Comfort is a luxury, discomfort is a gift.

This week I was pushed out of my comfort zone. At the beginning of the week, we started working with a Christian family as they expand their cafe as well as their ministry. This was nothing out of the ordinary for me. However, that changed when we arrived at Kowan to do street outreach ministry with YWAM. This was a place for homeless people to get free meals, showers, and a place to rest. It is located in a poor part of Georgetown, Penang where there are a lot of mosques, temples, and a red-light district.

Before this night, I had never done street ministry before. The idea of being led by the Spirit to talk to strangers on the street was foreign to me and quite scary, especially in a predominately Muslim country. That night, we prayed for healing for a man and met another that chatted with us for a while. I didn’t feel like I quite understood yet what I should be looking for, listening for, and feeling.

Two days later, we went out on our own in the same area for another round of street ministry. This time, we did it treasure hunt style. We asked the Lord for details to look for as we prayer walked around the city. All I saw was the color yellow. I thought maybe I should be looking for a yellow shirt. I thought I had it! That was, until everybody and their mother was wearing a yellow shirt. Of course.

As we kept walking, we stopped in front of a mosque during the biggest prayer hour of the week. It is also Ramadan, a month of prayer and fasting for the Muslim community. We noticed that outside the mosque sat handicapped men, unable to enter the mosque because of their conditions. This was heartbreaking. I wanted to help, but there was nothing I could do for these men except pray. A few minutes after leaving the mosque, we ran into one of those men on the sidewalk who then waved us over to him. His name was Muhammad Ali, “the boxer”, he said. He was in a wheelchair, had one leg, four fingers on his right hand, and gangrene on his right foot. But, he also had yellow eyes. In that moment, I knew this was the man God had called me out to meet.

He proceeded to tell us his life’s story, how his family left him after he was in an accident, how he is now homeless, living off of the grace of people who buy him food. He cannot afford a hospital to take care of his health problems and he has no place to sleep except under a sidewalk pavilion.

My heart was broken for him. We told him about Kawan, and attempted to take him there, realizing we were only a few streets away. Sadly, it was closed already. But, it was at that place that I heard God say “pray”. So, I gathered up every ounce of bravery in me, knelt down, and asked Muhammad if I could pray for him. He said yes, so I laid my hand on his shoulder and prayed, feeling so strongly that God was listening intently to every word and showing me what to say.

I continue to pray for him each night, knowing that even if I cannot help his situation, I can still call on God to at least help his heart.

It is no coincidence that this month we are also partnering with PenHOP, a House Of Prayer here in Penang that is developing a growing influence in the community through prayer. As we learn how to deepen our relationship with the Father through prayer, we begin to see the power of prayer as God listens to the cries of his people.

It was this kind of prayer that led us to Muhammad, and it will be this kind of prayer that sparks revival.

God is at work here in Penang, and I can’t wait to share even more stories with y’all. Join us as we pray over Malaysia, the church, and our brothers and sisters who have not yet found the love Jesus has to offer them.