Preaching in Klang, Malaysia

We were picked up at 9:45 this morning to be driven about 40 k to the city of Klang. Our driver for the morning was a gracious young man named Alex. He was a delight to talk with on the ride to Klang. We have been blessed to be served and ministered to by the most loving and kind brothers and sisiters in Christ. Thank you Alex!

Klang is a coastal port city on the western side of Malaysia. It took us about 45 minutes to make the drive. When we arrived the Tamil service was just getting out. Tamil is the Indian language service. They ushered in to a little waiting roomwith air conditioned (air-con) and bottled water while they made the trasition. After about 10 minutes they came and picked us up and brought us into the service that was already in progress. The English Service (their title), was a congregation of about 600-700.

The Malaysians have a pretty expressive worship style regardless of which denomination you happen to be with. They use Prasie and Worship music, some familiar and some new to us. Two 9 year old boys got up and one recited The Lord's Prayer and the other recited Psalm 91 (check it out - can you do this), both from memory. I was told that if I don't preach at least 45 minutes to 1 hour they feel cheated. So for those of you who know me - this was no problem.

I was well received. I felt very comfortable and had freedom and clarity of mind. (I sincerely apologize for any comments that may have been offensive to anyone in my attempt to expressive my pleasure at the way I was warmly received at the Klang Church on an early revision of this post.) I feel like I was able to connect with the audience and could tell that they were responding to the Word. I let the Pastor handle the alter call were around 50 people came down to make decisions and for prayer.

After the service Nelson and Karen Coolray, took us out for lunch. We went to a Nyonya restruant, which is a Chinese-Malaysian-Portuguese blend cuisine. This is a very Klang style due the history of Klang port and the tin industry.

I continue to be amazed at the wonderful stories of God's grace that I find as I meet believers everywhere I go.

We our blessed to be here!

TA @ AOIC

How enjoyable it has been to interact with the students here at the Alpha Omega International College. They are so delightful and friendly. The language barrier barely slows us down as we talk together.

As we get to know them, it is amazing how, even as we live in different cultures, our lives are so similar. There are housewives, pastors, counselors, business people, lawyers and human resource representatives. They are German, Japanese, Indian and Chinese, all Malaysian, like we are all Americans.

They love the same God as me and desire to serve Him as I do. They speak of struggles in their Christian lives that reflect the struggles of my own as I learn and grow. Families, relationships, the workplace and church work are ready topics.

I relate so often to their struggles as they learn the skills of counseling. Their desire to learn and willingness to apply themselves are so very encouraging to me as we work together. Some are learning new skills in counseling; others are learning skills for the first time. They seek to take these skills back to their jobs, church, friends and families. They desire to be used in whatever capacity God chooses and want to be prepared and sharpened tools in His hands.

These wonderful people have goals and dreams, desires and needs, challenges and triumphs. We live in this world so differently and so very much the same. As the Lord looks to and fro on this planet He has created, He uses us all. He uses the Malaysian Christians while I sleep and uses me as they rest from their work. Who will benefit most from my trip to this foreign place? Only He can say, but I know my blessings will be everlasting.

Food, Food & More Food!

Not that I'm complaining mind you, but it seems all we do is eat. And what a culinary adventure it is! There's food everywhere you turn here. We have learned from our friends that the Malaysians only eat one meal a day - and it last all day long. This is my kind of place!

Because Malaysia is such a melting pot of cultures, the food has amazing variety! There is Malaysian, which would remind you a little of Thai food. Noodles and rices, often hot and spicy, topped with seafood, meats or veggies. There is Chinese, and we're not talking Americanized take out. This is Chinese - Chinese. The flavors are from a slightly different taste pallet and yet rich, bold and wonderful. Then there is Indian. Wow! Burst of flavor, in your face taste. We have also had Japanese, American, British and Italian.

In the flat we have a small, what Robyn calls, a pygmy, refrigerator. So we can only keep a few things. Of course the kitchen is not stocked with staples or spices, so when I try to throw a meal together here it, too, is always an adventure. Yesterday was what can you make with Sesame oil, eggplant, left over Malaysian corn on the cob, a red pepper and some soy sauce. Believe it or not it was eatable.

