Malaysia

We have been here in Kuala Lumpur for 2 1/2 weeks now.  The time has been jam packed with lots of meetings, planning and ministries.  Before I get to what we are doing, let me tell you about where we are staying.  We are staying in an area called Brickfields at a place called MY Hotel (this can get very confusing when telling others where we are at :). All five of us are staying in the same room with two double beds- I will post a prayer request about this at the end!  Little India is a block away and China town in a mile up the road.  We are surrounded by "hole in the wall" restaurants and small convenient stores.  The church that we are partnering with is just a short walk down the street.  We prayer walk down this street every day due to the fact that there are also many brothels, gangs and it is common to see people passed out on the sidewalks from being drunk.  It is a reminder everyday that we live in a fallen world, full of fallen people in desperate need of the hope of our Savior.  They are all looking for hope.  We feel extremely privileged that Jesus has allowed us to come here and serve.  I can't help but wonder if Jesus walked down and ministered down streets that looked just like the one we are staying on.

Our days are usually very full.  We have one full day off a week.  I will bullet point and explain the ministries we are involved in:

• Teach ESL to refugees at HELP University 8 hours a week- Rich and I are getting to do this together.  The students are from Myanmar, Somalia, Iraq, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan.  The country of Malaysia does not recognize refugees so there are no programs or help for them here outside of non-profit organizations.  This program is put on by the University along with the United Nations to teach the students English and give them job training so that they can leave the country.  We love our students and are praying that God allows us to teach them a lot more than English.
• Prostitution outreach- There is an amazing woman here that runs a woman's home and outreach to women who have been forced into the sex trade and also prostitution.  We are in a heart-breaking area and have been informed that in the neighborhood we are in, girls as young as 14 are locked in some of the back rooms of the brothels-our God is big enough to rescue them!!!!  They have a jewelry workshop that teaches the girls a skill so that if they do want to get out they have a trade.  We prayer walk and talk with the girls to inform them about the jewelry workshop and love them-just genuinely love them-like Jesus does.  This outreach makes me pray even more fervently for Jesus to return.- Zeph. 3:19 " Behold, at that time I will deal with all your oppressors.  And I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will change their shame into praise and renown in all the earth."
• Stepping stones is a home of about  100 orphans.  Most of them come from abusive backgrounds and have been adopted by Pastor Johnson who runs the home.  Seventeen years ago Pastor Johnson was an alcoholic and a christian prayed for him.  At that moment he was healed of alcoholism and was saved!  The Lord gave him a vision of taking in widows and orphans and He obeyed.  He has a house that would probably not meet any building codes in the States- including tin roofs and open air rooms with no doors.  The children sleep on concrete floors- the same floors that they eat on and study on.  This man loves these children and even more teaches them about how much Jesus loves them.  They are amazing. I got to sit with Daniel, Mark, Isaac and Gyatran today and help them with studies and talk about Jesus. There eyes just lit up when we walked in- they just love the attention and getting to talk and be loved on. Precious,precious, precious kids!  We help them with studies several times a week and will get to have some play times with them on Saturdays.
• Homeless Shelter- our first week here we were able to help out with a homeless shelter.  It was one project here that our whole family could do together.  We were able to help serve lunch to around 200 people the first Saturday.  Katie and Hudson were amazing!  They helped set up, passed out drinks, helped prepare the food, handed out the meals and even helped wash dishes in the end!  Charlee of course just walked around charming everyone she saw and helped with clean-up (sometimes taking dishes before people were done)!  This ministry was in the Chinese part of town so Rich and I were able to practice what little Chinese we could remember.  Rich of course loved this!  It brought back a lot of memories for us! We are hoping to have an opportunity to serve there again.  They have a worship night once a week and also need help during the daytime throughout the week.
• Tamil Methodist church is our contact to all of these ministries in KL.  They have graciously allowed us to use their parsonage as a hub for our team.  They are an amazing body of believers here.  We are blessed to get the opportunity to serve alongside them.  They are having a 21 day fast and prayer starting Jan.12th.  We will begin teaching seminars for the next 4 weeks starting the 14th.  Rich will be teaching on the Kingdom of God on the 28th and I will be teaching on prayer and intercession on Feb. 4th.  We are also teaching in the Sunday school classes- I am with the 3 year olds and Charlee and Rich is with the young adults 18-25 year olds.  We have also been asked to share our testimonies in all the classes on Jan. 22nd.  I am in charge of the children's worship time every Sunday morning.  Rich was able to preach on God's word to the entire adult Sunday school department!  He will also be part of a cell group while he's here.
• Saturdays will be filled with football (soccer) camps for kids in the mornings and a kids camp for the Stepping Stones children in the afternoon.  There is also an opportunity to serve at the homeless shelter again.  

This week we have finally started to see how the schedule may work out for our family.  Being in ministry has always been such a struggle for me as a mother.  I want the best of both worlds- full-time mom and full-time ministry- being the best at both of course;)! Once again the Lord has been gracious in the way He handles me- allowing me to take baby steps down this road when I think I should be taking leaps!  I have wanted to do everything on the list of ministries (it's longer than what I listed above) yet have been more and more compelled to be with the kids.  There are not a lot of things on the list that we can do as a family as you can see.  I know this time here on outreach is short but I could see from week one how busying myself with the "work" has affected the kids and me.  Once again the Lord pulled up Ps. 46:10 "Be still and know that I am God, I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."  It was an "ah-ha" moment for me - to be still and know Him is a HUGE part of ministry.  He has been teaching me so much about being fully engaged in prayer and praying in faith!  Oh how this pleases Him! So in those places that I don't "get" to be involved in, I get to war in prayer for those who do.  My kids get to pray alongside me and then see prayers answered.  I bit my tongue the other day and Hudson asked if He could pray for it- he squeezed his little eyes shut and prayed for Jesus to heal me in 2 sweet sentences.  He believed that Jesus would do it because  he has seen the power of prayer!  Our kids walk down the streets here everyday and have prayer walked this neighborhood we are in speaking Jesus' Name all the way because they know the power and authority that comes with His Name. I highly recommend prayer walking as a family together!  I am overwhelmed by just the simple moments here of "being still".  This has not been an "easy" transition from Hawaii to KL- we have struggled but God has been gracious.  

Please pray for:

• Continued wisdom for Rich and I on what ministries to be involved in 
• Katie to find her role here and to be comfortable where God wants to use her- she goes to ESL, stepping stones and also a jewelry workshop 
• Hudson and Charlee have just started a Kindergarten at the church in the mornings- for them to adjust well and for Rich and I to know when to pull them out for ministry
• For Brittany- she is such a blessing- she is often stuck in the hotel with Charlee and Hudson at least 2 afternoons a week
• The kids have a difficult time going to sleep at night because we are all in the same room- you don't realize how hyper your kids are until you are living in one room together with two beds that they think are only good for jumping on
• Rich and I to connect- we don't have much time or privacy
• For God to use us powerfully despite all of our weaknesses
• For the street we are living on to be transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit
• For the above ministries- if you feel led to give financially to any of the ministries let me know and I will find out how you can

We are so blessed by your prayers!  Thank you for being so faithful to pray for us!  I'm sorry my updates have been so few!  Next time I will attach a lot of pictures!  We love you all so much and often think about you and pray for you!