Malaysia – Through A Student’s Eyes

Our time in Malaysia has been such an incredible blessing and testimony of God’s grace and provision, story after story of His love and, through some hard times, mercy. We are so privileged to have been able to spend time in this incredible country with our brothers and sisters in Christ that the Lord placed on our path. It was encouraging to see how these fellow believers worked for His glory everyday.

We arrived in Malaysia on April 6th, after an intense week of travel. Leaving Johannesburg on April 1st, we flew to Bangkok, Thailand, spending the night there before pressing on to the next phase of our journey. We had not booked any flights to Malaysia, instead agreeing as a team to do a sort of travel challenge, trusting we would make the trip through some form of transport. Our plan was to leave Bangkok via train, traveling all the way to Hat Yai, Thailand, before embarking on our final phase to Malaysia. 

We arrived at the train station hoping to find tickets to catch the train to Hat Yai. Unloading from our ride, we settled down our bags and were directed, using a combination of broken English and Thai, to the ticket counter. Two of our team members were sent ahead to request tickets for the train. Coming back to the three waiting with the bags, the look on their faces said that we had some news coming. “So the train to Hat Yai leaves at 3:15.” our team leader said. The silent BUT might as well have resounded through the entire station. “But,” he continued, “it’s full.” “That’s fine!” we said. “We’ll just go on the one tomorrow.” “Tomorrow is also full. As is the next day. And the one after that.” (A public holiday, we later found out). “They said they do have standing tickets available.” The thought of standing for 15 hours on a train was, to say the least, daunting. However, seeing as this seemed to be our only way out of Bangkok, we prayed and felt peace, and a joy for adventures waiting to happen. Going up to the ticket counter, the two members of our team bought the tickets. As they were standing there, knowing we were embarking upon what was probably a fool’s errand (standing 15 hours through the night on a packed full train is, after all, generally not advised) full of nervous smiles and knowing this was the true beginning of our grand adventure, they suddenly felt this complete peace settle over them. Knowing that God has got us, they handed out our tickets and we proceeded to board.

Upon boarding, we looked around the train nervously, and without a clue as to where we were supposed to stand. Everyone was sitting in the benches, and it seemed that we were to just stand in the center isle, with our bags beside us. As we walked down the isle, (apparently looking obviously unsure of ourselves, according to later sources) we were called over by a young woman named Ada. She looked over at us, and asked if we had standing tickets. We answered that yes, we did. She said, “Well, the train isn’t full right now. You can sit with me. But when other people come on, you might have to move.” So, not 3 minutes into what was supposed to be an unbelievably hectic journey, God had provided seats for us, and places for most of our bags, so that we could travel the first few hours in relative comfort. Meanwhile, we talked to Ada, and were privileged to learn a bit about her life.

She was traveling home for Eid al-Fitr, the holiday celebrating the end of Ramadan. Ramadan is a month of fasting from sunrise to sunset, where Muslim men and women practice self restraint, introspection, communal prayer, and reading of the Qur’an. They believe that in this time they are forgiven for past sins, if they observe the month of faithful fasting. In observation of this month, families around the country travel thousands of miles to reunite and observe it together. While we had only 15 hours to travel, Ada was setting out for a 22 hour journey! Her joy and patience with us despite our lack of knowledge of Thai was such a blessing. She taught us some Thai words, and guided us as to where we could sit, place our bags, which food sellers to talk to and which to avoid at all costs. She told us about herself and her culture, and about her family, who she was on her way to visit. It was a privilege beyond measure to have her with us. The Lord placed her directly in our path and, through her, blessed us beyond what we could have asked or imagined! This was such a testimony to us, teaching that even though this journey might not be easy, or comfortable, and will never be what we expect, He will still be with us in every moment. Perhaps sitting across from us in a train, or on a market stall on our first night in Malaysia. Sometimes He’s just showing Himself through a kind policeman at the bus stop, when we obviously looked lost, overwhelmed, and exhausted. We never know precisely when He’s going to show up, but we look forward to each and every moment we get to see His glory displayed in each incredible human being He placed on this Earth, and in our paths this year.

Arriving in Hat Yai, Thailand, 15 hours after our departure from Bangkok, we slept in the train station for a few hours, physically exhausted, but somehow spiritually buoyed. We then were able to find accommodation, due to the heroic efforts of our incredible Travel Team, (aka Clara Kuck) and we remained in Hat Yai for a day, resting, before going on to Malaysia.

Not knowing how we were going to get to Malaysia, as there was no money in our travel budget for this last leg, we prayed about it as a team. Within a few hours, our Finance Team (Wiane Mooi) was able to miraculously move around a few expenses and save in a few areas, to such an extent that we somehow actually had enough for bus tickets straight to our destination. We were all so grateful, and so amazed that the Lord, yet again, had come through for us exactly when we needed it. So, making the short 6 hour trip to Penang, we arrived in Malaysia late on the afternoon of the 6th of April.

