Wrapped up like the best Christmas present ever! Let me tell you why…
PT and his family are by far the most incredible people you could ever run into throughout the whole country of Malaysia. My team has made it back to KL for our mini-debrief before heading into month 5 Japan. Looking back over our time in Malaysia, I couldn't help but realize how blessed we were to have spent time in a small border town in northern Malaysia with the sweetest family to grace my life in a long time.
PT, his wife S, and their three adorable and incredible children Z, M & F were the perfect splash of life and family- love we needed for a month of holiday season. Typically, in my American life, I would have been headed home (probably home all month) to hang out with my awesome parents, my three sisters, my cousin & her tiny baby who live down the street, my grandparents who live a couple blocks away and a just your usual family reunion every night to celebrate the fact that everyone is so close all the time. I would even make my usual trip out to San Diego to visit the other half of my family, my parents, my brother and sister, my grandparents that also live a couple blocks away and my aunt & cousins. Christmas time for me inevitably equals family all around. On my street, in my car, in my house and even in my bed (my littlest sister loves "christmas sleepovers").
I wasn't sure how I was going to cope with this month not having my usual family around. Another kicker was that we had to walk 20 minutes to get internet in a town that doesn't open until around noon anyways, making our 14 hour time difference impossible to schedule good communication with my family halfway around the world. I didn't get to skype in to see faces on Christmas, I didn't really get to tell my brother or my dad happy birthday. I didn't talk to anyone on New Years. It felt so weird and distant.
But to be honest, I was soaking up every second of our time in Malaysia. Sure, God didn't let me be home this holiday season, but that didn't mean that I didn't have family. First of all, my team- Peculiar Treasures, is my family. We laugh, we cry, we dance and sing, we talk about deep things and silly things and we love really really well even through the hard times. Our team was also partnered with another team- Fearless Unity- they gave us an even bigger family to laugh with and celebrate with. PT and his family were just the people we needed as well. They poured into us, the sought us out and prayed over us. They encouraged us and welcomed us into their home and their lives. God showed me I wasn't missing my family at all this Christmas, I was just gaining 16 new people!
Our Christmas in Malaysia will probably be one of the most peculiar, but one of the best memories. We exchanged secret santa gifts between teams. Small gifts just to know we are loved, but mine was the best!! We sang "We Wish You A Merry Christmas" to our friends at the white tent restaurant, our nightly food spot. They gave us free hot chocolate to-go in a bag, so we walked ourselves home, changed into our pj's and watched "It's A Wonderful Life" by our Christmas tree. We awoke Christmas Day for some morning worship and thanksgiving over what The Lord has done, and how blessed we are to be traveling the world seeing His Kingdom. And we finished off the day with a huge Indian meal at the home of PT with his family! I've never eaten curry with my hands at Christmas, but it was one of the best meals I've ever had- it put us into the usual Christmas Day food nap.
Though things were different this month, I loved every part of it. I loved my team. I loved our tiny house with no furniture. I loved our tiny town where everyone knew who we were and where we lived… that's what happens when you're the only white people within 100 miles. I loved our Christmas celebrations and I absolutely love the new people I can add to my list of family.
The Lord is good and He knows what He is doing all the time. Though things are different that what we might have thought it should be, and though it may be a struggle to see the blessings before you, God desires good things for us. Really really good things- like the best Malaysian Christmas ever.
Cheers to a Merry Christmas, to a new year and new seasons!! Blog to come about all things new on the race!
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For those of you praying along our journey, please add PT & his family to your list of people to remember. They are an incredible family, led by the spirit in every way and a huge blessing to everyone they come in contact with. They love The Lord and have chosen to follow Him wherever He is calling. They left friends and family behind to move to a tiny town and start a kindergarten. They are meeting much opposition and hardships, being some of the handful of Christians in the town and not having a real church to find community. The Lord is blessing them for their faithfulness, but pray for their continued joyful spirits and perseverance!
