The remainder of the Asia team is boarding their flight to Korea at 11:20. We look forward to seeing you all soon.
Team Divides--5 Return to US, 8 to Cambodia
Five members of our team return to NC Monday afternoon. The rest of the team is now in Cambodia with Kit, Avery, and Lucas.
The missions trip has been awesome. During our 20 events, our team held worship concerts for over 3000 people, trained around 700 worship leaders in three countries, and led Sunday morning worship for over 3000 people. We have so much to report to you soon. It is amazing at all we saw God do during these days.
Everyone on the team stayed very healthy throughout the worship events. The team worked together so well in everything they were required to do.
We are so thankful for all those that filled in for us while we were away. It's great to know that we have so many capable people at Front Street. We all look forward to being back with you this coming Sunday.
Thank you for your prayers.
I hope to post more soon.
Arrival In Korea
We arrived in Korea. Now we are simply waiting for the longest portion of our journey!
On Our Way Home
Jacob, Doris, Kevin, Terrie and myself are waiting in KLIA for the first leg of our flight back to the states. We will be boarding in about 10 minutes. The flight to Korea is roughly 6 hours long so we will be arriving early Monday morning (our time). We have a few hour layover in Korea before our 14 hour flight to Atlanta.
This trip has been awesome, but we are all ready to get home. It will be nice to see everyone, sleep in our own beds, and use our own toilets. Kenny will now take over the blog updates as the rest of the team is continuing on to Cambodia. Thank you all for your prayers and support! I cannot wait to share more about this incredible experience once we return.
This trip has been awesome, but we are all ready to get home. It will be nice to see everyone, sleep in our own beds, and use our own toilets. Kenny will now take over the blog updates as the rest of the team is continuing on to Cambodia. Thank you all for your prayers and support! I cannot wait to share more about this incredible experience once we return.
Final Day
Today was incredible. We were able to see some of the country and experience another awesome time of worship tonight.
Tomorrow we leave for Kota Kinabalu (KK) at 8:20 AM. Should be there before lunch as it is a short flight. That is if our flight isn't delayed. We will have a few hours to relax before preparing for the Worship Concert at KK Baptist Church. KK is our last stop before five of us return to the States and the other nine to Cambodia.
I am not sure if we will have internet access in KK so this may be the last post until Sunday.
Tomorrow we leave for Kota Kinabalu (KK) at 8:20 AM. Should be there before lunch as it is a short flight. That is if our flight isn't delayed. We will have a few hours to relax before preparing for the Worship Concert at KK Baptist Church. KK is our last stop before five of us return to the States and the other nine to Cambodia.
I am not sure if we will have internet access in KK so this may be the last post until Sunday.
Next Destination - Day 1
Today was awesome. We have been so blessed to be here in this great country. The people here are fantastic! We visited some sites around the city today before heading to the church for preparations.
The conference was great. The place was full of eager participants and Kenny did a marvelous job as always. I hope that the principles learned tonight will make a huge impact here in a place where it is greatly needed.
Tomorrow promises to be even more exciting than today. Many people are interested in coming to the concert, even if they do not have tickets. Please keep this event and the team in your prayers. We are all tired, especially voices.
Dear Pastor Kenny,
Thank you so much for blessing us all with the Worship Leader Handbook and
taking the time to conduct the workshop on the 27th July,2009 at Emmanuel
Baptist Church, Kuching. We have been truly blessed and this is the 1st
time I've attended such a comprehensive workshop on worship. It's a pity
we couldn't have the full workshop because there is just so much to learn
from you.
I've been serving in Emmanuel Baptist Church's worship team for slightly
more than a year as a pianist. Initially I struggled a lot as I didn't
know what to expect but the Lord helped me through it all and I finally
managed to blend in. But there is still so much to learn especially when
asked to play by ear during ministry time. I'm still working at that area
and a lot more other areas.
Your book helps me to understand the emotions I go through when working
together with the others as well as providing a very clear step by step
guide to improve on both personal and corporate worship. Thank you very
much. God must have seen my frustration sometimes and this is truly His
answer written in "black & white".
I pray that all goes well with the rest of your team's tour and God Bless
you all!
The conference was great. The place was full of eager participants and Kenny did a marvelous job as always. I hope that the principles learned tonight will make a huge impact here in a place where it is greatly needed.
