Another quick update to say that we arrived in Jakarta this afternoon and enjoyed a relaxing evening here at our hotel in the midst of the city.  The Surabaya Children's Institute ended with a very long day on Friday - we were at the church from 7:00 am until about 7:00 pm....but the team was sorry to say goodbye to the children there.  The committee took us to dinner at an outdoor restaurant in little Singapore, and we finished the evening with a birthday party for Eunice Pang, one of the team members. 

Early Saturday morning, most of the team left for a ministry opportunity in a rural mountain village, while the rest of us went to a villa in the mountains outside of Surabaya....someone had donated their house (very large house ) for our use over the weekend.  The whole team arrived late on Saturday afternoon, and we all spent the evening playing games and enjoying each other's company....the view from the mountain was breathtaking, and the air was cool and breezy - it was just what everyone needed to get some rest before our last week here in Asia.  We wouldn't have minded spending a few extra days there , but were grateful for the opportunity to relax for a bit. 

Tomorrow is the first day of our last Children's Institute....our last week....begun with a bittersweet feeling.  Everyone is very tired and consequentially, feeling sick in some way or another.  But we are looking forward to this week, and are excited to finish strong, by God's grace.  We hope to post more pictures in the next few days, but for now, here are a few from the visit to the mountain-top community.

On Thursday, our team split up for a hospital visit and a daycare program. As thirteen of us planned for the daycare, we weren’t sure what to expect. Three Christian daycares combined at a church for our program. We arrived at the church and were directed to the third story. The elevator doors opened and we heard a din of noise. Our contact turned and smiled. “The kids are excited to see you!”

“Excitement” was an understatement. We walked in to see (and hear!) 150 kids jumping up and down, yelling, chattering. The acoustics of the gym-like room amplified the roar. We stared at each other a moment, with both dread and anticipation.

“Here goes!”

For the next several hours, we made crafts, learned new songs, told stories and performed skits. One of the workers told us that about 90% of the children were not Christians. Again, we had contrasting feelings, of being overwhelmed, yet thrilled by the tremendous opportunity before us. Our theme was “opposites,” with the goal of communicating the difference of God’s truth and the world’s lies. When God changes our hearts, we see life from His perspective, not the world’s.

The Musical Chairs skit didn’t end how the kids expected. Through the story, Andrew taught Christ’s principle that in God’s eyes, if you win, you lose; if you lose, you win. It was exciting to watch the young people on our team leading! David told the story of a little girl who developed the “Gimme Hands” disease, because she took everything for herself. Only when she gave it up—with Giving Hands—and surrendered it to God, could she rid herself of the miserable disease of selfishness. Lyndsey shared her testimony of how God changed her heart when she accepted Him as Savior. It was then that the kids were quieter than ever: they were listening. Eunice and Kristen taught and lead the songs; Kellye played the piano; Konner helped lead the songs, and he and David directed the games. Hannah and Kellye planned and led the craft time; Hannah and Eunice Pang taught the words and hand motions for Philippians 2:3-5. Everyone did an incredible job of handling the children and communicating the message.

As we returned to the bus to leave, we realized that Eunice was missing. She was back in the church, talking to and praying with a little girl who accepted Christ as Savior!

We don’t always have the privilege of seeing the harvest, but we want to be faithful sowers. I was reminded this week of how faith is required every day. While we are willing to pour out energy and love, we need faith that God will replenish and renew; we need faith that God’s Word will not return void; we need faith that God will accomplish the things He wants; we need faith that God blesses our obedience, even when we don’t see any results.

Our team thanks you for your prayers! We praise the Lord for how He’s blessed us with continued health and safety. As our fourth week begins (today we fly to Surabaya, Indonesia), we are overall worn down. Please pray that God’s strength would be glorified thro ugh our weakness. The upcoming week may hold unknowns for us, but not to God. We have seen His faithfulness and goodness day by day, and look forward to how He will work in us and through us this week!

Laura McCloy
SEAT Staff member

Ryan telling a story at a daycare we visited on Wednesday


Kristen, David and Konner


Singing "I am a C-H-R-I-S-T-I-A-N"

 
The Gimmie Hands skit at the daycare


David telling the story


Eating at Pepper Lunch, where your food is cooked right in front of you




Ar the Children's Hospital



  

“Why are you here? All of you … love us so much.”

Her brown eyes stared at me questioningly. I didn’t know what to say. Flies buzzed in and out of the open windows. The room held a mix of strange smells. Cracks snaked across the dirty walls. 

When we arrived at the orphanage, the dozen children avoided interaction at first. We had been told that some of them had parents, but they were unwilling to care for them. I did not know then, however, that every child there had been abused either physically or sexually.

They spoke Malay or Tamil, but some of them knew English. I approached several girls outside on the porch as they watched our games. “My name is Laura. Do you know English?” One of them smiled and walked away, but Privia stayed.

