Do you ever have moments where your wonder, ‘How did I get here?’
Sitting in that moment you try and replay all of the circumstances that lead to that moment, but sometimes you can’t really explain it. I had one of those moments in Malaysia this month.
As April began I was in the capital city of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia helping run a squad debrief. It was a bit unique because we spent part of the time combining with another squad (R-squad) and incorporating some of the different things God has been doing on both squads. After a pretty busy and packed week I helped lead the men into a 12 day period of ‘Manistry’. It’s exactly what it sounds like…the 13 of us guys getting together and doing ‘ministry’ in country.
When dreaming about this time with the guys I wanted it to model the Fusion year of no set hosts, ministry or schedule. Diving into what it looks like to be men of God, listening to His voice and living out the gospel in an everyday setting.
As a group we asked God for guidance and heard the direction ‘North’. Looking at the map left a few different options/areas open to us. We decided to go to the Northeast and see where that lead us. Bus tickets in hand, a hostel for two nights, some general ideas of where to go in the area but nothing set in stone….we were living open handed and inviting God into every step of the journey.
When Jesus gave the disciples the Great Commission he said ‘As you go…’, and as we go in life we have the opportunity to share the good news and make disciples. Let us not get so caught up in the ‘go’ that we forget the ‘do.
Over the next week and half we spent time in the city and a beautiful island. We met people from all over the world, hearing their stories and sharing our lives with Christ. Hostel owners became friends, restaurants became places of worship and good conversations, our own relationships were strengthened.
It didn’t take long being in the region to see how small a minority Christianity was. In fact we struggled to even find a service for Easter Sunday (their weekends are actually Friday/Saturday).
Through a wild series of events we found a service for Easter evening and were able to celebrate with brothers and sisters from all over the world.
The following evening we were invited to a prayer meeting by the pastor we had just met that day. I was catching a night bus back to Kuala Lumpur and honestly debated joining. It might be cutting it close with my bus time…but I knew in my heart it wasn’t a coincidence we were invited, we were supposed to be there.
That prayer night was my ‘How did I get here?’ moment of the month.
We found ourselves in a room filled with all of the church leaders/pastors in the city…about 8 of them. Some of them have been serving in that region/city for over 40 years. It was truly like sitting among spiritual giants.
They shared that there are only about 2,000 Christians in the area, the challenges of the church youth leaving for more opportunities in Kuala Lumpur, and believers who have gone missing and face persecution.
The next hour and a half slipped by in the blink of an eye as prayed for Malaysia, the church, the leaders, the youth, celebrated that He is risen and shared testimonies of his goodness.
Our team came away so encouraged by their faith and how God is moving in Malaysia. They came away so encouraged that we were living for Christ and God had specifically brought us to that city, evening and moment to come together as the body with them. It was truly a privilege.
An evening that happened because we listened to His voice and did what He said.
Please remember the people of Malaysia in your thoughts and prayers. I have cherished my time in this beautiful country….especially the night I sat among giants.
