Ministry in Malaysia was to care for the congregants of a Baptist church. Our first week was involvement at a program for the developmentally disabled, as members of the church run the Christian organization that cares for the challenged children and young adults. The staff was so occupied with the schedule of classes that they delegated to us the much needed upkeep for the facilities. The team cleaned and organized the library, cleaned the playground equipment, trimmed trees, as well as created flashcards and other program materials. I also got to give the instructors a presentation on the program I was a part of in North Carolina, which they appreciated for the additional web resources it introduced them to.
In the following weeks we were a part of every ministry at the church. Programs for the children, youth, college students, English classes for adults, care groups, Sunday service participation, prayer nights, VBS prep and our final day at a school for refugee children. Although we were kept very busy preparing for all these activities it was a month of comfort. The people took such good care of us. We were prayed for and loved so well. Experts at hospitality! We had all to ourselves a two story, four-bedroom home, with a fully equipped kitchen, a living room, with couches, TV, and air conditioning. Perhaps that month was meant to give us a glimpse of the transition back to the states. We were spoiled and while a treat after months of hardship I could see the quality of our connectedness suffering. I learned that as we got a little comfy we had to work harder at maintaining our unity as a team. However, we all had the space to think clearly because we weren’t on top of one another. Advantages and disadvantages…
Throughout the month God was teaching me about the importance of our choices, when we have them to make. “Choices are powerful in the midst of options versus no options.” When I was recently watching a documentary, this statement resonated within. Perhaps because I was thinking about whether or not our team would continue to choose one another or it was that I had recently ended a relationship because I was no longer chosen by him but mostly because of the Muslim Malays that we had such limited interaction with. They do not have the choice to convert, it is illegal. While in America there is freedom of religion, many Malaysians are soon to be subject to the death penalty if there is enforcement of the Islamic hudud bill. A bill that is based upon seventh century religious laws and could be imposed by the Sharia courts in all of Malaysia, not just the state of Kelantan where the bill was passed. The bill also requires amputation of hands or feet for theft, beheading or stoning for adultery. Premarital sex and alcohol consumption are also illegal for Malaysian Muslims, with severe punishments such as flogging. While most of these laws are only applicable to Muslims the minorities in the country, the Chinese Malay, Indian Malay and native tribal people as well as tourists are affected. Non-Muslims found facilitating a Muslim in breaking Sharia law may be arrested and fined.
Outside the Sharia courts there are laws that if violated have just as severe consequences as the penalties for Muslims. Anyone who engages in drug trafficking receives the death penalty, and the courts take this law seriously. Those who possess more than seven ounces of marijuana or one-half an ounce of heroin is assumed to be a drug trafficker, and will be tried as such. As a Christian missionary, it was important to observe cautiously the prohibition against the preaching of any faith other than Islam. Anyone found distributing non-Islamic materials, or preaching any non-Islamic doctrine for the purpose of conversion could be arrested and imprisoned.
Crazy stuff! No wonder why we were sent to the church, they are the true missionaries in their own country. We could only come alongside them to encourage them in their faith, lift them up for a time of renewal because of the long haul ahead on a difficult, narrow road marked by the persecution of being faithful to Christ in a land of troubling changes. As a testament to the authenticity of their purpose to glorify God, the congregants gave us what we were sent to give them. It truly was a special month of many blessings and they refreshed me by pouring out His love welled up inside of them. I miss my Melakan friends! May they be well covered in prayer, please continue to lift them up as their country returns to the terrifying traditions of ancient Islamic law.