Just as the culinary tastes are different, so are the people. With three major people groups, Malaysian, Indian and Chinese, life in Malaysia is vastly diverse. Here, though there is some blending of the cultures, they still have strong and unique differences. I have learned a lesson from the church here in Malaysia, there unity in Christ seems to over ride there cultural differences. They do not have an unspoken yet understood mantra that says we except cultural diversity as long as it is not different from ours.

In America we have many different ethnicities, yet most of them have become "American". We are at easy to except a people group that is different from us, as long as they become like us. In the U.S., the people groups that bother us are the ones that are and stay different from us. We talk often of our diversity, but is it diversity when the underlying criteria for acceptance is that we all become alike? I hope I am learning some lessons from my Malaysian brothers and sisters.

Who, What, Where, When?

Sometimes we throw out acronyms, abbreviations and titles like everybody should just understand. Sorry about that - let me see if I can explain some of the connections in a simple way. We are here as team members with Global Mosaic International. http://www.globalmosaic.net/ Dr. Evelyn Biles is the founder and president of GMI, as well as out team leader. Evelyn was one of Robyn's profs at Regent when see was completing her Masters in Counseling. (Picture: Dr. Biles, Robyn, Jeff)

We are here in Malaysia working through Alpha Omega International College http://www.aoic.org.my/ which is located within the grounds of Grace Community Chruch http://www.grace-intl.com/index.html, in the greater Kuala Lumpur area in a section called Petaling Jaya. This Sunday I will have the opportunity to preach to the congregation in Klang a section of the city down near the port.

Next week we will be in in a different area of Malaysia for the week teaching an advanced Counseling Skills II to former students. Then we will be back to Petaling Jaya to teach Skills II with the students from this week session. I will also have the opportunity to preach the next weekend, July 5th, at the USJ church in the Subang Jaya section of the city. Then the final weekend, July 11th & 12th, we will have the opportunity to speak at the Petaling Jaya church both Saturday night and Sunday morning.

This an exciting and fun adventure. It is also important and eternal work. Thanks for your prayers and support.

A Day At the Mall

Meet Nicole! She is the very non-dogmatic, non-opinionated, never complaining, 20 year old Canadian that keeps life fun around a Malaysian flat. She comes from Lebanese/Egyptian parents; her mother grew up with Dr. Biles in Lebanon and they are close friends. She is the type of person that helps add a little spark to the most mundane of activities.

Today we went to the Utama Malls. There are actually two parts, the old section and the new one. It is BIG. Too big to see all of it in a day; too big to not get lost over and over again; just TOO big! At one point I counted eight stories. Oh, did I mention, that mall queen Nicole came with us?

We stopped and had Sushi for lunch. It was one of those sushi bars that had both the colored plate line or you could order of the at the table computer screen. It was all good and pretty cheap compared to the US. Needless to say we were able to finish it all.

Even though English is a main language here, you can not always account for the confusion of accent and dialect. The flat/apartment where we are staying is on a small side street that is not well know to everyone, including taxi drivers as I have discovered. Trying to explain to a taxi driver, where I want to go, then having a gaggle of of additional cabbies join the group and try to figure out where these crazy tourist types want to go. Well it's part of the adventure.

I know I'm making it sounds like all we do is goof off and play tourist. That's only partially true. The mornings and early afternoon we do have pretty free this first week while we are only teaching Counseling Skills I. In the afternoon we meet to have a devotion and prep time for the evenings classes and break out groups. Dr. Biles does most of the main lecturing and then Robyn, Nicole, and myself take smaller groups of students to practice and video tape the counseling skills they have just learned. Here are some of the students both in class and during one of our break times. Pray for both the training team and the students that neither language, ethnicity nor culture will get in the way of our accomplishment of the mission.

Talk to you tomorrow. - Jeff

Fast Facts About Malaysia

Country - The Federation of Malaysia comprises of Peninsular Malaysia, and the states of Sabah and Sarawak on the island of Borneo.

Geographic Location - Situated between 2º and 7º to the North of the Equator line, Peninsular Malaysia is separated from Sabah and Sarawak by the South China Sea. In the northern part of Peninsular Malaysia lies Thailand, and in the south, neighbouring Singapore. Sabah and Sarawak are bounded by Indonesia while Sarawak also shares borders with Brunei.

Area - 329,758 square km


Population - 27.17 million


Capital City - Kuala Lumpur

People - Malays comprise 57% of the population, while the Chinese, Indian and Bumiputeras and other races make up the rest of the country's population.

