The first week on campus!

Hi everyone! Sorry for the long delay between updates. In America everything is instant. We want our information instantly at our fingertips. Here in Malaysia though, the locals enjoy a slower pace of life. I suppose it’s rubbing off on me a little! :) Enjoy the new pictures!

Our first week on campus went extremely well! We were so pleased by how faithful He has been to us! This first week was all about meeting people and forming relationships. At times it was difficult to walk up to random people and initiate conversations. Now looking back though, I’m glad we persevered. We have gotten to know so many wonderful people this way! The whole goal of this week was to contact as many people as possible and help get them plugged in with the Navs through large events. Planning the logistics of the large events was challenging at times. Many of us students (or former students as the case may be) have begun to appreciate in a much greater capacity all the work our full-time campus Nav staff do for us!!!

This week we had two sports nights, a movie night, an American food night, and a day trip to Kuala Selangor to see some amazing fireflies! The American food night, organized and cooked for by Kyle, Doug, and Cynthia was a raging success. We had 85-100 people show up to our little house and enjoy BBQ chicken, chili cheese dogs, potato salad, chips, soda, brownies, and a whole desert bar! We were so grateful to our community friends who stopped by to help clean up and serve simply so that we could be free to continue to develop friendships. The community has given us so much support! We can always count on them to be ready to serve us by organizing rides for day-trips, helping serve food, or even helping us clean up our house!

Yesterday we had a day trip to Kuala Selangor to see the fireflies. We expected only 5 to 10 people but somehow around 50 people came out of the woodwork! As more students signed up, more volunteer drivers came forward! How faithfully He has supported us! We had an amazing time seeing the fireflies. First we had an excellent sea-food dinner by a river that feeds into the Strait of Malacca. Next we went to a nearby river and took little boat rides. The small green fireflies twinkled and lit up the trees around the river like Christmas lights! Meanwhile, lightning and thunder flashed in the dark and distant night sky! We all had a great time and we think the students enjoyed themselves as well.

With such an amazing first week we can hardly believe that we still have two more!

On a more personal note (though I’m sure my thoughts are echoed in the hearts of the entire team), I’m really beginning to understand for the first time how few in number the laborers are in proportion to the amount of work to be done! He wasn’t joking when he said we have to ask the Master of the Harvest to send out laborers into His field.

Prayer Requests:
1.) There is so much to be thankful for! Please thank and Praise Him for his faithfulness
2.) That the next two weeks would be fruitful in plugging new people into the ministry and that those who get plugged in would make that all important decision.
3.) That the current students we are investing in would have faithful and available mentors to help equip them in their walk.
4.) That the current students would learn to pass on what they've learned to their friends who don't believe and that they would invest in the next generation of believers.
5.) That Brian would be able to quickly adjust and jump right into the work here, though he just joined us yesterday.
6.) That the Master of the Harvest would send more laborers into his field.

-Tim