Hi friends!! I’ve been in Malaysia for a little over 2 weeks now, so I want to update you on all that the Lord has been doing here!!
Travel Day!
So first we have to go all the way back to October 7th (aka the day my squad left the states!!) Our travel day included a thirteen-and-a-half-hour plane ride with a three-hour layover, followed by a seven-and-a-half-hour flight, and then a six-hour bus drive that finally brought our squad to Malaysia. WOOO!! (I did have a fever for most of travel day, but the Lord was so gracious because I took meds on both flights and was able to sleep through most of it). Looking back I am honestly in awe that I made it through travel day, and I couldn’t have done it without the Lord and the help of my squad. Although I felt awful, it was so sweet to see the heart of Jesus through my squad-mates as they offered to help me carry luggage, buy me food, and constantly asked how they could help. Anytime I wasn’t asleep I just remember praying that the Lord would sustain me and help me physically make it the rest of the day… and He did!! We made it to the city we are staying in called Sungai Petani and it has been amazing!
Our Ministry:
Our main ministry here is school! So Mondays-Wednesdays from 9-12 we teach English and Math in a school for refugees. The school has around 30 students, so each person on my squad is paired with a student (which is such a blessing because we get to form a personal relationship with them over these 40 days!!) All these students are Muslims, so although we can’t share the gospel with them directly, we have such an amazing opportunity to plant seeds through how we love them in the short time we get to teach them. (I am teaching a 7 year old little boy and I love him so much!! He is so eager to learn, and everyday I am with him is such a great reminder of how Jesus calls us to live with child-like faith!!)
Although school is our main ministry, we have lots of other ministry opportunities throughout the week…
- Monday and Tuesday evenings we get to spend time in the after school educational center to teach and play with Hindu Indian kids! (We are able to share the gospel openly in this setting, which is awesome because several of the kids that attend have never read the Bible or heard the gospel before!)
- We also have house church once a week. So we split up, and about 3-4 of us each go to a different house and have a short church service and simply fellowship with the church community (it’s a lot like Calvary’s Home Fellowship Ministry).
- Friday is Church Service!! The setup is mostly like our church services back in America, but they have an hour of worship with dancers and tambourines (which is SO awesome to watch!!) We discovered that they don’t plan an end time, which wasn’t an issue until it hit midnight (they started at 8 PM) and people were still in the room where I sleep (lol). We’ve spent a lot of this first week adjusting to how things are run here! But… Malaysian’s love to nap! So my squad has loved adjusting to the late nights, early mornings, then long naps in the afternoon after school 😂
Prayer Requests!
- Pray for Pastor Thomas (our host), his family, and the church members
- Pray for the school and the refuges!! (They need funds for uniforms, classrooms, teachers, etc.)
- Pray that the Holy Spirit would guide our conversations with our students (since we can’t outright preach the gospel to them, but we can still plant seeds through our actions and relationship with them!)
- Pray for my own personal fundraising!
- I am still at 49% and have to be at 60% before we leave Malaysia so just pray that the Lord would give me wisdom and guidance as I try to fundraise while overseas 🙂
- Pray for health!! (Thankfully, I am feeling fully recovered but unfortunately many of my squad-mates have had to go to the clinic in the past few weeks so just pray that all sickness would leave our squad and everyone would fully recover!)
Last But Not Least…
All the church members here greet each other by saying “Praise the Lord!” and often say goodbye in the same manner! So until next time… Praise the Lord!
Love,
Bella 🙂
P.S. Here’s the photo dump for our first two weeks here!!
Bella this is so precious!!! I am grateful for how the Lord sustained you on the journey even with your fever and pray for your team to be strong in body and spirit on this long journey!!! I pray the lord continues to use you and the team to shine the light of Christ into the hearts of those you are around so that they wonder why you’re there and start asking questions about faith so you can testify to the goodness of God through his son Jesus! I know He will provide what you need in finances, in your physical strength and in your spirit to do the work you have all been called to do!! I look forward to more updates ❤️
Aw thank you Claudia!! Your comments always leave a smile on my face and fill me with so much joy 🥹 Thank you for all the prayers, support, and words of encouragement! It truly means the world to me.
Incredible the work you and your team are doing. Its such a blessing to know that everyone around you is able to see the light that shines so brightly in you. Always praying for you
🥺 thanks santi ♥️
Mr. Winton and I just read your update Izzy and we’re so excited to hear all that the Lord is doing in and through you! We stopped what we were doing to pray for your requests and we’ll continue to be praying. Sending much love and prayers your way!!
~Mrs. Winton
Wow, it is so encouraging to know that you and Mr. Winton stopped to pray in the moment. I appreciate it more than you know so thank you!! 😊
Amazing to see the work being done in Malaysia. Hopefully you can minister to many kids and adults. Praying for you and that the rest of the trip goes well!
Thank you for this update, and please give a great big hug to Sofia from her Aunt Denise! Praying for all of you, as you follow His calling 💕
Aw, I will!!
Issy, Praise the LORD! God is working through you and your team in ways you cannot know. Praying for you all.
Deuteronomy 33:27
Love in Christ, Mr C