Living on spiritual bread

With everything still being so new here, one of my prayers has been that I would have more of an attitude of living on "spiritual bread." What do I mean by that? I guess because I tend to get so caught up in details that I can control, I'm trying to have more of an attitude of expectancy and looking to God for what comes next. Well, this has been a big week for what comes next!

Tom started his classes this week! It was a great confirmation of why we came here in the first place, as he loves the classroom environment. He has 2 classes of freshmen working on basic academic reading and writing skills. These classes each have about 20 students each, most of which are Malay, and about 20% are international students--coming from Africa, the Middle East, Indonesia, and surrounding areas. Then he has a class of close to 50 on leadership, for students in their final year of study. Each class meets twice a week, so he will be busy preparing, teaching, and grading as he gets used to a full teaching schedule. His colleagues, some of whom are Christians, have been very welcoming, supportive, and encouraging as he gets started.

Janet has begun networking with people to find out more about Christian counseling that already exists in Malaysia, and begin exploring how CCEF can fit into the picture to serve Malaysia most effectively. A number of conferences and seminars are going on this last week of August and into September, where there are opportunities to interact with pastors, lay leaders, and Christian counselors. So Janet pulled together a brochure reflecting the information from CCEF's website, in order to have a platform for interacting with people effectively about CCEF and the resources it offers. It's been a great help to partner with Equip, an existing Malaysian ministry that provides access to courses to equip people with basic theological training through Australia's Moore College. So it's been a busy week of laying some groundwork.

We are very thankful for all these opportunities and people we're meeting. Not to mention great thanks for Jen, our daughter, finding a place to live, and getting moved in with the help of her brother Joel and others! So please continue praying for us as we begin to get pulled into more of the details of what we came out here for, that we would continue to have an attitude of expectancy and living on "spiritual bread" as we begin to get involved in more of the details.

Blessings,
Janet (and Tom)

Home Sweet Home Away From Home!

Well, it’s been a week of pretty hard, physical labor! In between various meetings, explorations to different kinds of stores, and other activities, we spent 3 days repainting 3 rooms in our new apartment. Then Tom headed to work at Sunway, while Janet cleaned and organized the apartment for the next 3 days. So the way I calculate it (biblically speaking), it is good, and now it’s time to rest! Here’s our new address, if you care to send anything other than email:

Tom and Janet Nygren

L06-07, E-Tiara Apartments

Jalan Kemajuan

47500 Subang Jaya

Selangor, Malaysia

Lots of “firsts” this week—first time Janet drove in Malaysia (on the left of course); first time cooking a meal in our apartment; first time at an internet café; first time on lots of new Malaysian foods; not to mention Tom’s new job, meeting new people, etc. One thing we haven’t been able to set up yet is our own internet in our apartment, so we are currently dependent on visits to the internet café in the building next to ours. We’re thankful for that, but if our correspondence is a bit spotty over the next couple of weeks, that’s why.

We have been warmly welcomed in by the church and people here, and now that we’re more or less settled in, we can start exploring more fully what our church involvement will look like, and how Janet’s schedule will fall into place. We’ve had numerous conversations/meetings already toward that end, but we are letting the dust settle a little before we try to figure out our place here. We are SO thankful to the many people who have made this a smooth “landing” for us—Sandy & Mandi for hosting us the first two weeks, Phil & Barb for furnishing our apartment so completely, many church people here with advice about how to go about things, encouragement from so many of you on our email list, and of course your prayers as we sip from the hydrant of living water that is as plentiful here as on the other side of the world!

Blessings,

Janet & Tom

Street scene in "Little India"



Merdeka Square in city center of Kuala Lumpur



Our apartment building is the one in the middle that's a bit darker at the top

"Oh my! What will we do with all this stuff?"

Our new living room



Guest Bedroom & Office--First Guest arriving on Friday!