Language - (Bahasa Melayu)Malay is the national language in use, but English is widely spoken. The ethnic groups also converse in the various languages and dialects.

Religion - Islam is the official religion of the country, but other religions are widely practised.

Government - Malaysia follows the bicameral legislative system, adopting a democratic parliamentary. The head of the country is the King or the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong, a position which is changed every years among the Malay Sultanates. The head of government is the Prime Minister.

Weather - The country experiences tropical weather year-round. Temperatures are from 21ºC (70ºF) to 32ºC (90ºF). Higher elevations are much colder with temperatures between 15°C (59° F) to 25°C (77°F). Annual rainfall varies from 2,000mm to 2,500mm.

Air travel bathrooms and toilet seat covers

Are you kidding? Not happening on a blog. See me in person........

Life in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

So, some things the same, some things a little different. I know I haven’t experienced all of Malaysia, but where we are living I find things fairly familiar. Everything has an English translation on it: street signs, food packaging, books, products in the stores. Everyone I have interacted with seems to know enough English to be able to communicate with me. Clothing (with the exception of the occasional traditional outfits) is very western (not cowboys, American). Rarely do I see a female with her head covered. I recognize some of the plants and some plants that are hard to grow in the US grow wild here. We have what I’ve been calling our Jack and the Beanstalk tree just outside the kitchen window. It is about a yard across and about 35 to 40 feet tall. I have heard one cat, but have neither seen nor heard any dogs. There is one particularly interesting bird I keep hearing, but have yet to get a visual on it. Along with the traditional Malaysian food, I have also seen Wendy’s, Pizza Hut and Kenny Rogers (our first meal here), San Francisco Steak House (Father’s Day meal) and McDonald’s (in fact, they deliver). They tell me, however, not to expect the food from these restaurants to taste the same as it does at home. We also spotted a Borders store which caused Jeff to see if he could get some extra work while he was here.

Driving is a little different. First of all, this is a former British Colony so all the driving is done on the “wrong” (left) side of the road. Your mind seems to adjust to this okay until you come to a intersection – then it freaky. There are hardly any SUV’s or pickup trucks, all small compacts (some really, really small compacts). Some of the auto manufacturers are familiar like Toyota, but all the model names are different from there American counterparts. There are a lot of motor bike and scooters on the road also, they have the privilege of weaving through traffic at stop lights so they can get to the front of the pack, only to be overtaken by the cars once we get going again. They say that they are going to get a car so Jeff can run us around here in the local area – Yipes!

We posted a few pics earlier, but let’s go into a little more detail describing the flat where we are living. We are on the second floor of a 6 flat unit. To enter our flat you must unlock 4 locks. The first is at the top of the stairs. It is a gate of sorts with a padlock. Next, there is another gate at the door with a key and a padlock. Then, finally, the actual door is unlocked. You lock everything back each time you come or go. Then, ironically it seems to me, you leave your shoes outside. I bring mine in anyway. So, as you enter, shoes off, you go barefoot, or wear slippers which are there at the door waiting for you. There is no carpet. All the floors are tile. Lighting is florescent bulbs exposed on the wall. No lamps. There are outlets (different voltage-converter needed), but you have to turn them on to use them (little switches at the top). There are fans in each room (except kitchen) and an “air-con” unit in most.

The only place there is hot water is in the bathroom shower (also must be turned on). This has not been a problem since we only take cold showers to try to cool off. Nonetheless, after I get out of my cold shower the mirror is fogged up. ?? Did I mention it is hot and humid here? Another anomaly with the bathroom is that it (the whole thing) typically stays wet (all ceramic tile). The ladies who were helping set up the flat were confused as to why the bathmat went just outside the shower (It usually is placed just outside the bathroom door in the hall). It’s like a huge shower that also holds a sink and toilet. There are drains and hoses everywhere. They will go into the bathroom and hose their feet down right there in the floor. So the bathroom floor is a couple of inches lower than the rest of the house. Again, to keep the water confined.

The kitchen is interesting as well. No hot water, remember? So, we wash our dishes, rinse them and then pour boiled water over them to sterilize them. Typically, Malaysian kitchens have no stove/oven. For real. Dr. Biles had a cook top installed and we have a toaster oven. Funny to me is the lack of any cooling in the kitchen. No fan and no ac. Well, actually, I guess it’s not so strange for them because they do not cook. (So the kitchen never gets any hotter than the rest of the house.) They eat EVERY meal out, or buy it and bring it in. They just don’t cook. As I understand it, it’s cheaper for them to do it this way. The refrigerator is made by Toshiba and is a pygmy. It’s about half the size of a normal one at home. We have a washer, but no dryer. We hang things up to dry.

