On The World Race, lots of things change and are hardly ever what you expected. However, the change is almost always good and better than you expected anyway.
Case in point:
The plan was to be in Malaysia for Month 5. We expected to work with Malays. We expected to learn a little Bahasa Melayu (the language commonly known as Malay.) We expected to be working with people who practice Islam.
Instead, we’re in Malaysia getting a jumpstart on Month 11 in India! We’re working with an Indian contact, Pastor Yesu. Yesu (which means Jesus!) has had a ministry among the Indian population here longer than most of my team has been alive. He is boldly proclaiming the gospel in a closed country and has a heart for teaching and discipling us. We’re learning Tamil, an Indian language in this area, and Indian customs while reaching out to families who primarily practice Hinduism. Our days are filled with house visits, prayer meetings and working the land for a building project that will house a parsonage, missionary housing, church and prayer and multipurpose rooms. We offer free tutoring twice a week for primary students in English and mathematics where we end up learning a little Malay, the official language that is taught in schools. On Fridays, we help with a program for students at the Chinese church where our English is translated to Mandarin and Malay and we share the gospel with children from Buddhist families. All the while, we’re building relationships with the Muslim Malays who work near our lodging and jump at opportunities to share the gospel in testimonies and one-liners dropped in casual conversations.
This experience is nothing like we imagined. It is so much more diverse and beautiful than I could have ever hoped. It’s been hard, but so good. ..not to mention, the air-conditioned bedrooms complete with real beds are a nice break from sweating it out on the sleeping pad month after month! God is blessing us SO much!
“…Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put in your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.” -Luke 6:38
Jenn Dannelley