Tomorrow promises to be even more exciting than today. Many people are interested in coming to the concert, even if they do not have tickets. Please keep this event and the team in your prayers. We are all tired, especially voices.
-----------------
Here is an encouraging e-mail received from a participant in the Kuching conference:Dear Pastor Kenny,
Thank you so much for blessing us all with the Worship Leader Handbook and
taking the time to conduct the workshop on the 27th July,2009 at Emmanuel
Baptist Church, Kuching. We have been truly blessed and this is the 1st
time I've attended such a comprehensive workshop on worship. It's a pity
we couldn't have the full workshop because there is just so much to learn
from you.
I've been serving in Emmanuel Baptist Church's worship team for slightly
more than a year as a pianist. Initially I struggled a lot as I didn't
know what to expect but the Lord helped me through it all and I finally
managed to blend in. But there is still so much to learn especially when
asked to play by ear during ministry time. I'm still working at that area
and a lot more other areas.
Your book helps me to understand the emotions I go through when working
together with the others as well as providing a very clear step by step
guide to improve on both personal and corporate worship. Thank you very
much. God must have seen my frustration sometimes and this is truly His
answer written in "black & white".
I pray that all goes well with the rest of your team's tour and God Bless
you all!
Arrival
Update: Everyone made it safely! No problems making it through security or customs. We will all be reunited soon. PTL!
--------------------------
We (Daddy K & the Younglings) arrived safely at our destination. Upon our arrival we discovered that due to our many delays (around 3 hours) we missed a HUGE feast. Apparently, some of the people here had prepared a large spread of food for us. Tim, Charles, & Rodney were already here so they were the only ones of our group able to attend. As of now, the last of our group will be coming in tomorrow morning around 10. We will then be reunited.
Our trip here was pretty uneventful, apart from the many delays. We are all thankful for the provision we have seen during this portion of our journey. Despite the difficulties with rescheduled flights, it seems as if everyone will arrive safely. Will be posting more tomorrow!
Thank you all for your prayers & support!
--------------------------
We (Daddy K & the Younglings) arrived safely at our destination. Upon our arrival we discovered that due to our many delays (around 3 hours) we missed a HUGE feast. Apparently, some of the people here had prepared a large spread of food for us. Tim, Charles, & Rodney were already here so they were the only ones of our group able to attend. As of now, the last of our group will be coming in tomorrow morning around 10. We will then be reunited.
Our trip here was pretty uneventful, apart from the many delays. We are all thankful for the provision we have seen during this portion of our journey. Despite the difficulties with rescheduled flights, it seems as if everyone will arrive safely. Will be posting more tomorrow!
Thank you all for your prayers & support!
Kuching - Last Full Day
Today was our last full day in Kuching. We were taken to Sarawak Cultural Village where we were able to see tribal dwellings, artifacts, and a traditional show. It was interesting to see the various cultures inhabiting this region and a glimpse of their traditional way of life. Some of the the longhouses were impressive. After lunch we returned to the house for two hours of rest before preparations for tonight began.We arrived at Emmanuel Baptist church at roughly 6:30 PM and began to make sure everything was set up for the Conference. Kenny began teaching after we sang one song. The people were extremely attentive. Kenny said they were like "sponges" soaking up every word. He was pleased with how the evening progressed. Apparently over 150 people from many different churches, many not Baptist, were in attendance! That is very exciting!
Worship Concert - Kuching
Tomorrow begins our "diaspora" as we travel to our next destination. Two of our group left tonight, four of us in the early afternoon tomorrow, followed by the rest tomorrow evening. Wednesday night we will, Lord willing, all be gathered together once again for a Worship Concert. The next few days promise to be filled with excitement as we see what God will do (and has been doing) at our next destination. Please pray for this next leg of our journey as strange things have been occurring with flight schedules.
Emmanuel Baptist - Kuching
Today we attended Emmanuel Baptist Church in Kuching, Malaysia. We were told that they were expecting roughly one hour of music and a fifty minute sermon, something all of us are not used to. Kenny selected 17 songs for us to sing during worship. Everything went well, it was an awesome time of worship. However, I was lost a few times during the service while operating Song Show.
Jason and a few of the others traveled to another church here in Kuching. Their service began later and was not as long. From what I heard, everything went well there. After lunch we came back to the house for a time of rest and sorting laundry until roughly 5:15 PM when we left for the church, Good News Fellowship.
