I know it’s already month 11, but the other day I was sitting on the couch in our common area, lost in a book, when I suddenly had what I like to call a “Wizard of Oz” moment. The Islamic call for prayer hit my ears as it blared out of a speaker from a nearby mosque and I had the thought, “I’m definitely not in America.” There are a few things about Malaysia that do remind me of America, especially since I've been thinking of home and what I'll be doing after the race (more info to come on that later), but the sounds I hear outside remind me that it is not. Here you cannot even be heard saying "amen" or "hallelujah" or the name of Jesus in public without taking a risk. If you are caught talking to a Muslim about your christian faith, you will be permanently deported from the country.
A mosque in Malaysia
We’re staying in George Town, Malaysia, on the island of Penang. We are working in several different ministries, I in particular am working at a coffee shop called Just Coffee. We are also working at a homeless center, feeding the homeless, providing clothing, and conversation. And every week we go out into the streets to reach out to various people groups and build relationships with them. The majority of people here in Malaysia are Muslim, the rest are Buddhists/Taoists, or Hindus. It’s illegal to preach Jesus here so we have to be discreet and discerning about when and to whom we share our faith. Mainly we focus on loving the people and becoming their friend.
Kawan means "friend" in Malay
Last week we went out for the first time. At first I was a little apprehensive because I’ve had bad experiences in the past with street evangelism… so I didn’t really know what to expect. I prayed for divine appointments anyways and for God to use me somehow. What happened that night blew my mind…
We were walking around through the alley ways talking and praying for prostitutes and the homeless, when we came across this one lady. Our guide waved at her and she explained that the woman was Deaf which is why we weren’t stopping to talk to her. Suddenly my teammate Chase raised his hand saying, “wait, we know how to sign!”
I didn’t know if she would understand American Sign Language since she was Malaysian, and it had also been about 8 years since I had used the skill but I figured I could give it a try. I was amazed that she actually understood me! I was able to tell her our names, that we were American and asked if she knew Jesus. This was the divine appointment I had prayed for. If I hadn’t been paired up with that particular team I never would have crossed paths with this woman. I didn’t say much to her that night but the fact that God used a skill of mine to connect with a woman from Malaysia – of all places in the world – blew my mind. My plan in learning ASL was to become an interpreter but I decided not to do that after three years of studying it. I never really knew what purpose God had for me in learning it – maybe just to have a skill or to learn it because I had the desire to… but after that night I thought, perhaps God had me learn
ASL for this one purpose – to come all the way across the world to make friends with a poor outcast woman living on the streets of Malaysia to be able to share His love with her. Wow. If Jesus loves this woman that much that He would send a simple Texan girl all the way across the world to pursue her, how deep and magnificent is His love for the rest of us? Not only that but He chose me, of all people, to play a part in a bigger plan of pursuing and reconciling this woman to Him. How crazy is that? Truly everything we do in life, everything God leads us through He is going to use for good! My request to all of you back home is to pray I cross paths with her again next week. I believe the next time I see her I will be more prepared to communicate with her, now that I’ve had some time to refresh my memory of Sign Language. Pray for her as well, her name is Soon.
As for my plans after the race, I will probably need to write a whole new blog about it, but basically I am planning to move to Gainesville, GA at the end of January to be a part of an Adventures in Missions program called “Center for Global Action.” My income for this will need to be support raised, so I will need to do some more fundraising. Not my favorite thing to do, but God confirmed in a big way that He wants me to do this, so I am choosing to trust that He will provide. Maybe through some of you? I will go into more detail in another blog, but consider praying ahead of time about continuing your support of me for next year. Stay tuned for more info!
PS. A video of my month in Cambodia is coming soon, so stay tuned!! Pray I find strong enough internet to upload the video, I know all of you are eager to see it. 😉
