KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA

Last week I returned from the city of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; a city of 7.6 million people.  Malaysia is primarily a Muslim nation yet has allowed the gospel to be preached in a way that has allowed the birthing of a limited number of Christian churches.  Several of these have been established by pastor Raymond Yap who was our host and coordinator as we ministered there.

Pastor Raymond’s church is Life Harvest Assembly.  Curtis Baker and I spoke at his home church as well as his Myanmar (Burma) congregation nearby on Sunday.  The civil war in Myanmar has caused thousands of its citizens to flee as refugees to the nearby nations including Malaysia.  We are thankful that precious pastors like Raymond Yap have reached out to them and has worked hard to provide thriving churches and ministries for them to connect with and grow in the things of the Lord.  There were over 200 people in each of the churches and there was a strong presence of God as they worshiped and during the services. 

Curtis and I were also privileged to minister in the Bible College for two different groups.  The Bible School has over 100 students who are locals from Malaysia and others who have moved here from Myanmar and China.  They were a very hungry and receptive group of young college-aged men and women.  Many of them will become senior pastors of churches in their homeland after graduation.  All of them plan on being actively involved in various ministries. 

On Saturday, Curtis and I ministered to about 15 men at a halfway house for recovering heroin addicts. Pastor Raymond established this outreach. You could tell that the rehabilitation efforts had been very successful for them. The men were hungry and responsive to the Word of God. They each have tremendous testimonies of how God has transformed their lives. Most of them were in their 30s or 40s. 

While traveling about with pastor Yap we met several of his home group leaders and church leaders.  We also met several of his family members.  I am looking forward to future ministry endeavors with Curtis and pastor Raymond.  We are looking at going to several needy areas of the Philippines in the first part of 2025 to do church ministry, conferences, and leadership training. 

It is extremely rewarding to be able to spiritually pour into these frontline shepherds.  Most of them have come from Muslim or Buddhist families and have forsaken lives of idolatry to serve Jesus Christ.  They are building and planning for future generations.  The harvest is great in Southeast Asia and there is a growing need for training, evangelism, and discipleship throughout this vast region.  It was an additional joy to be able to give away thirty of my books, “The Path of the Righteous”, to pastors, future pastors, and current leaders in local churches.   Thank you for your prayers and support as I make these overseas trips.  All the flights went well and I enjoyed a good amount of sleep coming and going on the long journey.   God faithfully protected us all along the way and once again the jet lag has been minimal.   Please pray for pastor Yap and his extensive ministry throughout Kuala Lumpur and Southeast Asia.  God is doing wonderful things for the millions who live in this part of the world!