At 7:45ish the service began. We were welcomed by a traditional dance and gifts. Each of us received a handmade necklace and for the church, a handwoven tapestry. The worship service began, and it was GREAT! It was an awesome time of worship. Many of those in the congregation were noticeably excited about Worship. It was definitely the most lively crowd we have experienced so far. The excitement was contagious! I hope that it carries on through the conference tomorrow night.
Here is the update video shown in church today:
Jason and a few of the others traveled to another church here in Kuching. Their service began later and was not as long. From what I heard, everything went well there. After lunch we came back to the house for a time of rest and sorting laundry until roughly 5:15 PM when we left for the church, Good News Fellowship.
At 7:45ish the service began. We were welcomed by a traditional dance and gifts. Each of us received a handmade necklace and for the church, a handwoven tapestry. The worship service began, and it was GREAT! It was an awesome time of worship. Many of those in the congregation were noticeably excited about Worship. It was definitely the most lively crowd we have experienced so far. The excitement was contagious! I hope that it carries on through the conference tomorrow night.
Here is the update video shown in church today:
Arrival in Kuching
We arrived in Kuching this evening at 6:19 PM. Boarding the plane in KL was a bit tricky as it was full and we have lots of large carry on items. We were able to place everything on the plane without anything getting damaged. The flight went well with no delays.
We were promptly fetched from the airport and taken to dinner at a nice Chinese restaurant that rivaled the one in Singapore. Had some great food and conversation with our hosts. After dinner we were taken to the homes we will be staying in during our time here.
All of us are excited about having clean clothes tomorrow. It has been too long since we were able to wash. Also, we have wireless internet here in the house so blog updates and photos will be online soon! Must get some sleep now as tomorrow will be a busy day. Church in the morning will consist of 15 (possibly 17) songs plus a message from Tim. Apparently the church is used to having almost 1 hour of music and a sermon of equal length. It is going to be great!
We were promptly fetched from the airport and taken to dinner at a nice Chinese restaurant that rivaled the one in Singapore. Had some great food and conversation with our hosts. After dinner we were taken to the homes we will be staying in during our time here.
All of us are excited about having clean clothes tomorrow. It has been too long since we were able to wash. Also, we have wireless internet here in the house so blog updates and photos will be online soon! Must get some sleep now as tomorrow will be a busy day. Church in the morning will consist of 15 (possibly 17) songs plus a message from Tim. Apparently the church is used to having almost 1 hour of music and a sermon of equal length. It is going to be great!
To Kuching
We made it safely back to KL and settled into the Tune Hotel beside the Domestic Airport yesterday afternoon. After a brief respite at the hotel we traveled to Seremban for the Worship Concert.
Dale arrived late yesterday evening. His flight went well and we were able to fetch him from the airport with no problems.
This morning we made it to the church at 9 AM for the conference which went well.
It is now almost 4:00 PM and we are waiting at the airport for our flight to Kuching. Lana left us at the airport as her flight back to the US leaves later this evening.
I don't know how much time I have so this must be brief. Will be posting pictures as soon as possible, hopefully in Kuching.
Dale arrived late yesterday evening. His flight went well and we were able to fetch him from the airport with no problems.
This morning we made it to the church at 9 AM for the conference which went well.
It is now almost 4:00 PM and we are waiting at the airport for our flight to Kuching. Lana left us at the airport as her flight back to the US leaves later this evening.
I don't know how much time I have so this must be brief. Will be posting pictures as soon as possible, hopefully in Kuching.
Singapore Airport - Flight Change
Right now we are sitting in the Burger King at Changi Airport here in Singapore. Our flight was scheduled to leave at 8:55 so we left the hotel around 6:30 in order to arrive with enough time to make it through security & customs. Upon arrival we discovered that our flight had been rescheduled to 1:00 PM! A four hour delay. After talking with the clerks at the check in counter, Kenny was able to get us on a flight at 11:00 AM so we do not have to wait so long. We are now waiting until we can check in at 9:20 AM.
Final Day in Singapore
Today we visiting Little India & Chinatown. It was interesting to see two very different areas in the city. One noticeable difference for me was how clean each of these places were. Singapore is a very clean city, even in these diverse cultural centers. In the other countries I have visited the opposite seems to be the norm.
