Malaysia has been so amazing! We are only 2 weeks in and so far this has been my favorite month. It’s been full of wonderful people and delicious food, could you ask for more! This month I’ve had the opportunity to do a lot of work with a homeless shelter here in Penang. We’ve also been doing a lot of disaster relief with the refugees, due to the terrible floods that have happened here.
It has been some of the hardest and most rewarding work I’ve had the pleasure of doing. Getting to know these families and see all that they have lost has been beautiful and heart wrenching. The refugee crisis is a growing one here in Malaysia. Each day we hear stories of how refugee families got here, all they had to go through, and all they are still going through and it is a tough one to stomach. It’s easy to ignore issues like this one when you only hear about it in the news or see a few pictures in a book but seeing it first hand, there is no ignoring it. You can’t overlook a starving child starring you straight in the eyes or a mother begging for food for her family suffering from malnutrition. No, that is something that is forever imprinted on my heart. That is something I still see each time I close my eyes, there is no forgetting.
In the midst of loss and heartache I have also witnessed such beauty and what true resilience looks like. These are some of the most beautiful people with some of the biggest hearts. I have met children with rougher stories than you could even imagine and yet they have the most joy. Being here has been one of the most eye-opening and best experiences ever, I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to serve here.
I can’t believe I only have 2 more weeks in Penang, there is so much to be done, so many people to help, and not enough hours in the day. I know God will help me to give all that I have while I am here and He will put people here to help after we leave. This is a city asleep but I can see the Lord moving here, I can feel the change in the air.
Also I am still fundraising, I only have 13 days until I have to be fully funded and I have $4,200 left to raise. I would love for you to prayerfully consider donating to my journey and if you feel called to do so you can donate through the home page of my blog. Other ways you can help are through prayer. Prayer for my team, our ministry and the people here. Thank you so much for all of your help!