Working with incredible ministries here in Malaysia, we have had the privilege to serve and work in many different capacities. From mornings spent in kitchens, learning to help cook local dishes for the homeless, to street ministry, painting and renovating a wall, and even helping teach at a local primary school!

On our first Sunday in Malaysia, we had the incredible privilege to attend a church service with a group of Nepali immigrants. Hearing their worship, in a language completely foreign to us, yet so familiar in its honest acknowledgement of their love for our Saviour, was so beautiful. Seeing the fellowship and companionship between them… So far from their homes, their families, everything they know, yet still shining with joy and love for the Lord, was inspiring for us in ways we only begun to understand after leaving our own homes and families behind just a few weeks before. Owning so little in the world, they still invited us to share a meal with them afterwards; in this fellowship, we learned a bit about the men and their lives. They told us about their work, their church, the testimonies they had gathered, stories of faithfulness, of love realised in provision for each person’s needs, of the companionship they shared as brothers and sisters in the church. 

Amid delicious food, completely new to us, and conversations and questions about each other’s cultures and peoples, it was hard not to take a quiet moment to marvel at the Lord’s will: three South Africans, one raised in Zambia, an American, and a Guatemalan – sharing a meal with a group of Nepali men on the roof of a Malaysian mission base –  within sight of three Buddhist temples, a Mosque, and a 200 year old Anglican Church. Talking about our families, backgrounds, and stories, all in broken English, yet also a language above that, one we all understood yet will most likely never be able to verbalise. The language of the Kingdom. Because this is what it truly is. An eternal, beautiful mixing pot of the Lord’s children, being brought together by His joy, and His desire that we be united in Him. “Come, my dearest children,” He invites us. “You have some siblings you didn’t know about, who I want you to meet. Will you join Me in this journey, to see where I will take you? The family I will introduce you to? Leaving behind the family you know, come follow Me.” And, in an eternal joy, we say “Yes Father!”

And this is what He has done. From working in a kitchen, beside a group of Chinese men and women who have taught us, inspired us and loved on us in every way possible – to going and just speaking to locals who because of a broken world, no longer have homes, and live on the street. Hearing their stories, sharing Jesus, and then in fact being loved on by them! We have been blessed beyond measure and imagination, our cup overflowing in blessing and abundance. We have been so grateful for this time. Not always easy, but in that, a blessing full and unconditional, we have loved every moment of it.

During our second week in Malaysia, we were invited to work as volunteers for a Rohingya refugee school. These are an incredibly persecuted sect of Muslim people, originally from Myanmar (or Burma, as it used to be called). They have been driven from their country by religious persecution, Myanmar being a Buddhist nation, unwelcoming to their Islamic beliefs. The UN has called the Rohingya people the most persecuted sect in the world! Clinging to their faith, driven out of their homes and country, some of them have been able to survive and get to Malaysia. However, arriving here, they have no place, no passports, no birth certificates, nothing. They do not exist. Their children, young and full of so much promise, are unable to get an education, and, if they do, cannot be certified for it! 

The small school we had the privilege of helping out at is specifically dedicated to these children, teaching them English, and giving them the opportunity to live a normal life. To attend school and laugh and play, and perhaps, if not erase the past, at least take away its power over the rest of their lives.

This was such an incredible experience for each of us personally. Seeing these children, most of them under 10 years old, and imaging what they must have been through, to live where they do today, was heartbreaking in the most amazing possible way. Because, despite unimaginable hardship and horrors, their beautiful smiles, and shining eyes, were a testament to Jesus’ love, and His grace. Their sweetness, untempered by battles and struggles none of us could imagine, lived out in everyday activities. Their passion for life, for experiencing, living everything that came to them. The way they loved, each other and us, coming out of the blue with a bear hug and offering us their treasured toys whenever play time came. Laughing wildly and playing the games we invented on the spot with all the passion and energy they had. After only three days working at the school, we were nearly heartbroken to have to leave. Each child seemed to have effortlessly thrown these little darts of love into our hearts, and eventually having to leave them was a bittersweet goodbye.

Our final week in Malaysia was spent in completing the renovation of a wall at the shelter where we volunteered our first week, and catching up on our studies. Preparing for our coming journey back up to Thailand, we have been trying to get as far with our studies as possible, to prepare for any unexpected flexibility with them we may need to have over the next few weeks.

Studying while traveling, and doing ministry, has been a big adjustment period for all of us. It’s something that is so rarely done, there is no framework or manual that we can follow. Yet, it has been such a privilege to learn alongside each other, giving advice and encouragement along the way. In pioneering this journey in this last month, we have had many ups and downs study wise, yet they have been filled with grace, coming only from our Father above. We know we couldn’t do any of this without Him, but we have been so grateful for His abundant provision and mercy through this entire journey. His grace with us has been in overflow, helping us in productivity, bringing the right advice just at the right time, helping us learn how to do this journey, a journey no one has ever done before, but of which He has a record of every day. He has been so amazing in lending us support and love through it all, bringing us to a community which is so beautiful and so supportive, and which now, as we are leaving Malaysia, we know we will miss with all our hearts. We are grateful for every moment spent here, and will miss the people we have come to know in our time in this incredible country.

