Stories from the Malaysian Treehouse

I feel like I've been gone for too long. Feelings of exhaustion and soreness overwhelm my body, but nothing beats the inner feelings of much happiness and spiritual fulfilment that overflows from within. I've come home with much wonderful stories and insights to share, but talking about them or writing about them won't ever measure up to the real-life experience itself. You'd have to be there in person to get the picture.

15 kids, one senior minister, one Hispanic preacher, one youth intern and 2 young adults--what a great combination! If we hadn't come back with anything else, at least we returned knowing that we had bonded emotionally and spiritually from the very beginning. Living in one big house with only 1 bathroom would have been a huge factor. More than that, the activities that we did together were challenging but very productive in every sense of the word. We had gone through each day not knowing what to expect except to trust the Wonder Voyage leaders and their plans for us. During that process, each of our lives were touched in some sort of way, and our perspectives changed. Above all, the Lord was glorified through our acts of services towards others in the New Orleans community. From doing landscaping and cleaning, to tearing down a building under the scorching hot sun, to talking to people in a poor community downtown, we were the 'relentless pilgrims'. We went there as a team with that theme, and returned knowing that we had lived up to it all week. The kids had personally inspired me with their enthusiasm for the Lord and His people, among other things, and I now have a greater sense of respect for my preachers whom I have gotten to know closer and better.

You may check out the pictures here. And by clicking on the title of this blog, you may also learn more about Wonder Voyage. Do feel free to ask me more about my trip at any point. I'd love to tell you more!

Posted by Malaysian Debster on Saturday, June 18, 2005 at 6:25 PM | Permalink