Penang, Malaysia - Explore Archived World Race Alumni Blogs

From Indonesia we flew to Malaysia. Our time in Malaysia was a blast. I loved it because it reminded me of the United States. The grocery store in Kuala Lumpur had so many American products. It was like a breath of fresh air walking up and down the isles and seeing all the products that reminded me of home. We spent a couple days in Kuala Lumpur where we rested and had some teachings. From Kuala Lumpur made our way south to Singapore. Haley had a connection in Singapore that had recently moved there and they welcomed our team for about a week and a half.

I won’t forget my time in Singapore. The Kraft’s blessed us so much with their giving spirit and it was truly an encouragement. I continue to be humbled by everyone who has given to my squad and I this year.

During my time in Singapore, I came across one of Mr. Kraft’s books, called The Servant: A simple story about the true essence of leadership. It was a great read and I would recommend it to anyone.

I’ll leave you with my favorite quote…

“If indeed we have a Father in heaven, and of course I am convinced we do,” Simeon said gently, “doesn’t it make sense that the rule of His house would be to love one another.”

The only negative part of Singapore was Josh was experiencing extreme stomach pain. He tried to fight it off for the first few days but finally decided it was best to go to the hospital to get checked out. Thankfully he went in. He was admitted for the next three nights and four days and diagnosed with pancreatitis.

We supported Joshua as best as we could by going back and forth to see him, but also in prayer as he started wondering if the best decision would be to go home to continue on with a familiar doctor he could follow up with. The Kraft’s were very patient and kind, willing to help with whatever we needed and continued to graciously provide all that they could as we navigated more insurance issues and tried to maintain our daily tasks with our leader in the hospital. Joshua was eventually released but came home with that unshakeable peace that going home was going to be the best option. The news and the decision came as a pretty big shock considering how fast everything happened, but none of us could blame him for deciding to go home. That really seemed like the wisest decision, but that in no way lessened the pain of making an impromptu trip to the airport to see him off. – Haley

I miss having Josh on the Race with us, but I’m happy to know he’s home chasing Jesus and all sorts of things in his pink shirt. He set such a great example for me and I’m looking forward to seeing him again.

After Singapore, we bussed back to Malaysia and stayed in Penang for the rest of our time. Penang was incredible. We arrived and checked into a hostel for a couple days, but we had to find alternative lodging due to the hostel being a little over our budget. As we were looking for new lodging and potential ministry contacts, we came across a YWAM base. We reached out to them and got a response from Ed. Ed is the man and has a great sense of humor. He said he could accommodate us and gave us an orientation of Penang. When we first arrived at the YWAM base, he told the staff we’d be there for 6 months. We reminded him it would only be a couple weeks, and he said he’d burn our passports then. If you’re ever in Penang, Malaysia look him up.

The next couple weeks we worked in a kitchen for the homeless preparing and serving about 150 meals for those in the community. We also taught english at a refugee school and had street ministry opportunities. I spent most of the days working in the kitchen. Those who know my cooking abilities probably find it as humorous as I do. It ended up working out great because of Uncle Ben. Uncle Ben was in charge of running the kitchen and is very good at what he does. Not only is he a great cook, but he empowers everyone in the kitchen to be a good cook. He effortlessly and very patiently showed me how to complete the tasks he had assigned me. My tasks ranged from cutting all sorts of vegetables and on one occasion squid, to serving the plates and then dish and kitchen clean up. It was a blast.

What I admired most about Uncle Ben was his standard for excellence in preparing and serving the food. From how the different ingredients were cut to how the food was presented on the plate, he made sure it was up to his standard. He viewed everyone he served as Jesus and wanted the best for them.

One day, the Fusion guys spent the day helping a missionary family move into their new home. In the morning we took a bus out to the outskirts of Penang and attended a worship service. After worship, we spent about a half an hour praying for Malaysia, its government and youth. I’m excited to see how God continues to work through the church and youth of Malaysia. After the time of prayer, we hopped in the car and met Chris and his family. We spent the rest of the afternoon loading up vehicles, elevators and finally dropping them off at their end destination. Again, I was encouraged to see God’s hand in strategically placing us in Penang to be able to help out our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Malaysia is on the top of the list of countries in Southeast Asia to return to and I’m looking forward to the next opportunity I have to visit the friends in Penang.