We are however, so exited to see what He has next for us. It appears that we may have the chance to meet up with another Global Challenge team, Eastbound, and each of us is so exited to be able to again see the people we cherish so much, and have missed since Jeffrey’s Bay. Trading stories and testimonies, we pray that we will strengthen and inspire each other, for the next phase of our journey. 

Our next destination is Chiang Rai, Thailand, which we hope to reach by bus on the 30th of April, spending a few days there before moving on to Chiang Kong. We are praying for more of the Lord’s will to be worked out in our lives, more of His heart to be revealed to us, and more of His love to move through us and change us, as we take this next step as a team. We are so grateful for the incredible time we’ve spent in Malaysia. Each of us will treasure different memories here, from racing to catch a ferry on time, to playing in the park with our students, even cooking with gigantic woks and flipping duck egg omelettes… each and every moment here has been precious, and we are grateful for the people we have come to know, and what we have seen our Father do while here. 

Testimonies: some amazing stories from our time here…

One day, as we were returning from the school in a Grab (the Malaysian Uber), the man driving us started a conversation with us, asking about where we were from, what we were doing in Malaysia. We explained that we were on a journey around the world and, when he asked asked how we were funded, we responded that we were trusting and living by faith. Then, he asked us if we were followers of Jesus. We responded that yes, we were. We asked if he too, believed in Jesus. He said that he did, and proceeded to share his story with us:

He’d had a daughter, an amazing, beautiful girl, who’d loved her studies and been such a smart, incredible human, we were humbled just hearing about her. She’s been diagnosed with cancer when she was 14. She was given just months to live. Her father told us that he’d prayed, and asked Jesus “just give her 10 more years. Just enough to finish her degree. She loves her studies so much.” Her cancer went away, and then came back in a relapse. The second time, she was given 3 months to live. She didn’t let it stop her, and made it 50% of the way through her Bachelors degree at her university, before going to be with our Father. The university then (in opposition to normal protocol) awarded her a post mortem degree, given to her parents. Usually, one cannot be eligible for a degree like this without having completed 70% of the required credits. Yet, his daughter was so loved by those around her that her teachers and even the dean’s wife, insisted that she be awarded the degree.

We sat listening to this story in utter shock, astounded by the faith we heard so evident in his voice, and his story. Because as he spoke, there was no rancour, no bitterness in his voice. Only joy. Only a gratefulness that surpassed understanding and sense. She lived to get her degree. That’s all he’d asked for. Him and his wife were so grateful to Jesus for her, their beautiful, incredible daughter. For her life. For what she’d been able to achieve in so short a time. 

After this, we asked if we could pray for him. We did, and as we finished, and began to say goodbye, paying our fare, he said “no. You don’t have to pay.” And then he proceeded to take out his wallet, and give us money! “For lunch”, he said. 

What he gave us not only covered lunch, but our entire food budget for a whole day. 

Suffice it to say there were a few tears quickly swiped away on our part. And then he just drove away. Our own angel, come to bless us with his quiet yet undeniable joy, his utter gratefulness to Jesus for the daughter he’d been given. We pray that God blesses that man, in whatever he does. We know he blessed us, more than we could ever write down or even phrase.

Later on, and just before we were about to leave Malaysia, we had the privilege of being able to meet up with a YWAM team, from New Zealand. Getting to know them, and hearing their stories, so like our own, was a breath of fresh air! It is so easy in this journey, to feel untethered, unsure of ourselves in the great big world we’re going out to reach, and it was beautiful to see that, in reality, we are not so very different from thousands, perhaps millions, of other young men and women just trusting that this is what God has for us. We were absolutely astounded however, by their love, when upon hearing about our daily food budget, they decided to help contribute. Not being asked, not ever being expected, they still showed the love of Jesus so beautifully and just gave. This was another testimony of how God has just provided everything we have needed in this journey, down to the smallest, even inconsequential, detail.

We spent three weeks in Malaysia, and each day was such a privilege to us, that we will all miss it dearly. Our hosts were so inspiring, in their fearless pursuit of God’s will, no matter the cost to themselves. And everything they have accomplished, through God, was so incredible to see. But more amazing yet, is the pleasure we know he finds in them, His children, so dedicated to His Will, and sharing His heart, that they have given up everything to do so. We are so grateful for every person we had the privilege of meeting, and will always remember the testimony of God that they were to us.

So, thus ending the tale of our pioneer journey, our time in Malaysia, and the amazing people we had the privilege of meeting there, we are grateful for every moment spent in this incredible country.

Our next destination? Chiang Rai, Thailand.