We proceeded to the church at 4:30 PM after spending some time relaxing (and working) at the hotel. Preparations for the Worship Concert went well. Tonight we had planned 27 pieces, however, 24 were actually performed. Once it was time to begin there were not as many people in attendance as on the other nights of the conference. It was kind of disappointing in some ways. However, it is not about the numbers as we worship an audience of one. It wasn't for the people, it was done for God. Even though attendance was down and as Diane said Murphy's Law was in affect, it still went well. Quite a few strange things with the sound kept occurring among other small issues. We were able to worship God and through the conference teach others how to do the same.
Tonight I was able to film a few participants. It was great to hear what people have to say about the conference and needs that are prevalent here in Singapore. It was encouraging to hear how people have been touched by what God is doing here through us. Many of them stated that the conferences have helped them see that Worship is far more than simply singing or performing. Worship is about a relationship with God and it is what we were created for.
Our time here in Singapore has been truly enjoyable albeit short. We have been asked by many people to return for a longer period of time. The people are so thirsty for good Worship Leadership training. It would be great to return at some point, Lord willing.
We leave Singapore in the morning for KL at 9:00 AM. That means we have to leave the hotel at 6:30 AM. When we arrive, we will check into our hotel (hopefully) and eventually head to Seremban for our third Worship Conference. Over the next few days we will probably not have internet. I will update as soon as possible.
We proceeded to the church at 4:30 PM after spending some time relaxing (and working) at the hotel. Preparations for the Worship Concert went well. Tonight we had planned 27 pieces, however, 24 were actually performed. Once it was time to begin there were not as many people in attendance as on the other nights of the conference. It was kind of disappointing in some ways. However, it is not about the numbers as we worship an audience of one. It wasn't for the people, it was done for God. Even though attendance was down and as Diane said Murphy's Law was in affect, it still went well. Quite a few strange things with the sound kept occurring among other small issues. We were able to worship God and through the conference teach others how to do the same.
Tonight I was able to film a few participants. It was great to hear what people have to say about the conference and needs that are prevalent here in Singapore. It was encouraging to hear how people have been touched by what God is doing here through us. Many of them stated that the conferences have helped them see that Worship is far more than simply singing or performing. Worship is about a relationship with God and it is what we were created for.
Our time here in Singapore has been truly enjoyable albeit short. We have been asked by many people to return for a longer period of time. The people are so thirsty for good Worship Leadership training. It would be great to return at some point, Lord willing.
We leave Singapore in the morning for KL at 9:00 AM. That means we have to leave the hotel at 6:30 AM. When we arrive, we will check into our hotel (hopefully) and eventually head to Seremban for our third Worship Conference. Over the next few days we will probably not have internet. I will update as soon as possible.
Singapore - Kay Poh Conference
Sleep is wonderful. Last night we were able to get a good night's rest. Such a relief compared to our limited sleep on previous nights. Since part two of the conference was not until 7:00 PM we had quite a bit of time to relax.
We met for lunch at 12:00 and walked to a fancy Chinese restaurant where we were served many interesting foods. Here are some of the delicacies we dined upon:
These past few days have been wonderful. However, I believe that tomorrow will be even more incredible. Kenny has 17 congregational pieces selected for tomorrow night! They said they wanted it to be 2 hours! WOW! I cannot wait. It will be awesome.
We met for lunch at 12:00 and walked to a fancy Chinese restaurant where we were served many interesting foods. Here are some of the delicacies we dined upon:
Shark Fin Soup with Crab Meat
Duck (notice the head)
Notice Jacob Consuming the Head
Jason enjoying a bite of Sea Cucumber
(well probably not as it is pretty disgusting...the consistency of cow tongue...
it is most likely some fish...)
Notice Jacob Consuming the Head
Jason enjoying a bite of Sea Cucumber
(well probably not as it is pretty disgusting...the consistency of cow tongue...
it is most likely some fish...)
After our wonderful lunch we returned to the YMCA for a brief time before heading to the church at 3:30 PM. Our preparations went well for the conference tonight. We were able to use some different (and much better) microphones which improved the sound. Tonight was a continuation of last nights teaching on Worship. Unfortunately since we do not have much time here in Singapore, Kenny was forced to compress much of his material into very little time.
Tonight we also had six breakout sessions covering various areas such as percussion, singing,
video, guitar, keyboard, & music theory. The participants were very attentive during our sessions. It was amazing how they seemed to soak up every word we were saying. Many of our team members commented on how vigorously they all took notes during the breakout sessions and main conference. It was great to see them all so excited about Worshiping God! This is the reason we are here. Tonight we all were able to take part in teaching these wonderful people.
