Travelled.

Five days in Malaysia. It was a rewarding experience going around alone and with friends, even though the last couple of days were dreadful and only wanted to return to my tiny island home. Each time I go abroad for an extended period of time, I will take some time during and after the trip to sit down, think, reason and battle it out with myself, turn to the bible and talk to God.

On my first day, I dropped by CERC for a visit and joined them for their Sunday service. CERC is a sister church of The Crossing Church, set up roughly around the same time six years ago in the city of Kuala Lumpur. Thank God for having seen them through six years of struggle in a country and city that has not been the kindest to Christianity and its people. Hearing stories of people (a lot of them!) leaving when the gospel is preached faithfully was startling, at least to me, because it is a different situation here in Singapore. Lack of training for bible teachers, a hostile environment where persecution is prevalent, people leaving the church, the prosperity gospel, and church-goers who are not interested in the gospel are just some of the problems the church of Malaysia is currently facing.. Jesus Christ is what Christianity is about, the gospel at the very core of what we Christians believe in. To remove Jesus and to not preach the gospel is not being Christian at all. Choose Christ, choose life and live in God. Reject Christ, reject life and live in the devil. CERC is a church to pray for, and Malaysia is a country that needs the gospel.

I spent the next couple of days in Ipoh with Jerrine and her family + relatives. The few days were filled with thinking with quiet moments at night to read and pray, and good time that I could sit down chat with Jerrine. It was encouraging to hear from her how she learnt about the importance of the gospel over the last couple of years and drawing closer to Christ. It humbled me as well to treat with people respect, put aside my pride and rid of the holier-than-thou attitude. That was and still is important because it was never ever by my own doings that I hear of the gospel, so there is nothing that I could boast in but in Christ alone! I thank God for this close and dear friend who has been placed in my life, plenty to learn from and keep praying for, that she will continue in Christ till the very very end.

Penang, my fifth time there, but possibly the most dreadful one of all. Fell sick upon arrival, could not eat much (so no street food, urgh) and spent more time sleeping in bed than walking outside along the streets of the UNESCO buffer zone in Penang. I am glad I made this trip, seen a lot, learnt a lot, but incredibly worn out. I look forward to meeting the people that I have met again, but in the meantime, prayer will anchor how I relate to them.