Back Home

"Hey its good to be back home again. Sometimes this old farm feels like a long lost friend..."
Who knows if John Denver is the one who said it best - but he certainly got the heart of it. Its been a long time since I've been in WW on a regular basis - between the Malaysia mission trip (very good) and WWVA Senior Survival (brilliant), it feels like I've been more away from home than I've actually been here.
But back in the saddle again and looking forward to good things this year. Our Junior High youth group High5 begins meeting every night starting this evening - and the High School versio - FaceOff - reloaded - begins tomorrow night.
So looking forward to what is in store for those programs this year as we have some brilliant collegiate aged individuals leading out in creating them.
Off to school.

Malaysia #6 - An Ode to Food

If I dont say so myself, the food has been fantastic in Kuching. I'm worried the weight gain is going to be in the double digits. Have my work cut out for me when I get back home. All the pictures below are from a vegetarian restaurant that is owned by Buddhists. Absolutely delicious.

From 2010 - Malaysia Mission Trip

From 2010 - Malaysia Mission Trip

From 2010 - Malaysia Mission Trip

From 2010 - Malaysia Mission Trip

From 2010 - Malaysia Mission Trip

From 2010 - Malaysia Mission Trip

From 2010 - Malaysia Mission Trip

Some others...

From 2010 - Malaysia Mission Trip

From 2010 - Malaysia Mission Trip

From 2010 - Malaysia Mission Trip

From 2010 - Malaysia Mission Trip

From 2010 - Malaysia Mission Trip

From 2010 - Malaysia Mission Trip

From 2010 - Malaysia Mission Trip

And some less appetizing Options...

From 2010 - Malaysia Mission Trip

From 2010 - Malaysia Mission Trip

From 2010 - Malaysia Mission Trip

From 2010 - Malaysia Mission Trip

From 2010 - Malaysia Mission Trip

Malaysia #5 - Islam

 

Islam is the state religion in Malaysia. However, at least in the state of Sarawak, where we are staying - the majority religion is Christianity. An interesting thing. At present, Muslims are celebrating Ramadhan in Sarawak which means that there are brilliant collections of street vendors set up to sell their foods each evening from about 6:30 to 8:30. So what I understand is that Muslims fast during the day in Ramadhan but then break the fast each evening. I've also been told that women are allowed to go to the mosque to pray as well during this time.

As it turns out, proseletyzing for any religion but Islam is frowned upon at best; illegal at worst. I'm not completely clear on the laws but I udnerstand from some sources taht in Sarawak, it is not illegal to do evangelism or for muslims to convert - but it is a dangerous proposition for both parties (complete with potential prison sentences). Any Muslim intending to convert to Christianity has to (at the very least) keep his/her process secret from the government and potentially even from his/her family.

As a consequence of these laws, many christian groups have the practice in place of printing "for non-muslims only" (i.e. for athiests, hindus, buddhists, etc...) on the front of programs, signs, banners, and marketing material. This is just to avoid any undue attention from the governemnt and to be strictly according to the book. Of course, underneath, many churches are populated by converted muslims. The population in this state wouldnt be nearly 60% Christian if someone hasn't converted somewhere along the way methinks.

From 2010 - Malaysia Mission Trip

This reality makes one doing the types things we are doiing (preaching, inviting, sharing Jesus) think about how much we really believe what we are talking about. Although we have been told the risk is minimal, it is still far greater than what we are used to in America. There are no criminal consequences to sharing one's faith where I am from - and therefore its not something I have thought about. The question remains though: would I be willing to go to jail over sharing what I am going to share tonight? Definietly pushes us to be authentic, full of integrity, and convicted in what we share. Its too big of risk otherwise.