We feel blessed to be here. Some of life is so different – some of it the same. The sights and smells change some but the needs of people do not. Pray for us that we can clearly communicate those things which do change, the eternal things that cross all ethnic groups and all cultures. We love you!

Father's Day Malalysian style!

OK. So no problem getting drowsy! We met in a hall which held 800 to 1000 people. Overall, the service was similar to what we are used to in the states. They had announcements, a choir special, an orchestra special, a drama presentations by the teens (using the song "When God ran to me"), recognition of fathers (more than once). Jeff got a special gift (a book written by the pastor) as a father that had never before been in the services at Grace Assembly. They had a screen on either side of the sanctuary for better viewing. They taped the service, had a deaf interpreter and information on how you can use your credit card to give to the church. In the "bulletin" they had info on the big pot luck dinner coming up (no kidding). In the orchestra, they had several violins, a flute, clarinet, cello, piano and keyboard, bass, two guitars and drums. They had a worship team to help lead the congregational music. Attire for the day ranged from dressy traditional garb to jeans and t-shirts. Flip flops and high heels. They had children's church and a teen section. Everything was done in English, and their theme at this time is: "Move up into a new era of fruitfulness".

There were also some differences. Six or eight dancers up at the front (floor level) alternated between tambourines and scarves as they danced. Everything was very lively. Even those in the congregation were encouraged to dance to the Lord. They received the offering by laying two sheets down on the platform and having those who wanted to give to bring their money up and place it there. Then they folded them up and took them to the back. Pastor Henry gave the announcements and proceeded to "wax eloquent" about how our prayers to God on behalf of others will intervene in difficulties that may be coming if we do not pray. He was very interesting and challenging and went on perhaps a little longer than he might normally do while giving the announcements because their was a guest speaker for that morning and that was his one shot. I didn't catch the name of our speaker, but she was a professor from Nigeria. She spoke on what is an honorable father. Pretty solid stuff overall.

I enjoyed being there with my brothers and sisters who live half a world away. I felt such a spirit of oneness with them, all strangers to me. We serve the same God, are all redeemed by His blood and take comfort in His love. We all look the same to Him. Not so long ago, I remember thinking about heaven and (in my mind) as I looked out over the crowd that will be there, all the faces were white. It brought me up short as I realized how narrow and closed my world was. Since that time I have struggled to revise my vision. There will be all colors of skin, different eyes and hair. We will be big and small. Our language will for the first time a common language of God's love and the one I stand beside will be just as swallowed up in awe for Him as I will be. What a privilege it was for me to be in the presence of others so unlike myself except for our heritage as chosen heirs in a heavenly lineage.

PS I am noticing as I "spellcheck" that some of the spelling corrections are with British spellings and a little different from ours at home. How cool is that?

Happy Father's Day!

Father's Day comes but once a year and it comes a half day earlier in Malaysia than it does in the states. Happy Father's day, Daddy! We have been here two days, I think. But I didn't realize until last night that we got here on Friday, not Thursday (as it actually was in the US). On our return trip we will repeat a day. That will really mess with my feeble intellect.

We go to church this morning. It starts at 10:45 and will last until about 1:00. I'm concerned a bit about getting sleepy since I've been awake since 3. Perhaps I'm thinking incorrectly that it will not keep my attention. I don't have a clue, but this will be a first step into the Malaysian culture, which I'm excited about. (Our first meal here was at a Kenny Roger's. Go figure.)

Tomorrow we begin what we came here to do. We will be teaching counseling strategies and techniques to the pastors and lay leaders from the surrounding areas. This is in conjunction with a Bible school/college here. I don't know how easy or difficult communicating will be. It's all in English, but Dr. Biles has said we should speak slowly. This will not be difficult for this southern girl, but I'm not sure how the southern accent will affect things. "Y'all know what I mean?"

