Shanti doesn’t need a key to Tabernacle of Glory Church. It’s practically a second home to her. She swings open the door with one hand; the other carries a large paper shopping bag. She sets it down and heads for the kitchen to join her homemade curry dish with the others. She is tidying up, making last minute preparations, when we walk out of our cozy 10x14ft room.
She greets us with an eager smile and hurries over to her paper shopping bag. We watch in awe as she carefully pulls out the fabrics. They are special to her; you can tell by the way she tenderly holds each piece. The fabrics are each a different mixture of colors and details. One is a rosy pink color with intricate beadwork decorating the ends. The next holds splashes of deep orange and burgundy, reminding me of my favorite season…autumn. As she lays out the numerous fabrics for us to see, we stare in excited amazement.
We’re going to wear authentic Indian saris to church!
With Jenny (left) and Shanti (right) after they helped me put on my sari. I loved it so much…I wish I could get away with wearing one in America!
Our month in Malaysia was filled with cultural experiences and opportunities for close community. The country’s population is made up of 30% Indian, 30% Chinese, and 40% Malay. Our ministry was with Tabernacle of Glory Church, a small Indian church just outside of Malaysia’s capital city. Not only were we able to adorn traditional Indian saris to church, we also feasted on homemade curry potluck dinners, sang worship songs in Tamil and spent an afternoon Punjabi shopping in Little India. Our church family was so generous and gladly welcomed us into their church and culture as one of their own.
The seven of us shared a small 10x14ft room in the church, where our sleeping pads were laid out strategically, to avoid bursting personal “bubbles.” Our ministry consisted of helping Tabernacle of Glory in a variety of ways:
Team Wellspring…
-Painted the new sister church’s walls a lovely holy-ghost-white.
-Hosted a kid’s Bible camp for the church’s orphanage. Our theme was Daniel and the Lion’s Den!
-Led an entire church service by ourselves – sermon, worship and testimonies!
-Attended spirit-filled prayer meetings, where God spoke in both English and Tamil.
-Taught silly games and led Bible studies with church members and the youth group.
-Decorated over 100 Easter eggs to give out as gifts to everyone after the Easter service.
Not sleeping during an overnight kid's camp at the church (left). Making lion mask crafts with the kids…I made one too! (middle). The team painting Easter eggs for Easter Sunday…tough ministry! (right)
It was such a blessing to serve and become a part of Tabernacle of Glory’s community. As much as we are here on the Race to pour out ministry, I felt like our sweet church family poured so much into us. It amazed me that, although we are so different culturally, having the Holy Spirit in common with these folks provided such a deep and natural connection. I am forever blessed by my brothers and sisters in Malaysia!
