A New Chapter Begins!!!

Some of you may be a bit surprised as you drop by the blog today to notice a new entry. For those of you who still regularly check the blog I thank you dearly for your faithfulness! It takes a rare commitment to invest so much for so many weeks with so little return for your efforts. This I must confess is the result of my own neglect and for that I must apologize. I am only recently coming to realize how vital your continued prayer support is to the ongoing work here. And how can you pray for us over here when you have no idea what to pray for?!!! Although I’m sure much of the readership has dropped off now that the rest of the team is home I still pray for the continued faithfulness of you who still remember that the work here in Malaysia is ongoing, with or without a whole American team to support it. In light of the American team leaving, we need your prayer now more than ever! I hope to update more frequently in the next few weeks so that you can be more accurately appraised of our prayer needs.

As I have alluded to in the previous paragraph, the CU Navs Malaysia adventure has finished its course for most of the team members. Brendan and Kyle left two Mondays ago and the rest of the team followed this last Sunday. I (Tim) have decided to remain here for another three weeks to continue to help the ministry in any way that I can. This decision was both very simple and very hard for me. In one sense I feel definitely ready to go home and see my friends and family again. If you asked me if I really WANT to stay for another three weeks I would have to honestly say no. However, that said, I think after seven weeks here in Malaysia I am just beginning to push against the formidable psychological line between being here for “just a trip” and “living here”. Had I left with the rest of the team on Sunday I think I would have not yet broken through this barrier. In the next three weeks I think I probably will. That is the part of the decision that makes it hard, knowing that I must face this barrier. The easy part of the decision is that I definitely feel like the Lrd has asked me to stay. Given this knowledge, I have a great sense of peace in my heart that He is with me and that he has a definite purpose for my time.

And now finally for the update portion: How is the work here coming?! In a word? Wonderfully!!! I feel like the last seven weeks have had a profound impact on the group of people we have been helping. People are really beginning to take up the mantle of the work and invest in it. I now am getting great opportunities to coach rather than do everything and let the students watch. We have at least 4-5 solid new recruits to the ministry with the possibility of many more since the outer network of contacts has widely expanded in the last few weeks. Although the work has made tremendous progress in the last few weeks, there is still MUCH to do. There are precious few people to help the students continue to grow in their walk with the Lrd. The workers are very few!

Now that the team has left I’m noticing a morale drop among the students we’ve been helping. I’ve been trying to gently encourage them to stick with the disciplines and continue to get their life from the Book. That said, they need your continued prayer now more than ever!!! Please especially pray for Kaisin, Kelvin, Esther, and Wen Shiow since they have a heavy burden as the students in the ministry who are really stepping up and taking charge.

As for me, the loneliness has not quite hit me yet. God has blessed me with a lot of wonderful opportunities to continue his work. The night the rest of the team left I was able to join in a student initiated bible reading with two freshmen. The night went very well and I think the freshmen are really excited about learning more about the Lrd. There is a lot more work to do now that I am the only one here and so God has been blessing me with much work! This weekend we are planning a short day trip to Malacca with some new students to the ministry. We’re praying for some great discussion during the trip. I feel so blessed to have a great community of believers here who have welcomed me without reservation into their midst. How can I be lonely with such great brothers and sisters here to support me in addition to the Great Friend, Brother, and Father? Thanks for all your continued prayer!

Prayer requests:

1.) Please pray that the students would continue in their disciplines and build their foundations and roots in the Word
2.) Please pray that our network of contacts would be expanded in the next three weeks and even more people would be recruited to the ministry
3.) Please pray for L. His seed fell among the rocky soil. Please pray that it would find its way to good soil!
4.) Please pray for my continued stamina and that I would continue to rest in the Lrd’s strength
5.) Please pray that He would quickly correct me when I stray.
6.) Please ask Him to grant me wisdom and discernment in where to invest my time for the next three weeks and what strategy is best.
8.) Please pray that the students spirits would soar and that the community would bind together stronger now that the American team has left.
7.) Please pray for Kaisin, Kelvin, Esther, and Wen Shiow that He would continue to strengthen them and reveal himself to them and that they might become leaders ready to carry on their knowledge to the next generation.