Malaysia Wrap Up
(written from the Kuala Lumpur airport, somewhere around 3 am, March 31st)
Month **6** has officially come to a close this evening, as the clock keeps ticking into the early hours of the morning here at the Kuala Lumpur airport.
McDonald’s isn’t the most ideal location to camp out for a night, but when you’re on the road, living out of a backpack, something unimaginable happens: these golden arches actually become a place of luxury, where you can freely not only connect to the internet, but you can plug your computer in as well. The coffee is bottomless, and the air-conditioning (which has become more rare than precious stones over the past few months), actually has the ability to make you *cold*, a sensation I’ve come to miss since leaving the US in October. (Ahh… I can’t wait to return to WINTER weather!)
Our month started off with a week of relaxation in the small costal city of Kuala Trengganu. It was here our weary travel-exhaused aching bodies found a place of rest and rejuvenation. We had the blessing of being introduced to the Isaacs family, who we quickly learned, were *our* family as well. I don’t know if I’ve ever experienced a family more open and loving upon a first meeting! We were often invited over for meals at their house, which meant an array of amazing spices and flavors, and that you would surly walk away in a daze only comparable to one brought about after a Thanksgiving day feast. “Tea time” wasn’t much different!
It was here in Kuala Tregganu I had the joy of doing something I’ve been missing for a long time: singing.
Our second Sunday there, the each person on the team shared a little something about the trip thus far, and Josh & I shared a song offering. (***Video to come in my next blog!***) I can’t even express how good it felt to utilize this God-given gift once again!
Our group with Nadine & “Auntie Grace” Isaacs in K.T.!
After our week in KT, we spent the next two in a small town called Bukett Tinggy. ( About 45 minutes bus from Kuala Lumpur) It was here that we found ourselves dodging leeches and mosquitoes hauling bamboo through the malaysian jungle to help a local pastor with his organic farm. We attempted to build relationships with the Burmeese workers, but often found the process frustrating because of how little English they knew. The manual labor, in all honesty, exhausted us. It was a battle to maintain joy when it was difficult at times to remember the value of what we were doing there. On our last day, some of my teammates took the workers lunch, and had the opportunity of sharing the *real* reason we were there working on the farm with them- because of the love of Christ. They had the opportunity to chat with us through translators, and ask us questions, and share with us more about themselves. It was that moment, all of the farm work seemed to be worth the leech bites!
moving bamboo!~
As for now, I find myself in Phenom Penn, CAMBODIA! ! !
More to come on what we’re doing here, but in the meantime, I can tell you that God knew just what team PNEUMA was in need of! ! !
Grace. Peace. LOVE!
