Kaki Bukit Mission Trip Day 1: Changes!

It's been a while since I spend my weekends at Pastor Matthew's place. I particularly like his bed because it's high and soft. Ai Hua made it a point to have sleep on the cleanest bed. By my standard, that's 5-star hotel service to me. Hahaha!

1. Breakfast with Eason

I woke up with a insatiable hunger. I figured it would be great to ask Eason for breakfast. So I kinda gave him a last-minute heads-up for breakfast. An hour later, there he was, picking me up for a McDonald's breakfast. It's always great to hang out with him. We shared some of our joy at work and at church, and even more on our personal struggles. Eason was fasting from coffee. His coffee compulsion gave me a hard time at sleep, but fasting from it gave him an even harder time. It was rather mean of me to be the Devil's Advocate. I tempted him with the compelling aroma of coffee.

2. Lunch and Departure

The mission team met for lunch and we did some last minute shopping. We did a short prayer for journey mercy and voila, we were set to go! For the first time, I traveled to the Northern end of PLUS highway and the road was long and narrow all the way. Nonetheless, the view along the way was spectacular. As a city boy, I have a special admiration for open field and endless views of greenery. The Northern part of Peninsular Malaysia has so much to offer.

We thank God for the brilliant minds that invented Waze. We set our destination to Gua Kelam and we managed to avoid a long stretch of traffic jam by maneuvering through "kampung" houses and narrow roads. The journey took about 2.5 hours and we arrived at the Kaki Bukit church at 4:15pm.

3. First Encounter

Xuan Yi (Right) and Eliz (Left)

Pastor Lim greeted us as we arrived. He's a middle-age man with a strong build. He has a typical Chinese man appearance; tough and seasoned, his dark tone made him a little intimidating and ferocious, yet a sense of warmth and gentleness makes him a rather welcoming figure.

But it wasn't Pastor Lim who came to meet us first. It was a youth that came up to our van excitedly. Some of the team members who came here during the last mission remarked "How is he so tall now?! What happened?" Well, simple: Puberty hits this kid like a tsunami. His name is Xuan Yi (translated). Little did I know, this tall, skinny, big-eyed and talkative kid would be my worst nightmare for the days to come.

There were about 7 other youths with Xuan Yi. They were going to stay with us for the next few days.

4. Right into Actions

The church was moving to a new location. The team helped to load some of the furniture onto a lorry that Pastor Lim had borrowed and moved it to the new place. The new place is actually a very own independent house build on a huge piece of land. The building is rather run-down and poorly maintained. The creaking sound of termite-infested floor, peeling wall paint and rusted window frame kinda freak people out. This house used to be home for a noble family in town, but was left abandoned and had since been home to an old, stubborn lady. The huge building is rented to the church at about RM500. It is a good deal, but much repair and renovation work need to be done.

Despite all that, Pastor Lim remained hopeful and faithful because of his vision for this house to be a beacon of light in the town of Kaki Bukit. 

5. Dinner and Games

Pastor's Wife brought us dinner prepared by her. Pastor's Wife is a gentle and wonderful lady. She is about as tall as Pastor Lim, with a subtle display of elegance and grace.

While we were having dinner, all the youth but Xuan Yi, were a little shy and passive. I was given the role to connect with the youth, so I always keep some tricks up my sleeves. I brought 2 sets of card games. The magic worked and we immediately sparked off with the youth. It was a time of getting to know their names but my memory soon began to fail miserably.

6. The Game Plan

Pastor Matthew gathered us for a time of discussion. There were some changes to the plan. We were told to expect about 22 youths turning up for VBS tomorrow, way beyond what we can handle. Therefore, Angela, Yvonne and I were put to charge to devise an entirely new plan for the youths. What a challenge!

Scenery along the journey to Kaki Bukit

The three of us spent the next 2 hours brain-storming for ice-breaking games and topics to teach. Thankfully, Angela and Yvonne are experts in this area and we were able to set the plans for tomorrow. 

Whoever invented 3G Connectivity deserves a Noble Prize, and whoever decided to bring that technology to a small town like Kaki Bukit must be hailed as hero. We were able to get a decent internet connection and found our teaching material in no time.

7. Goodnight and Reflection

After a light supper, all of us, but one, called it a day. Eliz decided that 11pm is the best time to play and she protested against the idea of sleeping. Poor Eliz? No, poor us. Teehee.

As one's mission experience increase, the pattern becomes predictable. The anxiety of what's gonna happen tomorrow becomes a norm because you'll know that God always have exciting tricks in His plans. I asked God to put strings of events that would bring me to obedience, whatever will He has for me. And I reminded myself to remain open and ever ready to whatever God is ready to show me.

God's Character, My Encounter.