My team and I have been in Malaysia now for about a week. It is quite different than Thailand. I’m missing Thailand a lot and trying to adjust to how different the culture is here. When we were in Thailand we were in a very safe, nice city with coffee shops every 20 seconds. I didn’t feel like I stuck out much when I was walking down the street but here it is very different.
We are in the city of Changlun, Malaysia and it is a very small town. Christianity is not really present at all here and where ever we walk to within the town we get stared at. I think it is quite obvious that we are Christians here but its something no one will say aloud.
My team and I are sleeping in a one room church that is not visible when standing on the road. We are staying in the upstairs area and below us are some motor bike shops and a Kodak store. We are sleeping on our sleeping pads and we are showering in cold water, but hey at least its not a bucket shower. There is no wifi where we are staying and only one coffee shop in the town that has wifi.
Going outside feels quite tense. Tensions are high between Christians and Muslims right now and the Muslim religion rules just about everything here. When you buy a house here and are a Muslim you get a 5% discount on your purchase. Muslim pray out loud to the community through speakers and such. They have control of the schools, hospitals and for the most part you don’t have a choice but to listen.
We have had the opportunity to start making relationships here. There is a lady that we buy roti from (our breakfast) and we have been able to start talking to her and form a relationship. This morning she gave us a free meal to try something new probably because we have all been ordering the same exact thing for a straight week now.
Our ministry this month consists of a lot of different things. We are teaching English in a school where we are all in a classroom and have to come up with a lesson plans on our own. I decided to teach about sports and a healthy way of living. Of course since they were 9-11 years old we had to find ways to keep them engaged for an hour and a half of teaching so my teammate and I decided to teach them them electric slide. They also learned how to play Simon says and musical chairs.
This past week 3 of my teammates and I had the opportunity to go a widow’s house. She has been a believer since she was 19 years old. Her brother was the only other person in her family that believed and he passed away about 10 years ago. So she became the only one in her family that believes and her family continues to question her belief in God. She has 3 kids with her husband that passed away about 16 years ago. Her youngest son was born mentally retarded and her middle son is blind and has just started to loose his hearing. We were able to meet them both when we were sitting in their house and it is very evident how dependent they are on her. Her oldest son was a police officer. He was very strong and healthy but 3 years ago passed away from a heart attack.
Her testimony is very powerful because of all that she has been through she does not doubt the lord and is very strong in her faith. It is very admirable to see when tensions are so high here and she has gone through so much but still believes in God. I can see God working in multiple ways here which makes things feel a lot lighter when it can feel very heavy here.
I ask that you will pray for the widow and her sons. I ask that you will pray for my team and our unity. I ask that you will be praying for our ministry host, his wife and kids. I ask that you will be praying for this community and all of the tension here.
Thank you so much for all of your support and taking the time to read this long blog. I am thinking about everyone at home and miss everyone a lot. This past week has felt more tough than the past 2 months of Thailand. Thank you for all the prayers and encouragement for my team and I. It is very much appreciated. 🙂
