Hello friends! A lot happened this month and I’ve decided to just recap it really quick. So being in Malaysia was interesting and hectic as well. Hectic in the sense that there was much to do with different ministries and at the same time, a lot of moving around because we didn’t have a stable place to stay in. This month, we were able to work together alongside another team of ours and get to learn from them. The main organization we worked alongside is called YWAM (Youth with a Mission) and they assigned two ministries opportunities that we worked with, children’s ministry and a Christmas play ministry. There would be certain days out of the week that we would go do that specifically but on top of that, we also had other side ministry such as Kawan, a ministry that feeds the homeless and shares the gospel with them. We also partnered with a church and helped them do youth camp for three days which was such a blessing since I couldn’t go to the one my youth group has. We also helped a family move and we also moved around ourselves a few times. We helped clean and prepare one of the houses we moved into for future missionaries. And one of my favorite things we did was a flash mob/choir!
It was a very busy month but so rewarding! In Malaysia, there are two law systems. One for people who are 100% Malay and another for everyone else. You are only Malay if your bloodline is Malay. It doesn’t matter if you were born in Malaysia, that doesn’t qualify you to be Malay. If you are Malay, by law, you are Muslim and are not granted the freedom of religion. Meaning, if you are Malay, by law your religion is Islam and you cannot leave Islam. If you are not Malay but a Chinese-Malay for example, it is okay for you to follow whatever religion you want. However, the minute you decide to follow Islam, you will be charged by law as any other Malay would. This makes it difficult to share Jesus with people, especially if you are caught, you could be deported. However, we were blessed that we were there in the month of December. People from the churches we would help out told us Christmas time is the one time they can share Jesus in the open and not get in trouble. That flash mob/choir we got to take part in, we performed at the mall and the end were able to pass out gospel tracks to people who stayed and watched. Everyone at the mall was able to hear the good news about Jesus and it was completely okay because it was a “Christmas” performance.
Over all, this month was filled with blessings and I wouldn’t change anything from what we did. We made tons of friends and grew closer as a team and even had a Christmas dinner together! The one thing I learned this month, the importance of rest. Since we did many different things and our schedule was all over the place, I never really had time to rest. I struggled with resting at home so I’m used to being busy, but this month I really learned the importance of needing rest. Knowing that at the end of the month I don’t go home but move to another country to continue what I’m doing, made me realize how much I just wanted a day to rest and prepare for the next month but it wasn’t something we had. I’m currently at the airport waiting to go to Africa, and I hope resting is something I am able to learn to do while I’m there. Something I didn’t mention, was how many times I got sick in Malaysia. It seems like every time I travel I get sick, so just keep my heath in your prayers. It’s never anything serious, but it definitely sucks carrying a 40lb back back and a 20lb day back around when you’re sick. Love you guys and I’ll talk to you from Africa!
