Wow, I’m definitely behind in sharing what has been happening. Since the last blog post, we’ve had two conferences in Kuala Lumpur, two conferences in Singapore, and now we’re in Australia. For now, I’m just going to give a short report of our time in KL, with more reports coming soon. (Depending on how much time + internet access I have. 🙂 )
We adjusted the schedule in KL so that each conference was just one day. Friday was the “Strong in the Lord” Conference, and Saturday was the “Radiant Purity” Conference. In a way, the weekend felt like it went by like one crazy blur [smile], but we really saw the Lord working in girls’ lives!
Bekah’s small group at the Strong in the Lord Conference.
Nickie kept very busy at the book table. It was encouraging to see how thirsty the moms were for discipleship materials for their families.
Although Stephen wasn’t with us, the Lord provided some other young men from the church. We really appreciated all their help and time. (Running sound isn’t always an easy job at a Bright Lights conference because of so many different actors coming and leaving stage during the skits.)
This is what we ate for breakfast on Thanksgiving morning at an Indian restaurant. These “fried pancakes” (roti prata) come in many shapes and sizes, and this one was about 3 ft tall.
…with sweetened condensed milk on the inside.
I’ve heard my dad give his “Rebekah” message from Genesis 24 many times at churches, but this was the first time I heard it with Chinese translation! (The church that hosted the conference had a Chinese church that met simultaneously to the English service.) This is one of my dad’s “life messages” upon which we have based many aspects of our ministry.
It’s been great having my parents with us. They flew in to KL and joined us the day before the conference started. Things are always better when they are along.
BUT the big surprise happened a week later when Stephen flew in to help with the Singapore conferences. He’s with us now in Australia. Having him with us has definitely been a highlight of the trip for me and Sarah. 🙂 It was a last minute decision.
Traveling light is not really a possibility when you are bringing a sound system, book table supplies, and misc. conference materials in your suitcases…plus traveling for 7 weeks. It definitely made bus trips extra interesting. We are VERY grateful to the many kind people here who have helped us with transporting them. I’ve also been gaining more insights on Hebrews 12:1. (Haha.)
Wherever we go, one of the highlights is always simply getting to know the people. This night was just a relaxed evening with a couple other families.
One evening we out with several young people who we got to know when they attended the University of Iowa. Their friend, Xin Hui, came to our church, and we got to know them through her. Sarah e-mailed them in advance saying we’d be in KL, and they took us to a nice Chinese restaurant. They also gave me a “green tea / red bean” cake for my birthday. It was great! [smile]
One evening, we got together with a Chinese church of new believers. It was refreshing to hear their vibrant testimonies and share with them some of the lessons the Lord has taught us.
As I mentioned, we are in Australia now. (Trying to keep warm, haha!)
Please PRAY for the Bright Lights Leaders Training that Sarah is teaching tomorrow. Last I heard, 44 girls and moms were attending. This is pretty large number for a Leader’s Training– normally these trainings are with a smaller group. It would be great to see more Bright Lights groups begin in Australia. The Radiant Purity Conference begins the next day.
This post is especially for all our special friends in tropical places. We miss you and wish you could be here at our home to enjoy the beautiful white scenery we woke up to this morning! 
Right here Stephen is telling me to get out of the way because I am about to get my face full of snow as he turns on the snow blower. 
We get quite excited about storms, so we had to celebrate with pumpkin bread this morning (Sarah’s favorite). 
…made with freshly grated nutmeg. [smile] Does anyone out there grate your own nutmeg? I had never done it before, but I bought some fresh nutmegs (is that what they’re called?! haha) at Victoria’s Market in Melbourne, Australia. It’s amazing how much more flavor freshly grated nutmeg has! 
