We were so nervous! We had no idea what we were going to say
Out working the territory, prior to the tract campaign. Most of the people in Melaka have heard of JW's before, and so they are pretty self-satisfied with their own religion. In Johor Bahru though there is still lots of untouched territory, so we're looking forward to getting to work there.
After service we all 'makkan,' a very important word: to eat. This is one of the famous local Melaka dishes, curry laksa. Its quite funny, one of the first questions the local friends ask is: Can you take spicy? Then 'Do you like seafood?' They are quite pleased when we say yes, and then of course we have to prove it.
One of our last assignments in the branch was to work in the kitchen. The neighborhood cat knows where to come for the good food.
I know we look fantastic in our chef's hat and apron!!
Who had the tougher job??
Saying goodbye at the branch and on to our new home in JB.
These are our flatmates, Steve & Lucy.
This is our KH, on the 2nd floor above this cafe. Quite convenient if you get hungry during the mtg. We're very excited that next Sept we'll be building a new KH. It will have 2 floors, which will be fantastic for the potential growth here. Our English group is meeting in the small room in back, simultaneoulsy with the Chinese cong. Last week we just started having our own Sun mtgs, so we can use the main auditorium. Our attendance is about 40 each week, with 27 pubs. There are many interested ones attending the mtgs, which is very encouraging to see. There are 8 different nationalities in our cong/group, definitely an international feel.
One experience to demonstrate our brotherhood: Many of you know Fan, well when she was in China, attending some of our ‘gatherings’ in another city, one of the elders there was a Japanese brother. When we would study together she would always talk about him and ask if we ever met or knew him. Well, that brother and his wife are now in our cong here in JB. So what a surprise, when we found out that we were not only in China at the same time as he was, but that he also knew Fan. What a small world in the truth!
Our cong has about 60 pubs, with about 25 children. So as you can imagine it is quite a lively bunch. It is so encouraging to see parents coming out in service regularly with their little kids, going from house to house even in the heat of the day.
This one little boy, Dexter, just turned 3, and he is quite the genius. He has memorized song 164, and sings it word for word, without music! His comments are always encouraging, this last one he gave for the wt study about paradise: ‘There’s Mommy & Daddy & Dexter in paradise!’ And when he goes house to house, to hear him shout out in Chinese: “You ren zai jia ma?” (Is there anyone home), is quite comical.
Here is Dexter giving his comment, and below is one of the many young ones sharing in the ministry with us.
These are some friends from our English group at a small gathering. One of the many kids in our group, she's quite the doll.
In the territory you never which language you might come across. So we always have to be observant, what color is the house, what symbols do they have above the door, etc. If its Chinese, they usually have a large red altar outside in the courtyard, or some Chinese writing above the door, or an octagonal mirror above the door to scare away the ghosts when they look in the mirror. My question is what if they don’t look in the mirror??
But superstition and religious tradition really has a hold on people here.
If it’s an Indian home, they like yellow and orange, and green, so their home may be that color, or they have a picture of one of the Hindu gods, or mango leaves hanging above the door.
If it’s a Malay home, usually they like blue, their homes can be more colorful, and usually have an Arabic scripture form the Koran above the door. But of course, some homes have no signs, so we just try and see what happens. As it stands now, we can’t preach to the Malays, so we just keep walking, or if we knock on a door and a Malay person answers, we let them know we’re looking for either Chinese, or Christian homes and we continue on our way. Kind of a challenge to not preach to everyone, but all in Jah’s time.
We also have found many Nepalese men who are keenly interested in studying the Bible. This one young man, who regularly attends the mtgs, is so zealous for what he’s learning, He witnesses to his friends and his workmates already, even though he’s only in lesson 4 of the rq brochure. Of course his English is very limited, so we have to explain everything very simply, lots of pictures and sign language. It is truly evidence of Jah’s spirit at work, when the truth sinks in, in spite of us. Last Sunday mtg, he noticed that all the bros wear ties. So he asked, what are these? And then: ‘where can I get one?’ So another bro donated a tie, and sure enough the next Sun mtg he proudly came in wearing a tie and sneakers. And he also noticed that we were carrying a stack of literature back to the car. So he asked what it was for. We explained it was for distribution to others who might be interested. So he asks, can I help? I have some friends who would like this. So of course we were happy to give him a few mags to distribute to his friends.
Last week bringing him home from the book study, he commented on how practical the Bible is, and that it is good for every situation in life. And then he says: “I love my Bible.” Even though he doesn’t have his own personal one yet. We only have one Nepalese Bible, since they are quite hard to come by. So we have to take it back after every study so we can use it for the next Bible study. The same is true of the rq brochure, we only have one in Nepalese, so we can’t even leave that for them to read.
It is also truly amazing to see Jah’s hand in directing us to the right homes to find those who are searching. Because in these homes, there are 20-30 Nepalese living together. Yesterday we went to pick up one of them for the mtg, and he was at the market, so we were on our way to pick up the next one and then come back later for him. On the way, there were 2 Nepalese walking, so we drove down a little ways and pulled over and parked in front of a house. I got out and walked back to talk to them, meanwhile Sue is sitting in the car. While I’m talking to these 2, a crowd of them come home from work, back to the house we parked in front of. So when I get back, Sue is talking to a crowd of about 10. But one in particular was very interested. And while the rest decided to leave, he stayed, and eventually asked where we meet. So we gave him an invitation to the mtg, and started a study with him for next week. Truly the angels know where to have us park our car!
I decided to try 'Nato' for the first time. Remember the Awake article not too long ago about it. Fermented soybeans.....it definitely is an acquired taste!!
Its kind of hard not to stand out around here...
At the end of a long hard day what do M's do???? 
get a free massage in a chair at the mall...
posted by kensue at
1:54 PM
