1-02pm
With Share-a-thon behind me, the week ahead looks unusually empty in comparison! I have plans though, which I am going to discuss with Pastor Barry as soon as he is able to see me. Exciting stuff that should free up a bit of time for me to do more advertising!
One of the big treats on Friday was a long call from Stacey skyped from her Malaysian digs in Jahore Bahru. I’ve been putting up her photos as she has posted them, but the conversation I had with her on Friday was so enlightening. According to Wiki, 50% of the population of Malaysia are Malay while almost 24% are Chinese. Adrian and Stace are staying way down in the south, closer to Singapore so if they want to nip over to see Adrian’s brother (who is in Singapore) they can. In a few weeks they will travel by train to Kuala Lumpur, which is the capital of Malaysia and more central. Meantime, their current location is rural and poor. When they first arrived they were a bit shocked, because people put all their rubbish out on the street in shopping bags, so there’s rubbish everywhere. After some days the waste truck came and collected it, so the whole place improved and Stacey took some photos. This is their neighbourhood…
They have been eating at local eateries on the Main Rd nearby…
Motorbikes are big form of transport…
She says there is petty crime, but they won’t get mugged! I’m not sure I like that! She said there was a drive-by shooting in another part of Malaysia but it seems to be a ‘hit.’ They have been surprised by the number of nice cars. About 90% of cars they have seen seem to be less than 5 years old. Despite the rural area, internet is really fast and they are able to complete their work efficiently. It’s very warm and they have only been given 2 sheets for their bed (no duvet or blanket). The funny thing is they are both fitted sheets! They went to the 4-storey supermarket across the road and they didn’t have any flat sheets! They also didn’t have sugar! Milk is horribly expensive with fresh milk costing the equivalent of R40 a litre. Long-life is about R14 a litre!
I chatted briefly with Stacey this morning online and she said she was missing church. They had found an Anglican church nearby that had 4 hour long services!! With English spoken a little, perhaps a 4 hour long Malay Anglican service wouldn’t be exactly what they are looking for!
One of the things that A&S have noticed is the number of idols around. With a big Chinese influence, there are buddha-like idols set up in shops & people come and set offerings of food before them. It’s a challenge to try and figure out how to reach these people with the love of Christ. I believe God is going to surprise them with unexpected opportunities.
Proverbs 16:9 says “A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs His steps.”
Today has been a day of rejoicing, rest and recovery. I have just about completed show prep and shortly I am going to set off on a walk.
A sunny Sunday afternoon!
God bless you and have a fabulous week!
In His Grip,
Helga xx 🙂