Hey! How’s it goin? It’s been awhile, and thats my fault because I’m terrible about blogging.. I just begun my 3rd month here in Malaysia, ultimately with only 3 weeks left before I go to Africa and get to see my mom at Parent Vision Trip! (25 days and counting..) I’ve been living on an island called Penang for the past 2 months. We live at one of the YWAM bases here. We have been spoiled with air conditioning, running and warm water, Western Toilets, a kitchen(+filtered water!), comfortable beds and even little closets with hangers! (Its the little things..<3) I LOVE Penang so much! One thing I love is that Asia in general is that it’s so entirely different from what we are used to in the US. The culture is very diverse here. They call Malaysia the cultural melting pot of Asia. The 3 main people types are Malay Malaysians, Chinese Malaysians and Indian Malaysians. the 4 main religions are Islam(over 60%), Buddhism, Hinduism and Christianity(under 9%). The Malay’s (by law) are required to be Muslims their whole life. There is no way out. Anyone who converts to Islam are also required to be muslim the rest of their life. If you marry a muslim, you then must convert over. All this makes it illegal to share Christ with the muslims. Making Malaysia almost like a closed country.
Malaysia has more public holidays then most anywhere else in the world. Currently I have experienced Christmas, New Years, Thiapusam (3 day long Hindu festival), and Chinese New Year (2 weeks long), with a few more holidays to come.. There is always a reason to party here.
I am amazed at the place God has put me. I have such an outstanding team of 6 other awesome woman of God and we have such great ministries here that keep us on our toes.
-3 days out of the week we teach english at a refugee school. My teammate Mafer and myself get to teach Pre-K and Grade 1! They are such a hand-full, but are the best kids I have ever met. God has taught me so much patience through teaching these kids. At times we will be teaching about 45 kids at a time, ages 4-10YRS. The kids are beautiful, smart, and beyond adorable!
-2 days out of the week we tutor and teach english with a program called J-Kids. I have formed a friendship with a 12 year old girl who I still can’t understand her name, but she is fantastic! She has such good english making it easy to talk to her. She makes me bracelets, takes selfies and is always wanting to hear about america and where I come from. No words can describe her.
-2 days out of the week we also work at a coffee shop called Rejoyce Cafe. We do anything from washing dishes, baby sitting, making food and coffee, to sitting down and talking with the owners. Its pretty chill and laid back.
-1 night a week we do street outreach with YWAM. Its basically going out wherever the Lord leads us to talk to people, and if opportunities open up then we are able to share Jesus with them.
-Last but not least, 2 nights a week we attend the Penang House of Prayer (PenHOP). PenHOP is absolutely amazing. We come together multiple times a week for personal prayer and corporate prayer and worship. The things they are doing for Malaysia is so inspiring. They all have such a huge boldness and faith in the Lord. God has done awesome things through them and I get to be a part of the revival of Malaysia! How cool!!
My favorite thing about Malaysia has got to be the people we have encountered. Every single person I come across has such a loving and compassionate heart. Everyone has welcomed us and made us feel cozy and at home. The church we have been attending is a greatest example of living like Jesus Christ. They truly care, love and lead the way He would. I can’t even completely explain the people. They are just amazing and have something special about them. They are nothing like most people you come across in america. They are the real deal and have to live by trust and faith every single day. I can’t wait to come home and apply all that they have taught me to my every day life and relationships!
Malaysia has brought many many struggles and the spiritual warfare is beyond real here. Never have I ever been this attacked before. I’ll stop here and save all that for my next blog that will be coming right after this.
Please pray for my squad as we finish out our last 3 weeks and move on to Africa! I know its going to be extremely hard leaving here and i dread the day that it comes. Also please pray that all attacks from the enemy stay clear from us and that we can finish out the plans God has for out time left in Penang!
