Port Dickson, Malaysia. The name of this place doesn’t jump out at me. It doesn’t sound like a place of adventure or excitement. When I first heard the name of the destination my team decided to head to for our last handful of days in Malaysia, I shrugged my shoulders and hopped on a train with them, because it just seemed like one spur of the moment last stop for the Magnolias to make on our journey.
We met some incredible people in Port Dickson, people who cared for us and loved us without asking for anything in return- our amazing taxi drivers who stuck with us for the four days we were there to make sure we were always safe, the woman who worked in the lobby of our hotel who always greeted us with a smile and a giggle and helped us order pizza when our phone died, the couple who opened a café/guest house at the beginning of April and made every effort possible to make our Easter away from home special. All of these people made our time in Port Dickson feel like a home away from home.
On Monday, our team arrived back at our hotel after dinner when Becky and I noticed a stunning sunset over the ocean. We ran across the street to try to take photos. There was a slanted wall separating the road from the beach, so we decided to climb up the wall a bit in order to get a photo of us with the sunset in the background. Spoiler alert, it didn’t work.
In the midst of us partaking in this foolishness, we were approached by two young men with cameras. They introduced themselves (Satyaseelan and Surendren) and told us about a project they were working on which involves taking pictures and making short videos of strangers they meet in order to share their stories. Of course we agreed to help them out, so we posed for a picture and told them a bit about what we were doing in Port Dickson.
After sharing some of our journey with them, they asked us if they could film our whole team with each individual sharing pieces of their life as well as some of the different experiences they have had on the Race. We met with them the next day, our last day at Port Dickson, and we each took this as an opportunity to share the Gospel on film. None of us talked about what we were going to share beforehand, but each person on my team decided to use this time to talk about Jesus, about how he loves us enough to die for us, how our pursuit of him, our faithfulness to him, and our desire to share his love with people across the world is the reason we all quit our jobs and left our homes to live out of a backpack for a year.
When we were done filming, we spent a few hours with Satyaseelan and Surendren. We also invited a guy, Iskandar, who works at the local Starbucks we stopped at, because at this point in the Race we literally make friends with people everywhere we go. They took us to a local floral café that opened recently. This is exactly what it sounds like- a café that is covered with flowers. You have to take your shoes off at the door to walk on the soft fake grass floor, and they serve the most delicious waffles I’ve ever tasted. It’s also arguably the most adorable place on the planet.
Satyaseelan and Surendren are both only 18 years old. They met each other in high school and have been best friends for five years. They’ve been dabbling in film for about five years and picked up photography as a hobby four years ago. They decided to initiate their Strangers Portrait Project because they truly understand the importance of other people’s stories. They take the time to notice the people around them. They muster up courage to approach strangers and ask about their lives, because they genuinely care about what they have to say.
They don’t keep these stories to themselves because they recognize the value of people’s experiences and the worth that each life holds on this earth. They appreciate the potential that a strangers story has to impact the life of someone else, so they make a deliberate effort to connect with random people who have something to share with the world. Let me remind you, Satyaseelan and Surendren are only 18 years old. It is absolutely astounding to see two people who have not only interwoven their passion for creativity with their passion for others at such a young age, but have also taken a step outside of their comfort zone to share this passion with the world.
It takes a special kind of person to recognize people in passing, see them for who they are, and validate the fact that they are important just because they are alive. This is something that my squad set out to do in January, and these boys seem to do it so effortlessly. They are Hindu and don’t know Jesus as the savior like we do, but it was impossible for me not to see the love of God shining through their eyes and their smiles.
We were blessed beyond belief throughout the entirety of that day, literally from the moment we woke up to the moment we went to bed. Here’s a look at some of the strangers we me at Port Dickson, and all that we got to do with them that day:
- We went to the Greenhouse Café/Guesthouse for breakfast where we ate Portuguese food. We decided to stay there for our last night at Port Dickson because the owners are amazing, and we were their first ever lodgers. They even gifted us with scarves.
- Our taxi drivers took us to a 5 star hotel, the Lexus Hibiscus, and we took them out to lunch there to spend some extra time with them. It’s a stunningly beautiful hotel, and eating there made us feel like royalty.
- We told the waitress at the hotel how beautiful she was, and her shy smile and giggle made each of our hearts melt.
- We got to talk about God with our taxi driver on the ride to meet Surendren and Satyaseelan. This conversation was actually prompted by our driver when he asked, “Do we own the world, or does the world own us?”
- We were filmed telling our story, which is really just the story of how much we love Jesus. Then Surendren bought me ice cream, which happens to be my all time favorite food.
- We went to Legato Floral and Café with the boys. Satyaseelan taught Becky and I how to take fancy pictures of our food, we ate the world’s best waffles, and we were blessed with a surprise chocolate explosion drink filled with cake, marshmallows, chocolate syrup, oreos, and biscuits. This was given to us from Michelle, the sweetest employee at the café, and potentially the sweetest person in the world.
- Satyaseelan and Surendren voluntarily followed us around the café while we held an impromptu photo shoot and acted as our photographers. The thing about our team is that we absolutely LOVE taking pictures, so it meant the world to us to have someone willing to take pictures of us being weird and goofy (and genuinely enjoy doing it).
- Becky and I went to a restaurant called Hasan Murtabak (recommended by the boys) and ordered the food they suggested- roti and noodles. They wanted us to eat authentic Malaysian food, and it was incredibly delicious. We talked to the chef for a bit after we ate and he even let us film the unique technique he uses to make roti. He was so happy that we took an interest in how he cooks the food that he gave us free Sri Lanka tea, probably the best tea I’ve ever had.
It’s impossible to even describe how much this day meant to me. We got to share the Gospel, spend time in fellowship with one another, bond with the people we’ve built relationships with, and have a ridiculous amount of fun. In a weird kind of way, the World Race is it’s own version of Satyaseelan’s and Surendren’s “Stranger Portrait Project.”We get to travel the world and share people’s stories, and meeting these two awesome guys has encouraged me to continue pursuing the people we meet with nothing but an attitude of love.
I will cherish this day as one of my favorites on the race. God moved in every conversation we had, in every person we met, and he even shifted things within my own heart. Satyaseelan and Surendren are working diligently to share the stories of strangers, but this time, it’s their turn for their story to be heard.
If you’re interested in following our new friends’ budding projects on Instagram and YouTube, feel free to check out their links below:
Instagram:
@satyaseelans
@surendrenn
@thestrangerpp
YouTube Channel:
The Perimeter
