As I stepped out of the bus after an excessively long time of travel, I took in the brand new scene that surrounded me. The diversity of the people immediately caught my eye. I noticed the smells weren’t as pungent as they were in Chiang Mai. It didn’t take long for balls of sweat to start accumulating on my forehead due to the ramped up humidity. The bathroom cost 5 Malaysian ringgit to use, and we hadn’t had the opportunity to exchange our Thai baht. I watched the other 4 teams wave goodbye from the bus windows as they started to head toward Penang, Malaysia. I saw a sign plastered with the words Sungai Petani. The streets weren’t flooded with motorbikes, sungthaews, or American tourists like they were in Chiang Mai, Thailand. I definitely was not back home in Texas either.
My mind was in maximum overload. Everything was slowly sinking in.
I’m not in Thailand anymore — or the U.S. I’m about to be engulfed in a completely different culture and experience a brand new way of life. I’m about to embark on a month full of new relationships, places, and revelations.
All of this was running through my head, but I couldn’t manage to get any words out. Me and 16 other girls stood on the side of the road, waiting for what was going to happen next. After 10 minutes of standing in the nearly unbearable
heat and slowly taking in all the surroundings, a car pulled up in front us.
2 individuals that I would later get to know as Pastor Thomas and Casori, his wife, came out and greeted us with welcoming smiles. Casori came up to introduce herself, but she started off the interaction by shaking my hand and uttering the simple words, “praise the Lord” with a kind smile on her face. It wasn’t until later that I realized the weight those 3 words actually hold.
After cramming all of our bags into the back of a couple vehicles, we hopped into a van and headed to the house we would call home for the next month. We were greeted by Prayma, Pastor Thomas’ mom, who was allowing us to stay in her house for a month. We were introduced to multiple people from their family, including a break down of their family photos on the wall.
I already felt so welcome. I noticed a sign with the words “Jesus is Coming Soon” on it was mounted on the door along with a plethora of Christ-related messages posted throughout the quaint household. I felt so light because I could feel the presence of God not only in the house, but in the people I was meeting as well. They took us out to eat dinner at a market. There were some similarities to the Thailand markets, but there were a lot more differences. My meal was a mixture of different things (I’m still not exactly sure what I ate, but it wasn’t bad). After we finished eating, some of Pastor Thomas’ friends took us back to Prayma’s house. Everyone we were meeting was so willing to serve us. Kindness exuded from their efforts to get to know us and serve us.
Later in the month, I learned that serving and loving others is how Pastor Thomas, Casori, and everyone else at Bethel Church, show people Jesus. In Malaysia, individuals who are ethnically Malay are not allowed to convert from Islam nor are Christians allowed to evangelize to them or even talk to them about Jesus. Either of these would result in serious jail time. This realization broke my heart, but it didn’t take me long to notice that Jesus was still working in this place despite the harsh laws.
Pastor Thomas told us one night that he is not friends with other pastors in Sungai Petani. Instead, he is friends with gangsters and priests of different religions. I thought this reflected the character of Jesus so well.
On Monday and Wednesday, we get to visit different people from Bethel Church at their homes. The families are kind enough to serve us with an abundant amount of food and allow us to meet in their living rooms. We’re normally greeted with a hug or hand shake and the words “Praise the Lord.” These nights normally consist of sharing messages from the Bible, worshiping the Lord with both English and Malay songs, sharing testimonies, praying over the families, and getting to laugh and chat with them. These nights have held some of my favorite moments of the race so far. They don’t end early though. In Sungai Petani, everyone stays up really late (sometimes I’ll come out to the kitchen around 1:00 A.M. and see Prayma and her family just starting to eat dinner). One of the first questions Pastor Thomas asked me was, “Are you a night owl?” Now I’m starting to understand why.
One night at house church, Casori and I were chatting about life. She began to share her heart for showing love and serving people in order to show Jesus’ love. It was so cool to see her put into words what I had already seen in her, her family, and the church as a whole.
On Thursday and Friday night, there’s normally a church service that goes to about 10 or 11 P.M. I love these nights so much. We start the service with worship. Some of the girls from the church, including my sweet friends Esther, Yelena, and Jessica, do a beautiful tambourine dance along to the worship music. It is such a beautiful, unique way to praise the Lord. We even prepare songs, dances, and messages for most of the services. The way they have invited us into their church family has been so beautiful. Today I heard Pastor Thomas say, “I don’t separate the church from my family.”
Tuesday nights, we have a night of prayer at the church. We split into groups and each covered a prayer point. I was in a group with Grace and Yemema and our prayer point was over declaring Jesus’ name over the territory of the Church and Sungai Petani and praying for any spirits that are not from the Lord to flee from the space. After praying and sharing testimonies, I had an amazing conversation with Yemena. I asked her about what it’s like to live somewhere where she can’t share the gospel with others. She explained that it is hard, but that at school she’ll try and plant seeds by talking about how much fun church is. She also enjoys sharing with her non-Christian friends who aren’t ethnically Malay. Let me say, this girl, along with her best friends Jessica and Esther, are so good at reflecting Christ. The first night we arrived at Bethel Church, they invited us with an introduction that consisted of hugs, a smile, and a sweet “praise the Lord.” When I heard that some of the seeds she planted have already sprouted, I was not surprised. She told me how she invited one of her non-Christian friends to church and that she now comes every now and then and worships. This was so beautiful to me. Throughout the whole conversation, Yemena never doubted that Jesus couldn’t work in this place. Her faith is strong and it reflects the heart of the people here so well.
Monday through Friday, some days we get to go teach at a school for kids with special needs. This has been such a blessing. I’ve grown to love the students so much. Sometimes, we get to sing songs with them. Although the school we’re serving at isn’t Christian, I felt inspired by Yemena’s seed-planting to sing Christian children songs (because remember, simple obedience changes history). Other mornings we have a time of intercession where we ask the Lord what to do and pray over and go for it. Sometimes we go for prayer walks, pray for people we’ve met in Malysia, pray for our squad, or pray for people back home. This time is very spirit-led.
After a few weeks of ministry, the importance of worshiping the Lord through everything has been highlighted over and over again. It’s not hard either. My mind goes back to the simple words, “Praise the Lord.” In a place where Jesus’ name is being pushed aside by the government and the people, it really is an act of boldness to worship him or even say his name. Yet, everyday, my friends that live in Sungai Petani praise his name every time they greet others or leave an event. In a place where those words could put you in prison if they’re said to the wrong person, my friends find comfort and empowerment in them. I am also empowered by their simple acts of courage.
So, for my friends living in a place where there is freedom of religion, don’t forget the significance of these words. Be empowered by my friends, too.
Xoxo Praise the Lord
