Goodbye Malaysia !

On the Field !!
     First things first I just have to say that God is so good. I have seen this truth so much in my life through the good and the bad and it has been highlighted during my time on the race so far.

     I have officially finished my first country, Malaysia. I am in love with this beautiful country. The food here and the infinite number of coffee shops (that are also extremely cheap haha) is absolutely amazing. The culture here is a mix of a bunch of different cultures. Many people from many different countries live and have businesses here. Everyone here is so nice and makes you feel so welcomed. I have felt something so special about this community. The people at the church are one of my favorite parts about this country. I’ve loved being able to pursue relationships with them and getting to know them personally. It is so fun getting to talk and be around them and hear all of their interesting stories.

         The day that we first arrived, we hoped off the airplane and boarded onto a big party bus (lol) and headed to the part of Malaysia where we would be staying and doing ministry. I had no idea what was in store for us in Sungai Petani. We arrived at the place we were staying, which to everyone’s surprise, was a small church were we would be sleeping all together in the same room on our sleeping pads. This news was met with mixed emotions from everyone on the squad. When we arrived, I was feeling very sick. I was a little upset because I didn’t know how I was supposed to recover while sleeping side by side with 33 other people. However, I felt better after only a few days of rest and I was ready to begin ministry. We were going to be teaching English to refugee students in a small building only a few yards from where the church was. We also would be attending the church services on Friday nights that were held in the church. Those services were very late nights for us and most times we didn’t go to bed until after 12. Yet I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

the room where we slept

    I remember the first day of meeting the kids.It was a day where we could just meet the kids and play games with them. These kids were absolutely perfect and even though there was a pretty big language barrier, it was still clear that strong bonds would be built. The next day we moved around in a circle and got to talk to some of the kids. One of the girls in the group I first talked to was very quiet, and didn’t know much English. Throughout that day I was around her a lot. I could tell she wanted to be a part of the games, but was a little too shy. I helped bring her in and saw just how sweet she was. Later that day, the kids were going to pick which of us “teachers” they wanted to have. She came to me without hesitation and that was one of my favorite moments of the whole trip. Teaching her was one of my favorite things I have ever done. She was a pretty quick learner and with lots of repetition and practice she would get things down. Her sister was also a part of the school, but was quite a bit younger and while I wasn’t able to converse with her much, I still formed a good close relationship with her. My new favorite “nickname” is being called “teacher Lauryn”, especially with the little voices of those kids.

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My student!! + George

Her sister

     I also had the opportunity to visit the village where many of the kids lived, including her cousins, and she was often at their house. The people in the village were some of the most hospitable people I have ever met. They welcomed us into their home and even cooked a big meal for us. They were giving so much to us and I am so grateful for them and their hearts. These families were muslim which also made me feel sad that they didn’t know how Jesus died for them and how much they are loved because of that. One huge part of our ministry was being the light and showing the love of Jesus to these kids and their families. We weren’t supposed to preach the gospel to them directly, but we could show them Jesus’ character through our love. 

     Our ministry was definitely unique to say the least. Other than our set schedules and Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday mornings and Friday nights, we had a lot of time for random ministry opportunities. One of these opportunities was attending a wedding reception for some people who were related to our ministry host. We had never met these people before, and yet we were asked to perform a dance for their reception. What was this dance? We danced the church clap for the people at the reception (which was quite a bit). It was a very fun night and so cool to dress up in different cultural clothes and have fun with some people from the church. We also had house church on Wednesday nights, which is just a small group for members of the church. I was never at the same one twice, but every week I went was a very special time. We also learned a dance, got costumes, and had a shoot for a music video produced by the church. We spent some of our nights practicing and preparing for this music video and we can’t wait for it to be released!

Music video shoot?!

The wedding!

     Our ministry host, Pastor Thomas (aka PT), is quite literally the best. He loves to form relationships with all of the racers on our squad. He is so loved in this community and loves to drive us around where we need to go when he can. He always knows a guy who can help to fulfill your technology or tattoo needs. From the late night runs to different Malaysian restaurants, to the Friday night church services, time with PT is always well spent. We would stay up many nights just talking outside the church and sometimes go grab food to eat at 1 AM. I admire how he leads his church and how he loves those around him well. He is a true reflection of Jesus and you can see Jesus in his eyes. I will definitely miss him and his wife and daughter when I leave and I can’t wait to keep in touch and see how his church leads.

Me + PT

    I reflect back on the ways I have seen the goodness of God. First of all, I find it so amazing that I hadn’t even originally signed up to come here, yet I feel so intentionally placed here. I have also seen his goodness in the way he protects the community here. He has provided so many things for the church and it is so evident how grateful the community is. God has also shown me his heart for the people around me. I can show his love to those around me. Specifically with my muslim student that I was assigned to work one on one with during my time here. She is so smart and loves to learn more about Math and English. After getting to see her home and spending a month with her, I truly see how God sees her and that has helped me form a bond with her. I hope to see her grow in these next years and hopefully see her turn to Jesus as a result of this ministry. I hope the love I have shown her helps to reveal to her the love of Jesus. I will continue to pray for her as she completes the church’s program and as she grows older. 

Me + My student + Her sister!

     God has revealed so many things to me since my time began in Malaysia. One of the things that has been highlighted to me is how we should be giving everything to those around us. The students at the school have really shown this to me through the way they give up and share what little they have with us, their teachers. Visiting their village where they cooked and bought drinks for us while sitting on cracked concrete floors of a house that holds multiple families showed how when they give, they give pretty much everything they have. This is what God calls us to do, yet we in America have a hard time giving even the little things up. God has really encouraged me to share this with people back home so that us as Christians can be better representatives of God’s love and provision.

     As I say goodbye to this beautiful country and enter into my new adventure in Thailand, I am brought to tears. These connections that I have made here have been so so special. On our last day, me and one of my squad mates, Gigi, cooked breakfast for one of the pastors and his family. Then, we went bowling with them and a couple other kids and people from the church. As Gigi and I were waiting to get started in our lanes, the pastor’s wife approached us with two boxes. In these boxes were silver bracelets with our names on them. This gesture made me smile so big. At that moment, I felt so loved by that family and by the community. It felt like I would never be able to leave this church and every single person in it. We finished off the day by going out to dinner and eating together at a large round table. I started to tear up when looking at everyone talking and having familial fellowship with one another.

Family dinner!

     I can’t wait to see what Thailand holds for me and to see how God moves in another country!!