My work in Malaysia continues with a weekly Saturday night online and in-person (as my schedule permits) Bible study based on the lectionary readings for the next morning. It was a joy to gather again with half a dozen or so brothers in Christ, mostly in their early to mid 20’s, for an evening of fellowship, study of God’s Word and encouragement and prayer for one another.
We arranged to meet at 6pm at a cafe. I arrived, as typical, a few minutes early and secured a table. The cafe was also hosting a wedding so they warned me that once our food arrived we’d only be able to stay 90-minutes as space was more limited than usual and their business is brisk.
The other participants arrived about 7pm. That’s not uncommon in Malaysia and other Southeastern Asian countries, but it’s still something that’s hard for me to get used to. But there are worse ways to pass an hour than sipping coffee and observing the antics of a young couple newly or nearly married, working with a photographer for photo-ops around the cafe while their entourage of bridesmaids and groomsmen loitered and snapped plenty of photos themselves on their phones!
We chatted over dinner. Matt was a new addition to the group, a friend of James and Marco and clearly a history and theology buff. He’s also obviously a gifted teacher and as I learned a bit about his life he has placed that gift in the service of the Church as a layman in various congregations over time.
The restaurant was kind to us but eventually had to ask us to move along. We opted to continue the conversation at another nearby restaurant, and soon were ensconced in comfy chairs busying ourselves with the lectionary readings. Our conversations continued and continued, despite the fact that several of the group had asked for an earlier start-time because of work the next morning. Yet it was nearly midnight when we finally finished discussing and praying and started arranging our various transportations homewards.
Please continue to pray for this ministry. The Holy Spirit seems to keep connecting new people to it and while they come from a variety of Christian traditions they are united in a hunger for God’s Word and the opportunity to dig deeper into it.
The Nelson Family Indonesia 