Tonight we also had six breakout sessions covering various areas such as percussion, singing,
video, guitar, keyboard, & music theory. The participants were very attentive during our sessions. It was amazing how they seemed to soak up every word we were saying. Many of our team members commented on how vigorously they all took notes during the breakout sessions and main conference. It was great to see them all so excited about Worshiping God! This is the reason we are here. Tonight we all were able to take part in teaching these wonderful people.
These past few days have been wonderful. However, I believe that tomorrow will be even more incredible. Kenny has 17 congregational pieces selected for tomorrow night! They said they wanted it to be 2 hours! WOW! I cannot wait. It will be awesome.
Charas Worship Conference & a Trip to Singapore!
Sorry for the delay. The Bed & Breakfast where we were staying in KL did not have a very reliable internet connection. That plus the fact that we were very busy, made it difficult to make any updates. Now we are in Singapore and have what appears to be a more reliable connection!
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Monday night we returned to Charas Baptist for our first Worship Conference. Kenny planned a three hour presentation of his nine hour course. There were quite a few people in attendance. It was encouraging to see so many young people interested in learning more about leading worship. Everything went well with the presentation.
After the conference, which ended after 11 PM, we returned to our Bed & Breakfast where we all attempted to consolidate baggage as we could only take one checked bag weighing 33 lbs. That is not a lot when you have instruments, music, camera equipment, nice shoes etc... Especially, since most of us brought two bags from the states weighing almost 50 lbs. Kenny & I were up until 2:30 AM trying to pack our bags. It was difficult to leave so much of our luggage in KL for us to pickup the day we fly back to the states.
Breakfast came early: 6:00 AM! We had to be out of the Bed & Breakfast by 7:00 AM to make it to the airport for our flight at 10:00 AM. On the way the lead driver took some wrong turns, so we were running late. Fortunately we were able to get through security quickly. We made it to the gate about 10 minutes before boarding began (however, boarding did begin a bit late).
The flight was great. Very short. We were able to make it through immigrat
ion, security, & customs with no lost baggage (or people). The only hindrance we had was Jacob. Customs stopped him because some of the musical instruments in his bag looked suspicious. There were no problems, they just wanted to know what the strange object in his bag was. A bus was waiting for us once we made it outside. Singapore is such a beautiful city! It is very clean compared to other places I have traveled here in Asia.
We rested for a few hours, the headed to the Kay Poh Road Baptist Church in order to prepare for tonight's Worship Conference. Everything went very well tonight. Kenny was very energetic, despite having less than 3 1/2 hours of sleep. The participants were very excited to be there. Kenny says, "They extremely attentive, hanging on every word." They even laughed at all his jokes...
Tonight, Kenny was speaking to the Assistant Executive Director of the Singapore Baptist Convention during the conference. He mentioned that it is rare that such a large number of people from many different churches attend an event such as this. 22 out of the 35 churches in the Singapore Baptist Convention were represented by around 180 individuals! Also, before dinner we spoke with a man that works here in Singapore. He emphasized the desperate need for Worship training here in Singapore.
We are all excited about part two of the Worship Conference tomorrow night and the opportunity to get some much needed rest. (We can sleep in until 9:30!)
After the conference, which ended after 11 PM, we returned to our Bed & Breakfast where we all attempted to consolidate baggage as we could only take one checked bag weighing 33 lbs. That is not a lot when you have instruments, music, camera equipment, nice shoes etc... Especially, since most of us brought two bags from the states weighing almost 50 lbs. Kenny & I were up until 2:30 AM trying to pack our bags. It was difficult to leave so much of our luggage in KL for us to pickup the day we fly back to the states.
Breakfast came early: 6:00 AM! We had to be out of the Bed & Breakfast by 7:00 AM to make it to the airport for our flight at 10:00 AM. On the way the lead driver took some wrong turns, so we were running late. Fortunately we were able to get through security quickly. We made it to the gate about 10 minutes before boarding began (however, boarding did begin a bit late).
