I’ve officially completed ministry in my first country! That feels so crazy to say. Here’s a small recap of what we did in Malaysia! Before we had left Gainesville we had a meeting about wh
at kind of culture we were traveling to. Our coaches and leaders had told us that we would be in a very different community to what we would be used to. And that the majority of the people there are Muslim. They also talked about what we can and can’t talk about with the people in the community we were in. Our leaders told us that we couldn’t talk about Jesus but we could talk about God (Unless the topic of Jesus came up). We also were told that we could share the gospel but just not the parts that mention Jesus. We started from the Atlanta airport. We spent about 35ish hours traveling. I thought the humidity in Georgia was a lot, man was I in for a shock coming into Malaysia! We were told that we would be residing in a church (which is so cool!). We ended up sleeping in the area where all of the church services were held. It seriously felt like a giant sleepover every night.
We then were given a daily schedule. We received our itinerary of what we were doing in Malaysia a week or two before we left. We’d teach kids every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from eight thirty in the morning to twelve in the afternoon. Then each team, one at a time, would go to the 
free tuition center and teach English to the kids at the church from seven to I think nine in the evening. Then most Thursdays we didn’t have much to do until later in the afternoon so most times I’d go out with my friends to coffee shops or the mall. Then on Fridays we’d pack up all of our stuff in the morning and move it upstairs and clean the room we were sleeping in and go to the Chinese food court and our ministry host would escort us that day and it was always so much fun. Then we’d have free time until seven then we’d get ready for church in the cultural clothing that was given to us! On Saturdays we didn’t have much on our schedules. It would normally just be a free day for us. Sunday we’d have our sabbath and most of the time me and my friends would go to get a bite to eat, watch a movie and get snacks until we’d have to go back to the church!
free tuition center and teach English to the kids at the church from seven to I think nine in the evening. Then most Thursdays we didn’t have much to do until later in the afternoon so most times I’d go out with my friends to coffee shops or the mall. Then on Fridays we’d pack up all of our stuff in the morning and move it upstairs and clean the room we were sleeping in and go to the Chinese food court and our ministry host would escort us that day and it was always so much fun. Then we’d have free time until seven then we’d get ready for church in the cultural clothing that was given to us! On Saturdays we didn’t have much on our schedules. It would normally just be a free day for us. Sunday we’d have our sabbath and most of the time me and my friends would go to get a bite to eat, watch a movie and get snacks until we’d have to go back to the church!I loved the days I got to work and teach kids. When we first got to our village in Malaysia we were told that we would be teaching kids from a nearby village English and that we’d each be assigned one kid. When we first met the kids they were so shocked to see us. I don’t think they’ve ever seen American missionaries before. We had given the kids the opportunity to pick their teacher. So me and all of the other members of my squad were in a line and the kids ran up to their teachers. The little boy who chose me was so quiet and introverted that it was a tough first two weeks because he was so shy that he didn’t want to learn anything. After a little bit of time he eventually warmed up to me and to learning English as well as math. To my surprise he ended up being the kindest kid ever!
Another activity we did was we went to “house” church every Wednesday. What we would do was we went to the homes of people who went to our ministry hosts church (pastor Thomas or PT he likes to be called) and they would host a smaller church service right in their living rooms. I became really close with a lot of the people through house church. Honestly I really loved it! We also attended church every Friday night! We were also told that at the end of the trip that our entire squad would be in a music video (I think that’s awesome). So we spent the last two weeks in Malaysia learning a dance for a music video.
There were also a few ministry activities that were out of the blue that ended up being super fun! We were invited to an authentic and very special Indian party. In their culture they have a holiday similar to Christmas and we played some of their suggested games and watched some of the traditional dances that were performed just for us. Earlier that day we
were asked if we could do a quick five minute performance about a story from the Bible, we chose to perform the birth of Jesus. We were also invited to a wedding and we did the church clap for them. Did I forget to mention that we had some of the best food? I could do an entire post just on the food alone!
were asked if we could do a quick five minute performance about a story from the Bible, we chose to perform the birth of Jesus. We were also invited to a wedding and we did the church clap for them. Did I forget to mention that we had some of the best food? I could do an entire post just on the food alone!My time in Malaysia went by so fast. Saying goodbye to the community we had grown close to was one of the most challenging things I have done in my life so far. I am on my way to Bangkok, Thailand and the adventures that wait for me there. But I will always keep Malaysia in my heart.
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