Malaysia

Kathy and I had the opportunity to visit friends in Malaysia in conjunction with our China trip in 2006. Bernard and Hazel Hull have traveled to Malaysia for many years and invited us to stop in Malaysia on the way back home. The trip turned out to be excellent. We met lots of people we had never met before, and made some new friends there!

Our first days in Malaysia were spent with Bernard and Hazel Hull in a city called Shah Alam. Most of the people everywhere in Malaysia that we visited were friendly and eager to talk and ask questions. We made new friendships there. The population of Malaysia is about 50% Malay, who are mainly Muslim, 25% Chinese, many of them Christians, and 25% other ethnic groups. 

We had the opportunity to attend a Christian conference in Genting View held every year.  The conference was made up of many different churches that meet once a year to be together. It was a great time!

After the conference we spent time again in Shah Alam as well as in Kuala Lumpur, the capitol of Malaysia, doing some site-seeing. The day we began our return to California, we went with some friends to Putra Jaya, the new governmental administrative center for the country not far outside of Kuala Lumpur.

An important footnote to our flight from China to Malaysia was our six hour wait at the airport in China. So often these kinds of inconveniences are meant to be by God.  We met the Chinese Olympics Paralimpics Team heading to Malaysia for the boating competition and other events. We had some great talks with some of the athletes who eagerly asked questions about many things. Our conversation with one of the girls in the boating events named Ding Xhiyun. She was without her left leg due to complications in her life. Our conversations turned into a friendship that lasted several years until until she died from her health. We will not forget her gentleness and politeness, her friendliness, her desire to rise above the challenges she faced.