She was fifteen, I learned, and had been at this orphanage for over three years. She had no parents. She wanted to be a heart surgeon someday. She said she knew about the Bible, and went to church. “What’s your favorite Bible story?” She didn’t know.

“I love the story of Daniel!” I told her. “You know that one, right?” She shook her head. While I told the story, I braided her hair. She touched it and smiled. She took me around the house to the kitchen, because she hadn’t eaten breakfast. She poured warm, brownish milk over her corn flakes and handed me the bowl. “We’ll share,” she said.

“But I’ve already eaten breakfast,” I hurriedly excused. She shook her head and wouldn’t eat until I took the first bite. We returned to the front room where the rest of the team and the children were playing with balloons and Rubik’s cubes. Some of the children were physically or mentally handicapped. Some of them couldn’t speak English. But all of them were smiling.

I rubbed Privia’s neck and scratched her back. “It’s so nice,” she said quietly. I borrowed a friend’s lotion, and gave her a hand massage. That’s when she asked me,

“Why are you here? All of you … love us so much.”

We tossed balls, blew bubbles and laughed through hopscotch competitions. They loved to see their pictures on the cameras! I think the workers were surprised by the scene – first of all, that we were there, but mostly that the children opened up to us so much.

But it wasn’t about us. As we stood in a circle and the pastor prayed at the end, he glorified God for what it was really all about: the love of Christ. Christ’s love broke down the language barriers; He made it possible for us to reach out to the unlovable. I waved a final good-bye to Privia and the rest of the group with a joy and amazement of what the Lord can do. I also left with a heavy heart, thinking about the short time being our only and last opportunity to ever touch and hug them. Christ’s work and healing is not complete in their lives, just as He is continuing to change every one of us.

 Laura McCloy
SEAT Staff member

Laura and Privia

     

This is just a quick update to let you all know that our first Children's Institute is over - the week went by so fast!  Tomorrow (Sunday) we are leaving for the next city, which is Penang, on the east side of Malaysia.  It is about a 4 or 5 hour drive.  God has richly blessed our time here in Kuala Lumpur this past week.  Highlights of the week include going to a local orphanage for several hours to play with the children, touring Kuala Lumpur on Friday, which is our day off teaching, getting caught in a torrential downpour while playing ultimate frisbee in a nearby park, and of course, working with the children every evening.  We are all heading off to get a good night's rest before traveling tomorrow.  More pictures and updates to follow!

Teacher Training





Tour of Kuala Lumpur

On day two of our seminar week in Kuala Lumpur, half of the team was given the opportunity to visit a local inner-city community right in the heart of KL. As we got out of the taxis and onto the playground, the vicinity was pretty much empty. Vacant slides, stationary teeter-totters and the absence of the squeaking sounds one associates with swings on a playground. Surrounding us were buildings with dark, quiet interiors, weathered paint peeling off the sides and odor from the sewage permeating through the air. As the team attempted to inject some life into the dreary landscape, a group of kids appeared at the corner of a nearby apartment building, moving stealthily behind a car and peeking out to see who these blonde/brown haired visitors were. We approached them as cautiously as they were towards us, not wanting to frighten them away with rekindled memories of a kidnapping that happened not too long ago in the same community.

While they eventually made their way towards the playground gingerly, tossing a Frisbee between us, more kids started to appear. Soon, we had a soccer team of kids with some older ones accompanying them. Smile masked faces, head coverings and some with sandals which were far too small for their growing feet. We played tag, swung on the swings, bounced to and fro on the teeter-totters and even got to organize a mini Futsal (miniature soccer) game. Parents began to peek out through their grilled-in windows, smiles flashed across their faces as they watched these foreigners give of their time, to be a part of their children’s lives while doing something as simple as running around the swings and sliding down the slides. Although we weren’t able to directly share the gospel message with the children due to religious and legal reasons here in Malaysia, we were given the opportunity to make mention of our Christian faith when one of the Indian girls asked about who we are and why we were here. They knew there was something more to the big smiles and blue eyes, there was something behind those drenched green polos. It was Christ! It was the very same love He had for us when Jesus chose to die on the cross so each and every one of us can be forgiven of our sins.

As time drew to a close and we exchanged our goodbyes, the children enthusiastically asked us to come back for another visit. This was followed by hugs or a special Malaysian culture handshake where the hand used for a regular handshake is brought to their chests, symbolizing that they regarded our friendship as a special brotherly/sisterly bond. Truly, this was a reminder that Christ’s love transcends gender, culture, race or nationality. There was a special connection that the teachers shared with the children in the Malay village. One that was only possible with His love shining through us. We may never know where these children will be in 10 years or what their relationship with Christ will be. What we do know is that His love has been sown in the hearts of these kids whom we may never meet again. We have been chosen and given the opportunity to be used by Him and for that, we are humbled and grateful.

Kevin Teh
SEAT Staff Member

Malaysian Village