Coming to the End of a Chapter

A well-written novel often leaves you hanging at the end of a chapter, excitedly awaiting what will come next. That's where we are right now. After much prayer and consideration, we decided (some time ago) that it was time for a new chapter. With one wedding behind us (Jen & Keith, May 2015), and one coming up (Joel & Rachel, June 2016), we felt it was important to be able to invest more relational time closer to home and get to know the newer members of our family better, as well as be closer to other family and friends.

Supporting some church friends at a concert debut

So we are headed back to the US, landing in Boston on December 28, where we will spend some time with Joel, Rachel, and her family, before bringing in the new year with Janet's family. The rest of the chapter is still unwritten. Tom is sending out his resume, looking for a full-time position at an English language center at a university where we can be at least somewhat near family (probably in the DE-PA-NJ area).

"Colour Walk" supporting stroke survivors

It will be hard saying goodbye in Malaysia, as we have invested much of our hearts here, and will be leaving many close relationships, but perhaps God will bring us back for another chapter in the future. We are certainly open to such a step, as we have enjoyed and learned so much during our time here. Some highlights from the last few months:

Our involvement at church (CDPC) will keep us busy right to the end. We have been active on the leadership team at a significant time in the life of the church, which at 5 years old, continues to take steps toward growing in maturity and reaching out to the community. At a recent meeting, taking part in planning priorities and goals for 2016, it was encouraging to think about what God has been up to, and how he continues to use the church as an instrument in people's lives.

Tom's book club carving pumpkins at Sunway

What that looks like for us right now is helping plan a Christmas program that brings many ministries
together. We will be having a family-friendly Sunday that includes crafts and games, as well as a service of lessons and carols, telling the Christmas story through puppets, and celebrating through song, including a Christmas choir that just began practicing this week (it was awesome!). We anticipate a big crowd, including our own church families as well as families from the community who enjoy our Children's Library and monthly Playgroup.

Passing on pie-making skills

We have also enjoyed co-leading a small group using CCEF's How People Change curriculum, with the hope that the curriculum can continue to be used when we are gone. We have learned much at CDPC about deepening relationships in small groups, and this group has been a good example of that. Case in point--everyone in the group found time to get away for a night so that we could learn and grow together, have fun, and of course enjoy food together! Fellowship Malaysia-style.

Other highlights mostly revolve around people. Meeting up with good friends from church. Walking alongside struggling counselees. Sharing meals with students (especially when they cook for us!). Stimulating discussions at the book club. Interacting with children and their parents at the playgroup or children's library. Sitting in to help with other small groups. Helping young adults pursue their dreams. In a word--community.

And of course another highlight is the get-aways we've tried to squeeze in before leaving this part of the world. We've covered much of Malaysia during our time here. In the last few months we were able to add Thailand to our list of visited countries--both Chiang Mai in the north, and the beaches in the south. A lifetime would not be long enough to visit all the amazing things God has made around here, but we've enjoyed a few!

Elephant-riding in Northern Thailand

We would appreciate your prayers as we finish up our last couple of months here. We want to finish well in our day to day responsibilities, and leave them in good hands when we leave. There's no way to "finish up" in the same way with our friends, but hopefully there's a sense in which part of us remains here, and our friends come with us, at least in terms of the impact we have had on one another. And of course we look forward to being closer to family and friends on our return. Hopefully God will give us more clarity before we go as to where we will end up!

Blessings,
Janet & Tom

The Ongoing Adventure

Once again, time has a way of getting away from us. In some ways, as I read over our previous blog, nothing much has changed. In another sense, so much has happened. I guess that's the way of life!

Perhentian Island Vacation, East Coast of Malaysia, Aug 2014

The most significant development is family news! We had a great visit and grand tour of Malaysia with Jen and Joel in August 2014, followed by a trip over Christmas to Oregon to visit with Tom's side of the family (with a brief stop visiting Shanghai). Shortly thereafter, Jen announced her engagement to Keith Hartman. So we will have a very busy trip to NY/NJ/PA/DE/MD for Jen and Keith's wedding (Newark, DE) on May 16th, and Joel's graduation from Peabody at Johns Hopkins (Baltimore, MD) on May 21st. After much hard work he has completed his Bachelor's in performance in jazz piano (last year) and will be receiving a Bachelor's in Sound Recording and a Master's in Acoustics.

Oregon Christmas 2014

We look forward to catching up with some of you in Princeton at Princeton Meadow Church on Sunday, May 10th, or at the Wegman's nearby that afternoon, where we will settle ourselves from about 2:30-4:30, hopefully in-between Mother's Day celebrations for brunch or dinner.


As to the ongoing adventure in Malaysia, Tom continues as a lecturer of English at Sunway University. In addition to the various clubs he supports, he has been working on a research project with a fellow lecturer as well as participating in a number of faculty groups working on curriculum development and the use of technology at Sunway.

Sunway University's new building opened March 2015

Sunway University had its grand opening of a new building a few weeks ago, a great step in its development, which Tom has been watching from the balconies of the old building for as long as we've been here. It's a great privilege to be here when something of this magnitude is completed. But far more significant than building development is the continuing involvement in the "building" of students' lives. Because of our role here and our proximity to the school, we continue to be invested in students' lives as they struggle through a stage of life wrought with difficult decisions, relationship challenges, struggles of keeping up with schoolwork, etc. We try to do our part to walk alongside them on the journey.

Friends & Food--A Malaysian Specialty

Janet continues to encourage (and grade) students taking the online counseling courses offered by CCEF. In preparation for our trip to the US, which will include a visit with CCEF, it has been encouraging to conduct some short interviews with former students and be reminded of the impact on students' lives. It is indeed a privilege to watch students grow in their faith and deepen their relationships with God and others as they work through the God-centered curriculum that Janet is helping to spread in Malaysia. Meeting one-on-one with people continues to be a priority as well, whether in a formal counseling arrangement, or more informally through relationships formed through church or other contexts.

Loving One Another Deeply Church Retreat (Kids' Song)

We both continue to be active coming alongside the leadership team of our church, CDPC Puchong. We each led small groups through November 2014, and have joined the leadership team for the small group ministry this year. We look forward to leading a small group together following our trip to the US. We've also helped in some significant steps the young 5-year-old church has taken--a church-wide retreat in October, helping set up a membership program in November, an outreach program that took place January-March, a leadership retreat, and a church-wide interactive Good Friday program most recently. But apart from the "program" side of things, we have enjoyed deepening friendships with the people in our church, which has been an on-going priority church-wide. We are so thankful for all we are learning in the way of loving God and loving others more.

Looking forward to catching up with some of you soon!

Much love,
Tom & Janet