Time is gold, Babes
I didn’t know the truth behind this statement when it was being said to me the first time. I didn’t know how this phrase would become our team’s motto for Malaysia.
The moment this phrase was said is one of my favorite memories from my time in Malaysia. I was in a big old 15 passenger van riding back from Taiping back to SP. It was past 2 am and i was sitting in the very back next to Ronald, one of the Raj brothers, and my teammate Mackenzie. We had participated in a Hindu engagement party because the man who was getting married didn’t have the support of his family. So in typical Raj family fashion, they offered to step in as his family even despite the difference in religion.
Also in typical World race fashion, God usually presents you with ministry opportunities at the weirdest time. Here I was, in the back of a van at 2 am, hearing all about Ronald’s past and his testimony. What started as a few simple questions launched into hours long of conversation about mistakes, alcohol, nearly dying, and second chances. He opened up to my teammate and I, letting us into his heart and his story. I spent the time we had together pouring into him and pointing him back towards the Lord.
That day had been long, and Ronald was nearly passing out from exhaustion. I kept telling him it’s okay to sleep, just take a nap. And he looked at me and said, “No. Time is gold Morgan. And we don’t have a lot of time.” And Ronald was right. Our time in Malaysia flew by. And the main reason for that is because of The Babes.
The babes is our crew name. Babe is a name the guys in Malaysia will call the friends, of either gender, kinda like the word bro. You can imagine our reaction the first time so grown Indian men were calling us babe. But the babes have changed my life.
Time was gold with them. It was filled with memories and moments that I never want to forget. I will never forget the time they showed up at midnight and said lets go for a long drive. That night turned into an all-nighter where we ended up on some random person’s house boat on a river.
I never want to forget all the nights that we stayed up playing music and just jamming. Al the times we literally never slept. I’ll never forget all the road trips we went on and all the places we spontaneously went. From 711 to the church, to Berjaya, or to down town SP. I’ll never forget all the long talks we had about life, love, culture, faith, and how great our God is.
I’ll never forget Rachel telling us that we were her sisters and that she wants us to come back for her wedding. I’ll never forget Joshua telling me that I was his partner in crime because we always had so much fun together and joked so much about breaking rules. I’ll never forget Adam telling us that he knows in his heart that he has seen the best the world race has to offer and to remember to come home. I’ll never forget Ronald telling me that God was using me in his faith.
I’ll never forget our last weekend with them. How they took us to Penang for the whole weekend. And how they didn’t make any reservation to stay anywhere because we literally didn’t sleep. I’ll never forget how we stayed up all night on the beach, and how we all shared testimonies of the time we spent together.
And I will never forget watching every single one of them cry as they talked about us leaving. As they talked about each one of us individually, how we each impacted their lives. How God had used each of us to minister to them, to befriend them, and to love them. It was so apparent that night that these people really and truly know us. They know who we are and the love who we are.
I can’t tell you how many laughs I shared with these people. I can’t tell you how many hours of sleep I lost because of these people. I can’t tell you how hard it was to say goodbye to some of the best friends I’ve ever made. And I can’t tell you how much these people changed my life. I have found a family with these people. I am known by these people. I am loved by these people.
It’s these relationships that will withstand the test of time and distance. Because it’s relationships brought together by the good Lord. And Just like Ronald always says, “God is great.”
