After over 3 days of travel on 1 songtow, 2 trains, 1 taxi, 1 ferry, and 1 uber, we made it to Malaysia!!
This month my team and I are staying on the island of Penang right off the mainland of Malaysia. The island is pretty small, but there is a lot of awesome things packed onto it. A good chuck of the island is a national park, so there is a lot of lush scenery, beautiful beaches, and wild animals. Penang is also known as the food capital of Malaysia and there are influences of Indian, Chinese, and Malay culture in the dishes so you can believe we have been fed well (and the curry is bangin). This island is also known for its street art (which gives me a happy, happy heart) and we’ve enjoyed strolling down the roads and finding hidden murals of famous artists.
And it gets better – our host this month, Jessica, is a girl and is a World Race alum! These are two things I am really exited about. Jess went on the race a few years ago and Malaysia was her 11th month. She fell in love with the country and the ministry so much so that she felt like God was calling her to move here after her Race was over. As you can guess, she listened, and she has been here ever since.
Jess has blessed us with opening up her apartment for us to say in for the month. I have to say we felt like little kids in a candy store when we arrived at her door. Beds, hot showers, AC, a sweet view, and a CHRISTMAS TREE. We are the epitome of #blessed this month, let me tell you.
Ministry this month has looked a little different. Jess is involved in all kinds of things and knows all kinds of people in Penang, so we get to experience all of that through different ministries.
Our only constant ministry this month is called PENHOP which stands for Penang International House Of Prayer. There are houses of prayer all over the world but the vision of Penang’s house specifically is to “Build a 24/7 House of Prayer for all nations in the spirit of the tabernacle of David that is a nexus of worship, intercession and missions established in the heart of Penang.”
We spend 2 days of our week here, 7 hours each day praying. Yes. 7 hours a day. In the same room. Praying. I have never prayed for that long of a time period in one sitting in my life. Not even close. So our first day I’ll admit I was nervous. I believed that I would pray for about 30 minutes, 45 if I really focused, then I would be twiddling my thumbs for the remaining 6 hours. Boy was I wrong.
To give you an idea of what my time here actually looks like:
You walk in to one giant room with a big stage at the front – it feels a lot like a contemporary church set-up. People are free to come and go as they feel led so there are always people flowing in and out of the room. There are chairs and cushions to sit on the floor so you can sit wherever you feel the most comfortable. There is always someone singing and playing an instrument, which I love. The best part about PENHOP, though is that there are ‘stations’ set up around the room. There is a map on the wall to allow you to lay hands on parts of the world and pray over them. There is a justice station where there are news articles about how Christianity, sec trafficking, and hunger are going around the world that you can pray over. There is a Wailing Wall where people can write big prayers they want answered and hang them on the wall for others to pray for them, and my personal favorite is the creative station where there is colored pencils, paper, paint, you name it to creatively pray and worship while here. As you can imagine, the walls are full of prayers, paintings, news, and Jesus.
Yeah, so I have plenty to fill my time. And I don’t even need the stations to keep my occupied. It is crazy how fruitful time is when you fully immerse yourself in The Word and prayer. Last week I swear I blinked and 7:00 was 10:00. I never realized how a space made specifically for prayer could be so beneficial.
PENHOP gives me, and everyone who walks through the door; an opportunity to pray about what God is doing in their own life, in their friend’s lives, and in their family’s lives. It gives an opportunity to pray for the world, and more specifically for Malaysia. You can feel this broken country being surrounded by prayer and being changed because of what is happening in this room.
Here, I have no where to be, no time limit, I have worship music flowing through my ears, and infinite ways to praise and worship God. It’s also crazy how God has revealed thoughts I didn’t even know I had or has led me to prayers I never thought I would have just because I am taking a long period of time to sit with Him. I just don’t get that anywhere at home. Time and a place like this is impossible to find. By the end of the month I bet ill be saying that 7 hours isn’t enough.
Dude, this room is magical.
“These I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer.
Their burt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted at my altar;
For my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations”
Isaiah 56:7 / PENHOP
Stay tuned for more blogs about the other ministries I’ve been working with here in Malaysia!
Recklessly,
Haley
