Dear, Sungai Petani

I LOVE YOU MALAYSIA!!!

Writing this blog is so bittersweet. My team leaves for Thailand in less than 24 hours, and I have so many mixed emotions about it. For the past 5 week I’ve called a small sanctuary my home, and now I’m having to leave that home to search for another. God was so kind to bless my squad with such a generous host family to be a part of. Although I don’t know if I will ever be able to come back to Malaysia,I know God called me here for a reason and I trust that He will always open up doors if He wants me to come back here. Through all the chaos, God still provided so much peace and joy within all of us, so I thank Him for that! Im going to miss this country so much but I can’t wait to see what else He has in store for us! Now, let’s reflect on some of the awesome things that I got to experience in Malaysia!

WALL OF ENCOURAGEMENT!!!

Through the kindness of God, He really revealed to my squad just how much we struggled with unity. Now, this wasn’t something that was revealed in Malaysia, but it was definitely highlighted whenever we were all forced to live in the same small room together. Our patience was definitely tested, but through that God gave us so many resources to make something fruitful out of the discomfort. Me, Alia, and Ella Whitehead were all asked to be on the Gap M hospitality team. Our job is to create a home-like environment in all places that we’re in and to ensure that everyone feels seen and loved in the ways that they desire. The three of us all really wrestled with how we were going to create a loving place for our squad. Thankfully, our wonderful leader, Lucy, had mentioned the idea of putting envelopes on a wall to put words of encouragement in them. Although this idea sounded so silly in the bringing, it was actually a turning point for our squad. The 3 of us hospitality girlies immediately got to work and made each person an envelope. When we first presented the to the squad, people were skeptical about the idea of writing notes to one another and how effective this would be. But after the first few days it became a natural habit to love one another in that way. This wall held so much love and power. It stretched so many of us in different ways, and ultimately allowed each person to have a glimpse through a letter of just how valued they are. We have decided to bring this encouragement to all places that we stay at! Im so excited to see how much fruit is produced from this, and just to see our unity as a squad grow in this area!

HOUSE CHURCH!!!

Every Wednesday our squad split up between multiple homes to have church with families and build connections with them! I got to be a part of a wonderful team with Alia, Ella Whitehead, and Brandon! We always had such a blast getting to spend this time together. In the beginning our family that we were assigned to was pretty closed off. This made it hard to build even a surface level connection with them, but by the end of it we all became a small little family. Through our studies, we created a vulnerable environment and got to know them on a deeper level. This family actually taught us more than we could for them! Micheal, is the head of the household, and he is such a great example of a Man who desires to say YES to God everyday of his life. He quit his job to start a construction company that glorifies God, which is just so honorable! His family is filled with so much joy because God continues to bless them through the hardships. Even in a time of silence, they STILL WORSHIP HIM!!! Like wow! Im so blessed to be able to have experienced being around their family because they really are a true example of how we should always be obedient to the Lord in every step of our day! Im going to miss them so much, but I can’t wait to see where God takes them and the ways that He will continue to reveal Himself to all of us.

THAILAND VISION!!!

Malaysia truly has been such a blessing for our squad to have more opportunities to bond, but through that our individual teams had lost a lot of opportunities for quality bonding. For Thailand I’m soooo excited to just be able to soak in my whole team and get to know them in a deeper way. We get to live in a hostel together, do ministry together, and just experience every day life just as the 9 of us which is super cool! I’m so excited to see us all grow as individuals, and become a family that truly supports, and guides one another closer to God! Chiang Mai, HERE WE COME!