I have been looking forward to this month for a very long time. The last time I experienced this was in college, since then I’ve only really been in mostly male environments. This month was WOManistry month! Meaning, that all the guys are on one team this month while all the ladies are placed on all-female teams. I have been so excited for this and I have not been disappointed.
My current team is Diaphora with our wonderful team leader Jessica, squad leader Nikki, Cortney, Amanda, Kristen, Rachel, and Kaila! We are currently serving at St. Nicholas Home in George Town, Malaysia. George Town is on an island with a lot of British history and so we have traveled around the city, exploring heritage sites like St. George’s Cathedral and little India. We also were able to hike in the National Park through Jungles and ending at two gorgeous beaches.
However, as much as I enjoyed the hikes, I have enjoyed the ministry at St. Nicholas’ much more whose motto is “Walk by Faith, Not by Sight”. It is a home and campus for visually impaired people. Many of them live on the site and some have been there their entire life. St. Nicholas is dedicated to teaching them life skills and career sets to help them advanced in the world. Their different ministries include Basket weaving, a Pastry course, a IT course, Braille, the Library, The Deaf Blind and Multi-Handicapped (DBMH), Taska, trainees exercise, and much more. They even help out with another local ministry called KAWAN which serves breakfast and lunch every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday to homeless people or to those who are struggling. At night KAWAN also reaches out to the prostitutes in the area.
I got to help out in several areas such as KAWAN. I spent time at DBMH which help young kids to teenagers learn basic skills. Diaphora was able to join the kids on an outing to a local park with swimming pools. There was so much joy on their faces and they were all having a grand time. We loved it! In Braille the staff create braille books for the blind; we were able to help copy English lessons for them and help transcribed books onto the computer. At the end those who worked in Braille blessed us with bookmarks with the alpha bet and numbers in Braille! I am excited to learn.
On of the places I helped out a lot as was the Pastry course. The Pastry course is for those who are low vision and is one year long. In the course they learn how to make a wide variety of foods such as cakes, donuts, pizza, rolls, breads, and pies. The goal is to be able to obtain a job in the work field and provide for themselves. At the beginning of this September, St. Nicholas is hosting a carnival to help raise awareness and money for the home so the Pastry class is preparing 300 chicken pies for it. Shuting, Ee, Won, Uwana, and I have been making chicken filling, rolling out crust, and creating little individual pies to sell at the Carnival. I know the recipe by heart now. They’re all so sweet and the pastries they make are delicious. Everyday they have a smile on their face and are always laughing. I have really enjoyed my time with them and will miss them when we leave on Tuesday.
Th other place I really enjoyed helping out in was the Library. There was always so much stuff to do in the Library but it was such a calm, tranquil place. My teammates and I found it a great place to hold excellent conversations and get to know each other better. We labeled books, entered book information onto the computer, organized and stacked cassette tapes, sorted out fiction and non-fiction books, and helped reorganized the Library. To be honest, it helped me rediscover my love for the Library. I used to go all the time in school but I stopped when I left school. I love libraries and I love books so I’m glad I was able to help in this ministry and learn more about it.
This month, with team Diaphora and St. Nicholas has definitely been a blessing for me. I loved getting to know the residents and the staff at the different ministries sights. Everyone is so joyful, positive, caring, and their stories are amazing. They made me feel right at home! I pray that the Lord blesses the upcoming carnival. I will miss them so much!
Currently, I am $1800 away from being fully funded! Praise the Lord! However, I still need to raise another $600 of that $1800 by September 1st to be able to stay on the Race. Please prayer fully consider supporting me either through prayer or through funds. If you would like to donate, you can either click the link underneath my profile that says “Support Me!” or you can click here. Thank you for all your support and prayers! They are deeply appreciated and felt!
