Him do amazing things, like use my team and I for His good, answer my specific prayers, and use hard situations to heal me and teach me things. I still doubted sometimes, and I didn’t always trust in His ways, but I grew so much. I was still working through some tough things, but I knew my relationship with God was just the beginning of something amazing. This is why I think of my time in Thailand to be the dawn. No longer dark, but still more light emerging every second. Not unaware anymore, but still learning, growing, and gaining new perspective. (I actually had the word dawn tattooed on me while in Thailand!)
I say all of this to better describe my hope for Malaysia. I think that my time in Malaysia could be the start of the sunrise. I have hope that being able to experience a different type of ministry, be pushed out of my comfort zone, and have no other option than to rely on God, I will start to learn about God more than ever before. I know that God will continue to bring goodness and restoration. I have hope that He will work through us to bring more of Him and His love to this place. I have hope that this month with help me learn to rest in and respond to God’s faithfulness, ability, love, and peace even more. I have hope that I will learn to accept more of His light.
PS: I have officially reached my goal of $16,600! I cannot fully express in words how thankful I am for every single person who donated or supported me through prayer. I wouldn’t be here without you all! I am mindblown at the Lord’s faithfulness and provision. THANK YOU! (If you are signed up for monthly giving, make sure to cancel your monthly donation plan!)