The flight was great. Very short. We were able to make it through immigrat
ion, security, & customs with no lost baggage (or people). The only hindrance we had was Jacob. Customs stopped him because some of the musical instruments in his bag looked suspicious. There were no problems, they just wanted to know what the strange object in his bag was. A bus was waiting for us once we made it outside. Singapore is such a beautiful city! It is very clean compared to other places I have traveled here in Asia.We rested for a few hours, the headed to the Kay Poh Road Baptist Church in order to prepare for tonight's Worship Conference. Everything went very well tonight. Kenny was very energetic, despite having less than 3 1/2 hours of sleep. The participants were very excited to be there. Kenny says, "They extremely attentive, hanging on every word." They even laughed at all his jokes...
Tonight, Kenny was speaking to the Assistant Executive Director of the Singapore Baptist Convention during the conference. He mentioned that it is rare that such a large number of people from many different churches attend an event such as this. 22 out of the 35 churches in the Singapore Baptist Convention were represented by around 180 individuals! Also, before dinner we spoke with a man that works here in Singapore. He emphasized the desperate need for Worship training here in Singapore.
We are all excited about part two of the Worship Conference tomorrow night and the opportunity to get some much needed rest. (We can sleep in until 9:30!)
Hello everyone! This is Nathan. I will be writing some of the blog posts from now on. Hope you enjoy! Keep in mind it is late and we haven’t had much sleep...no telling what might end up on here.
Today was awesome! God is definitely working here in Malaysia. It is so exciting to see the months of preparation and prayer finally coming to fruition. This morning we conducted two services at FBC. Both services were incredible. Some said it seemed as if many people could have continued worshiping even after the close of the service.
Pastor Tim’s sermon was based upon Philippians 2:1-11. He emphasized the fact that we must be “on mission” with Christ. What is our mission? Worship. We were created to worship. Mission efforts exist because there are people in the world that are not worshiping God.
Tim discussed four topics:
What is the reason for all of this? It is all “to the glory of God the Father.” (v. 11)
After church we ate lunch and after a brief respite proceeded to Charas Baptist Church. Upon arrival we began to prepare for the worship concert that was to occur in a few hours. Everything went well, however, many were rushing around at the last minute completing various tasks.
The worship concert was incredible. Even though I was operating the computer, worship was awesome. It great to be able to participate in such an event. As Kenny said, “It was a taste of heaven.” A majority of the congregation was actively participating and obviously serious about glorifying God through song. They even asked for an encore of Days of Elijah!
After leaving Charas, we were following Michelle back to our Bed & Breakfast when we were separated on the freeway. As a result, we all feared that we were hopelessly lost. However, our fearless leader (and driver) Kenny was able to bring us safely home (with a little help from Rodney) in under 45 minutes. When you make a wrong turn in Malaysia, it takes quite awhile to fix it!
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Today was awesome! God is definitely working here in Malaysia. It is so exciting to see the months of preparation and prayer finally coming to fruition. This morning we conducted two services at FBC. Both services were incredible. Some said it seemed as if many people could have continued worshiping even after the close of the service.
Pastor Tim’s sermon was based upon Philippians 2:1-11. He emphasized the fact that we must be “on mission” with Christ. What is our mission? Worship. We were created to worship. Mission efforts exist because there are people in the world that are not worshiping God.
Tim discussed four topics:
- Our Objective - Which is worship.
- Threats to our mission: Mainly an inward focus leading to selfish ambition. This can cause dissension within the church when varied opinions clash. Verse
- The risks we must be willing to take with Christ as our example.
- Our strategy: surrender of our rights, comfort (or location), and will. (v. 6-8)
What is the reason for all of this? It is all “to the glory of God the Father.” (v. 11)
After church we ate lunch and after a brief respite proceeded to Charas Baptist Church. Upon arrival we began to prepare for the worship concert that was to occur in a few hours. Everything went well, however, many were rushing around at the last minute completing various tasks.
The worship concert was incredible. Even though I was operating the computer, worship was awesome. It great to be able to participate in such an event. As Kenny said, “It was a taste of heaven.” A majority of the congregation was actively participating and obviously serious about glorifying God through song. They even asked for an encore of Days of Elijah!
After leaving Charas, we were following Michelle back to our Bed & Breakfast when we were separated on the freeway. As a result, we all feared that we were hopelessly lost. However, our fearless leader (and driver) Kenny was able to bring us safely home (with a little help from Rodney) in under 45 minutes. When you make a wrong turn in Malaysia, it takes quite awhile to fix it!
