Hello Friends and Family,
It’s been a while, but I’m excited to update you all on the ministry in Malaysia. I’ve been here since October 9th, and wow, it has been such a cool experience so far.
After a 13 ½-hour flight, a 3-hour layover, a 7-hour flight, and a 6-hour bus ride, we finally made it to Sungai Petani, Malaysia. Our host here is Pastor Thomas, or PT for short (see first picture below), and he runs a small church in Malaysia. We actually stay in his church for our housing, and as a squad, we share the space, sleeping pad next to sleeping pad (see second picture below). It’s through this church that we get to serve in many different ways. My favorite part has been teaching English to refugee kids who are currently Muslim. Each of us on the squad was paired with a child, and every Monday through Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., we teach them English and math. I was paired with a sweet 7-year-old girl (see third picture below).
Every Wednesday night, we have what is called “house church,” which is similar to small groups at church. We are split into groups of four, each attending a different house church where we gather with people from the church. We have worship, and then each of us gives a short sermon with the help of a translator. I love house church because it’s amazing to see how language is no barrier for the Word of God. Our house church is so sweet; it’s made up of two women who are not related but live together, along with two boys they’ve taken in. At the end of every meeting, they always treat us to food. Then, every Friday night, we attend their church service, which starts at 8 p.m. and ends around midnight. It’s been super cool to experience how they do church. For example, during worship, the young girls from the church perform a choreographed dance (see fourth picture below). We also sing their worship songs and listen to the sermon in their language.
Every other weekend, my team and I go to a free education center to help teach English. In the afternoons, from 2 to 4 p.m., we have nap time/free time! The community here is so kind. Many of the church members deliver our food (we eat rice and chicken almost every day) and provide transportation for us daily, except on our Sabbath, Sundays. I’ve really enjoyed getting to know the church community here.
Ministry here requires a lot of flexibility. For example, we were invited to perform at an event on the same day it was happening. It was an Indian light festival, and we performed the nativity scene (see fifth picture below). On another occasion, we were invited to a wedding where we performed the “church clap” for them (see sixth and seventh picture below). These types of events are super fun because we get to dress up nicely, and they provide us with cultural dresses to wear. We were also here for Malaysia’s light festival, Deepavali, so two other girls and I got to visit two homes where we were invited over and served some delicious Malaysian chicken curry and rice.
It’s been so cool to explore and see Sungai Petani. I love all the food, especially the coffee here. We go to coffee shops a lot to use their Wi-Fi, since some of us, including me, don’t have data. Everything is so cheap compared to the U.S., making it hard not to buy things—like coffee! Every Friday afternoon for lunch, we go as a squad to a food court and get to pick from a wide variety of Asian cuisines. One weekend, we visited Penang. We were able to go to the top of Penang Hill and see the whole city (see last picture below), which was so beautiful from the top. Then we also spent time at the beach in Penang, which was amazing because I’ve never swum in an ocean with warm water (see second to last photo below)!
Testimony
I’ve never been in an Asian community before. Since I was adopted by an American family and grew up in a fairly white town, I was excited to be exposed to Asian culture. However, I wasn’t prepared to feel alienated in an area where I thought I would feel most at home. I struggled to make connections at first because many people were confused as to why there was this one Asian person on a mission team, and many were surprised when I couldn’t speak their language! I’ve never had so many people bluntly ask me, “Are you Chinese? Can you speak Chinese?”
However, I can confidently say that God did not let this doubt become my truth. He brought me on this mission trip for a reason, and I can confidently say that, after a little time, I’ve been blessed with some special connections. I’ve also had the opportunity to speak at a church service and lead a small sermon during our house church. One of my fondest moments was at my first church service when I talked about lament and sorrow. I explained how suffering does not last forever and how God delivers us from it. It just so happened that one of the women there had lost her husband a couple of months ago, and the child staying with them was an orphan who had recently lost his mother. They expressed gratitude for hearing this message because they had been mourning for quite some time. God really revealed to me in that moment that He is and will continue to use me. I need to surrender my worries and concerns to Him and open my heart to whatever plans He has for me.
God is moving in Malaysia! There are two other churches that some of us have been able to visit, and it’s encouraging to see how God’s Church is growing. Please continue to pray for Malaysia, as it is still heavily populated with Muslims and other religious groups. Also, I will be leaving for Thailand on November 17th. We are traveling by ground transportation, and it’s a 20-hour drive, so please pray for safe travels.
Thank you again for all of your constant prayers and support!
Blessings to you all,
Mollie Stutzman
P.S. Oh, and did I mention that we found out where we’re going in Thailand and Eastern Europe? Next stop: Chiang Dao, Thailand, and then Albania!
