Newsletter #9

Malaysian Care

Everyone has pluses and minuses, 

it's how you put them into the equation that makes a difference. 

~Dalinda Powell

As I have received HIV/AIDS training, I was able to go on a ministry day in Port Klang, Malaysia to visit a halfway-house/rehabilitation centre for ex-drug addicts, ex-prison convicts and current HIV+ men. We were a team of 5 women sent and had been told to prepare for practical work followed by lunch and a time of sharing and worship with the guys.

It turns out they had expected men and the practical work was tearing down a brick wall, building a new one and doing some painting. They refused to allow the women to work and thought quickly on their feet, asking us to decorate one of the men's rooms, to cover water damage on the walls. We felt a little useless doing paper crafts, knowing that they needed help elsewhere and we were prepared to help, but they refused to let us.

One of the men, Klart, supported himself financially by creating and selling beautiful hand-made cards. He showed us some of his work and gave us full use of his supplies to decorate the room which was one he shared with another guy. Seeing what he had made inspired us for what he might like in his room and together we came up with some decorations. 

We felt a little useless doing this, however to see the joy on Klart's face at the end made it all worthwhile. He was a very special man. His testimony was that he had lived on the street and was HIV+ when the workers of Malaysian Care found him and offered him a home. Through their love and care, he got back on his feet and fell in love with Christ. He prayed every morning and every evening for a month that he might be healed. Although he is still HIV+ and is living with AIDS, Klart has not had any problems with his health and is still alive 10 years later, something that is a miracle for his situation.

Klart works constantly to bring others joy. The cards he makes are always for other people and he has never gotten anything for himself, so the fact that 4 of us spent a few hours carefully making something that we thought he would like and putting effort into it, especially for him really made him feel loved and cared for. It was wonderful to see how God could use such a small and to us, inconsequential thing, to really touch somebody's life.

After lunch, we had a time of worship with the men and performed a drama for them about God's love. With their pasts, many had done things they were ashamed of and the world and their consciences were telling them they were stupid, unworthy of love, that they didn't deserve anything good. Our drama shared with them that there is nothing anyone can do to make God not love us. 

We have a God of grace. Justice is getting what we deserve, mercy is not getting what we deserve but grace is getting what we do not deserve. While visiting and ministering on the ship earlier this year, published Christian author Stuart Briscoe told us a story of he and his son. His son had not done what he was asked and told lies about it. Stuart found out about it and took his son aside for a talk. "What do you deserve as a result of your actions", he asked. "I deserve to be grounded", replied his son. "That's justice", Stuart informed him. "Now, you know what you have done, that it was wrong and what you deserve, but I'm not going to punish you. That's mercy". Instead, the two went out for ice cream and some father/son bonding time. "I don't deserve this", said his son. "That's grace", replied Stuart.

That was what this drama taught and we followed it with an illustration of folding a piece of paper while sharing the gospel story. In the end after folding and ripping, a cross is made and the left over pieces of paper can be used to spell love, life and hell. We taught the men how to do this for themselves and as well as a time of bonding with them, it was special to see understanding come to some of those who had not previously understood the love that Christ has for them. 

We finished a wonderful day with some of the men sharing their testimonies of what their life was like, and how the love of God has transformed their lives into who they are today. Then before we left, they filled out some prayer cards of what they'd like prayer for. These men showed true selflessness when asking first for the health of their families above themselves and it was a great reminder that because of God, men who would otherwise be still on the streets, in prison or dead have life and a future, with dreams that can come true.

Newsletter #8