Master Bedroom

Kitchen

Settling In

[x]   Safe arrival with luggage intact
[x]   Get over jet lag
[x]   Sample local food (just beginning!)
[x]   Navigate roads successfully, driving on the left (a work in progress!)
[x]   Find an apartment (signing a lease on Wednesday)
[  ]   Move in (arranged for Thursday)

We're making great progress! People here are pretty amazed at what we've accomplished in one week. In addition, we've had the joy of worshipping on Sunday with our local congregation here: City Discipleship Presbyterian Church (CDPC) Puchong. What a great feeling to sing familiar worship songs and worship the same God among his people, though in different circumstances. We are so thankful for the many notes of encouragement from our extended "family" at home, as well as the supportive new friends here, even as we begin the challenge of remembering names and faces.

Today (Tuesday) was a bit like peeking under the Christmas tree as we peered into the many boxes left to us by Phil & Barb DeHart to set up house. Furniture, cooking supplies, linens, etc. right down to Barb's spices, which will make for a quick transition to our new home. We chose a 2-bedroom apartment not too far from where Tom will work (though driving will be necessary), in a bustling area where shopping, restaurants, taxi stands, and the commuter train line are all within easy walking distance.

Besides looking for an apartment, Tom has met with his supervisor at Sunway University, where he will begin work on Monday the 13th. We've begun meeting with church leadership about how we might get involved, and we've done a little exploration of the city while we have free time. We've also been spoiled by great home-cooked meals at the home we're staying at, while we play the role of "Uncle Tom" and "Auntie Janet" with the kids.

I'm not sure my mind has fully grasped yet that I'll be here longer than a visit, but God continues to show himself faithful, sustaining our family on both sides of the globe. I pray that we might be faithful as well, "taking Jesus at his word," as the father in John 4:50 did when Jesus promised to take care of his family.

Safe arrival in Malysia...so now what?

Who would have thought we would be so close to the wire for our departure? The last few days are a bit of a blur, but God's mercy is evident even in the fact that all we needed to get done was done exactly at the time we needed to head out to the airport, 3 a.m. on Sunday, July 29th. Perhaps not the relaxed atmosphere I would have chosen, but I am thankful that we made it! Many thanks for the helpful hands, the notes, calls, visits, meals, prayers, well wishes, hugs, and yes, tears, that are evidence of the support and encouragement of so many who stand behind us and with us, sad to see us go, yet excited for the next step God leads us on in our journey.

The trip itself was smooth and uneventful, our luggage some of the first off the plane in Kuala Lumpur, intact and all accounted for, all 203 pounds of it. We're so thankful to be staying with friends who are putting us up until we can find a living space of our own, and playing "aunt and uncle" with their four children while we invade their space. So now what?

We can now identify with some of the feelings of our daughter, Jen, knowing we are on the right track, yet a bit disoriented, not quite knowing some of the details to come--where we will live, how we will be spending our time, exactly how God's provision will square with the needs we don't even know we have yet. Tom's job at Sunway University starts in a couple of weeks, but in the meantime we have to figure out what it means to settle in. As we spent time in the park yesterday with our host family's children, I found myself thinking about my own weaknesses--the challenges of getting to know new people in a new place when my natural inclination as an introvert is to keep to myself and try to solve my own problems. That might work for a short-term visit, but it struck me anew that I'm here to stay for awhile without the usual friendships and supports--am I ready for this?

As usual, God's word was a comforting reminder that there's much more to this than my own weaknesses. In John 4:34, Jesus says, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work." He goes on to talk about harvests that we have to wait for, for which others have begun the work, but we participate in as they come to fruition. It reminded me that the real satisfaction of being here is not in finding the perfect apartment, or even figuring out exactly what my schedule will be. What will sustain me and give me satisfaction, a sense of "being full" will be participating in the work that God has set before us, in partnership with those who have gone before us. I need to be patient, knowing that the crop is still growing, yet being confident that he who brought us here will accomplish his purposes, beyond what we can ask or imagine. 

And so I continue to ask for your prayers. To help us be patient with things like jet lag, finding a place to live, understanding our place here, and most of all to remember to look to God, not just ourselves, for making decisions and moving forward in the plans he has for us.