I always make lofty goals for the number of blogs I plan on writing at the beginning of each month. But here I find myself on our last full day at our ministry site in Changlun, Malaysia…blog-less.
So since you missed out –
HERE ARE THE HIGHLIGHTS…
1. WE OFFICIALLY PASSED THE HALFWAY MARK OF THE RACE
The list of the countries I’ve been to is now longer than the list of the countries we are going to…I only need one hand to count the number of countries left…Cambodia, India, Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda.
I don’t even know how to put my thoughts into words on this one.
On one hand it feels like the light at the end of a very long tunnel is beginning to look a little brighter.
On the other hand, I have started to get a bit panicky every night before going to bed. I wonder if I have made the most of that day as they are starting to feel very numbered.
As excited as I am to get home and see my family and friends, it is accompanied by an overwhelming fear that this incredible journey is now more than halfway done.
2. I BECAME A DAYCARE WORKER
This month Team Shiloh and Shekinah lived in Changlun…a tiny, forgettable town on the border of Malaysia and Thailand. Our contact was Pastor Thomas who runs a community kindergarten and daycare program with his family. Malaysia is on the verge of becoming a closed country. Evangelizing to Muslims is against the law here, and it could get you thrown into prison without a trial. Running the school provides him with an opportunity to build relationships within the community. He hopes to eventually share the gospel with the people of Changlun and plant a church in the future. We got to visit and pray with some of people in the community that Thomas has made connections with…
BUT most days were just spent working in the kindergarten.
DAYCARE – Doing homework!
ESL Class – Teaching prepositions…jumping "over" the ball!
3. WE CELEBRATED VALENTINE’S DAY!
I have learned a lot about love this month. What it means to be loved and how to love others. I learned that the only reason I am able to truly show love is because Christ loved me first…He loved me when there was absolutely nothing in me worth loving. I learned how His perfect example of unfailing, unchanging and unconditional love is the only example of love worth imitating. The man I marry one day is going to have a lot to live up to.
I have always discarded Valentine’s Day as a commercialized Hallmark holiday, but this year felt different. The girls and I had such a great night. We all got dressed up, had a little chocolate, played a few games, and were surprised with video messages from our families…(Have I mentioned how much I LOVE my family?) We also reflected on the fact that the CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE has called us His BELOVED…Valentine’s Day doesn’t get much sweeter than that.
4 …AND CHINESE NEW YEAR!
On our first weekend off, we visited some of the teams who have been staying in the city of Penang for the month. (Most of our El Salvador “family” was reunited!) The highlight of the weekend for me was sitting on the roof overlooking the city watching the fireworks light up the night sky.
5. I FOUND OUT MY MOM IS COMING TO AFRICA! (Well…maybe)
We got an email from Adventures in Missions this month telling us that we will to be able to invite our parents to spend a week with us in Kenya. Ahhhhhhhhh.
Okay…I am not going to get carried away here, as it is probably a long shot….BUT it has officially been bumped to the top of my prayer list.
The thought of having my mom join me on the mission field makes my heart beat a little faster…so please add it to your prayer list too.
(Nudge nudge, Mom…I know you are reading this!)
6. I SAW A STALAGMITE AND AN 8 FOOT SNAKE IN THE SAME AFTERNOON.
Pastor Thomas took us on a hike through a cave this past weekend. We hired a guide named ‘Tiger’ who led us down a metal staircase into what appeared to be a bottomless pit. Five minutes into the hike we stumbled upon an 8 foot boa constrictor in a dark corner of the cave…Tiger didn’t seem to be worried, so we kept going. We squeezed through tight holes, made our way across an underground river (barefoot I might add…in the dark…not long after seeing the snake), banged our heads on stalagmites, and disturbed a family of sleeping bats.
If you aren’t claustrophobic, don’t mind the dark, and enjoy reptiles – I highly recommend it.
Heading into the black hole…
I’VE BEEN TEMPTED TO BREAK THE RULES.
We were given a lot of rules regarding ministry at the beginning of this month.
Pastor Thomas did not want his personal ministry here to be compromised…so if we were ever asked, we were instructed to tell people that we were here in Malaysia to teach English…that was it. We were never to tell anyone that we were involved with the World Race…we weren’t allowed to read our Bibles or play worship music outside…Most importantly, we were always to be aware that telling a Muslim about Jesus is against the law. Following the rules meant keeping the reason I get up in the morning and the reason I have any hope in my life a secret.
I don’t think you realize how free you are until that freedom is taken away. I spent this month falling on my knees in regret of every opportunity I had in the past to share the gospel that I too easily passed up.
I’ve spent a lot of time wondering if I even understand at all what it means to be a true follower of Christ. I can read, pray, sing and talk about my faith all day, but when it comes down to it, am I really living it out? I think if I could understand what spending an eternity in hell actually meant, I would be a rule breaker.
If I had even a glimpse of the glory of God, I would be proclaiming his name from the rooftops.
My prayer this month has been for God to take away my unbelief…to completely remove the staleness in my heart that hinders me from taking Him seriously.
SO HERE WE ARE…
6 DOWN, 5 TO GO.
I'll see you in Cambodia…
LOVE in HIM,
Laura. x
