After a challenging, stretching month, we bid farewell to beatiful Thailand and boarded a plane to our next destination: Malaysia. This was our next leg: to race the other teams to the base of the tallest twin towers in the world, the Petronas Towers of Kuala Lumpur.
We arrived late afternoon, set our watches forward one hour, then jumped in a taxi with all our belongings stuffed into the trunk. Our taxi driver turned off the main thouroughfare to take us on a shortcut – a gamble that didn’t pay off when we got stuck in rush hour traffic that could rival that of Los Angeles. At long last we made it to the towers, not far behind the other teams, but far behind enough to capture fourth place for the red team.
Once the heat of the race was over, we stopped to look around, take some pictures, and explore the mall at the base of the towers. It still suprises me how similar big cities all are – other than a few signs in different languages, most things are pretty much the same.
That evening we checked into a backpacker’s inn: a budget hostel right in the middle of Chinatown, surrounded by fruit markets and vendors hawking watches and purses, as well as quirky members of the traveling community.
Unfortunately, the heat and traveling have taken a bit of a toll on our health. Dehydration is a constant battle, and last night Gary came down with a fever. He’s hot, tired, and achy, and generally feeling under the weather. After moving to a better room, he’s been able to rest more comfortably. If his fever continues however, or gets worse, we’ll take him to the doctor to get checked out before our next leg of travel.
Please continue in prayer for our health, for spiritual wisdom and strength, and for our upcoming time of ministry in India. We have many challenges before us. As we begin our fifth month, we are finding that the world race honeymoon is coming to a close. We are being tested, pysically and spiritually, but want to perservere and succeed in the months ahead. I am holding on to the promise of James Chapter One, which says:
Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, for when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those that love Him.
