MALAYSIA. (Specifically Changlun, Malaysia)
A country that I never imagined even vacationing in but am now living in! (Shoutout to my supporters who made this possible!)
The Lord has already blessed me immensely here in Malaysia with an AMAZING host family! Pastor Thomas and his family will stop at nothing to try and bless us in every way possible. They surprise us with afternoon tea, ice cream, and traditional foods all the time! (It’s a good thing my team really likes food!) They go out of their way to have a special worship service in English for us every week. They give us extra fans to try and help keep our home cooler. They plan a vacation to Langkawi island for our team. They even show up at our house at midnight on Christmas day just to surprise us with little presents for the very first minute of Christmas!
Pastor Thomas is a man who clearly seeks after the Lord day in and day out. He’s willing and excited to share his love for God with anyone willing to listen. He loves to joke around with us- his favorite joke so far is showing up unexpectedly, acting very serious like we have to go because something is wrong, and then he surprises us with tea at his house! He wants to communicate clearly with us and build relationships that won’t just last these 3 months but that will last a lifetime.
Shamala, his wife, is a beautiful example of a woman of God. She is always looking for ways to serve us and is so kind hearted and gentle spirited. She tends to work behind the scenes for the ministry and The Worship Center but without her it all seriously wouldn’t even be possible. She’s hardworking and humble. She isn’t the most talkative but when she does speak up it is powerful and meaningful. She always greets us with a smile on her face and she also just reminds me a lot of my own Mom!
Zach. Zach is 13 years old and a leader just like his father. The younger kids all look up to him (more than he knows) and he is able to influence a room of people like no 13 year old I have ever seen before. He also has such a willing spirit. He is always willing to take yet another picture for us, help us translate, help rangle in a room full of kids, and is even willing to preform for everyone in The Worship Center by playing piano or putting on a dance with the other children (most 13 year old boys I know are “too cool” for that)!
Misha. Misha is 11 years old and a lot like her mom! She isn’t the loudest in the room but once you start talking to her it is hard to stop because she is so funny and kind spirited! She is always smiling and loves dancing around the room with me to whatever music is playing!
Felicia. Felicia is 6 years old and has lots of spunk! She loves Frozen, dancing around like crazy, chasing you around the room trying to tickle you, and making funny faces. She isn’t afraid to speak up or to just be herself- even in a room filled with 20+ people!
This family truly makes living here 100 times easier!
Life here is what I imagined the race to be like. We’re living on the top floor of a kindergarten (sleeping on our sleeping pads), and we eat our breakfast on a 5 year old sized table with little plastic chairs. We have no wifi at our house and have to walk 15 minutes to the KFC to get a good connection (I’ve never been known by face at a fast food joint!). There isn’t much to do in this little town except go to the grocery store, but I couldn’t be more thankful for the lack of distractions!
For the past month God has been calling me into a more intimate relationship with him. To just sit with him in silence and listen, to worship him daily, and to read my bible everyday consistently. When there are distractions around it is easy for that time to pass quickly, but without the distractions I truly do have time to sit and be with him without feeling overwhelmed with everything else I need to do.
Please be praying for my team and I as we continue to adapt to our new home and that we’d be a light to those around us.
Please be praying for our host family- that the Lord would bless them and their ministry.
Please be praying for my squad as we all are adapting to life with new teams, new hosts and new ministries.
(I’ll be posting a blog specifically about my new ministry next week so stay tuned!)
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Lots of Love,
Kelly