I am anticipating how my experiences here will change my life. There is no greater privilege than serving the Father who loves us so much by serving others, but I am also excited to see what He will do in me. There is an expectancy in my heart for what's next on His agenda for Robyn Brooks. As we flew over so many suburbs and communities from there to here, I could look down and see thousands of homes representing hundreds of thousands of people. I had to chuckle at my "sometimes haughty" self as I gained a bit of perspective of how we must look to God. I wondered how many of those precious lives (like me at times) believe they are important to God's work as if He would be in dire straits if He no longer had their assistance. As if He is aware of the amazing work they are doing and is impressed. Then I thought of how blessed I am when I realize that He was willing to search down through thousands of His children, pluck me out and allow me to follow His plan across the world. I am beginning to understand better that He gives us ministry not because He needs us, but because we need Him. We need to serve. We need to have purpose and significance. We need to see Him work through us. We need to grow and change. We need a deeper relationship. WE need. And He gives. Oh man. I have spent so much of my life thinking of how lucky God is to have me. What foolish thoughts. This side of heaven I will never be able to understand the deep love that causes Him to continue to work with me and use me.

Startin today......

Getting Adjusted

We landed in Kaula Lumpur at about 12:45 Friday afternoon. After customs, convincing them that we didn't have the H1N1 virus we proceeded to the baggage claim area. We were met by Dr. Biles our team leader and headed toward the city. It was about and hour drive back to the city. We decided to stop and do some grocery shopping at "Gaint". We picked up breakfast and lunch stuff for the flat. I thought the live fish market in the center of the store was pretty cool (and smelly).

We stopped at a place I've always wanted to eat, Kenny Rogers, never thought I'd have to go to Malaysia to try it.

We made it to our flat by about 4 in the afternoon. We stayed up until about 8 pm. We both were able to sleep a good eight hours, which helped us with the jet-lag.

Here are some shot of the flat. We are in a little row of flats. Our unit is on the second floor. We have three bedrooms and 2 baths. A nice little european style kitchen, dinning room and living room. We share the flat with Dr. Biles and Nicole, another member of the team. We'll introduce you to the team tomorrow.

36 Hours & We're Still Alive

We arrived at Norfolk International at about 11 AM for our 12:40 flight to St. Louis and then on to LAX. At first thing we heard form the airline employee was that we would not be able to enter Malaysia because we had not had our Passport for at least 6 months prior to entering the country. I thought, "This is some way to start out!" She was wrong and we were able to get out luggage checked all the way through to KL with a little more of a hassle - but hey - we were off!

Our flight took us from Norfolk to St. Louis, St. Louis to LAX, LAX to Taipei, Taiwan, and Taipei to Kaula Lumpur, Malaysia. It was a 36 hour trip in all including flight times and layovers.

Here we are the happy travelers leaving Norfolk.

Robyn putting up her feet in LAX.

Signing in at Malaysia Airlines.

It was good to be done travelling for a while. Malaysia Airlines is not a bad place to be if you have to do a 14 hour flight.

We are 12 hours behind our normal US eastern time zone. But we both went to bed last night about 9 pm (Malaysia time) and slept through a normal 8 hour night. So thanks for the prayers.

WE MADE IT!!

How far we've come

Robyn and I met at Southside Christian School in Greenville, South Carolina the year that my Dad came there to take over as school administrator. This picture was taken around the summer of 1976, near Destin, FL.

Isn't amazing as we look back at the journey that God guides us through in life. How many choices would we have made differently without his leading and direction. Where might we have ended up? What opportunities would we have forfeited.

I have a teacher who reminds me that the average IQ is in the 110 - 130. Einsteins range in the 180's. Oh, and God, what do you think 35,000,000,000,000,000+? Yet how many times do we think we know so much better than God.

When this picture was taken I thought I knew it all. I knew where my life needed to go. What I needed to do. How many times have I tried to convince God that I knew better? Maybe it's time I pause one more time and say, "Thank you God for leading me in your paths, not mine." How about you?

One week from today we fly from Norfolk heading toward Malaysia!

One Week and Counting

It's hard to believe that we are just a week away from leaving for Malaysia. Many thoughts are running through our minds.

The first would be our gratitude to each of you that have helped us make this trip a reality. We have received about 75% of support we need to meet the minimum costs of making the trip. Thank you for your love, help and prayers.

Second, we have received word back from areas churches in Malaysia and the Weekend church speaking schedule is just about full. In addition, we are reviewing teaching notes for the weekday seminars, so that we can be fully prepared in that area as well.

Now it's time to start working on the packing plan.

All you international travelers, give us your tips.