Saturday Night 18 July
After a rather strenuous day of rehearsals and preparations, the night ended with an absolutely glorious celebration. The choir and instrumentalists were absolutely superb. It was a taste of heaven experiencing the beautiful music. Take a look at the photos on line. There is much work to do tonight in preparation for tomorrow, so this will be short.Tomorrow we return to First Baptist Church by 7:15 to prepare for worship. We will lead two worship services, go to lunch, stop by our house, head for Cheras Baptist Church, and rehearse for a couple of hours for Sunday night's concert.
The team has been incredible in all they are doing. We can see God at work around us. We hope to have a brief video report at Front Street on Sunday morning.
Great day
We had a great Friday as we settled in and began our work with a mass choir rehearsal Friday evening 8:00-10:15. I have had some problems getting on the internet, but everything is fine today.
We had a very good, long journey from NC to Malaysia. The second leg of the international flight was not crowded, so we were able to spread out a bit. I had much work to do and was able to work several hours on the long flight, and was delighted to have four seats to spread my work out in my several-miles-high office for the 7-hour flight (see photos that compile several team members' pictures).
We arrived at the airport and saw God's provision for us continuing. We cued up in the immigration line that was quite long, and an immigration official came over to us and moved us to a very short line in another part of the airport. When we got our luggage all together (all of it arrived), there was no one in customs to check us out, so we passed through without incident.
Our hosts brought many cars and a truck to move us to our housing. Everything ran as smoothly as possible! We settled in at our guest house and got a good night's sleep.
Our first day was filled with lots of eating as our hosts made sure we were well nourished. We had a wonderful breakfast at our guest house with quite a spread of foods, including many of the delicious fruits that we do not have the US. We filled ourselves at the 9:00 breakfast. Then, a little after 12, our hosts picked us up for lunch. We went to a nearby mall and ate at a restaurant that features the "best" foods from every state in Malaysia. You can see from the photos that we were treated to quite a spread of food. Everyone experienced some new dishes. Jacob particularly enjoyed eating the pig stomach!We had afternoon "tea" of Oreo cheesecake, another cake, and varieties of teas and coffee at 5:30 before leaving for rehearsal. It, too, was delicious.
After tea, we began our real work. We traveled to First Baptist Church and prepared for the mass choir rehearsal. Approximately 70 singers from several churches had been rehearsing for months to prepare for this occasion. It was so good to see several of my old friends! The choir was superb. They really reflected on their faces that they meant every word that they were singing. There excitement was so contagious! We worked on the eight songs to polish them for the big concert on Saturday evening. Our instrumentalists played wonderfully! There are photos of the choir on the photo album as well. We were thrilled to have Nathan join us at the end of the rehearsal after his arrival from Cambodia.
Of course, after the rehearsal, our hosts took us for supper at a local outdoor eatery. We again ate to our heart's content. Malaysians do love to eat. They have four meals a day plus afternoon tea.
Our team members seem to have no trouble sleeping. Jacob and Kaleb can sleep anytime, anywhere. We believe Jacob slept about 21 hours of the 23-hour flight time!
Today (Saturday) we have a busy day. We will rehearse at the church for Sunday morning services from 2:30 -3:30, for the choir festival (with a local violinist) the next hour, and the dress rehearsal at 4:30. We will break for "tea," dress, and then have the festival at 8:00. We hope to have a house full for the concert. Pastor Tim will have a brief evangelistic message at the end of the concert before we close out the night with "Days of Elijah." That song will blow the roof off of the church!
We can so clearly see God in the lives of our new Malaysian friends. It is such a joy to work with these people and help them in evangelism and worship. We already feel so blessed to be on mission with God in this way. Please continue to lift up our team in prayer.
Safe Arrival in Korea
We had a wonderful flight to Korea. We flew about 7600 miles on this leg of the flight, and everyone seems to be doing well. I was amazed how easy the flight was this time!
Response from various sites continues to be extremely positive. Thank you for your prayers. We will update you soon.
Our teens had no trouble sleeping, as you can see. Jacob even had a guest for a time.
Departure
Our team will leave Wednesday morning at 4:15 am for a very long journey, hoping to arrive at our destination within 34 hours. Please pray for a safe and healthy journey. Pray that we will have no problems in getting through customs. Pray for the impact of all of our events on the lives of those who attend. Pray for the impact on the lives of our team as well. Thank you for journeying with us.