It was a long time coming, this missions trip to Sarawak. After all the years praying for the state, finally I step foot on the land itself. It's like a home-coming of sorts. Indeed Kuching itself is so modern, it's a mini PJ; complete with traffic jams at certain hours in certain locations. Outside the city, the villages retain their old world charm of open air markets and small shophouses kedai runchit style. I find the ambience, the laid-back pace way more attractive than the rat race in Semenanjung's concrete jungle. We get to savor home-grown brown rice and freshly-plucked vegetables. And nothing beats the communal living of the long house, which was totally beyond what I had expected. 
Even though it was a long 4 hour drive and not exactly a comfortable journey over bumpy roads , thankfully the local church van we got to use was a fairly new one and in good condition. The next stage of the journey - 1 hour by boat - was hard on the back, especially for old aunties and uncles who had difficulty positioning our bodies to fit into the very narrow and small space on the boat bottom.
What touched me most was the way the Orang Asals would be the first to walk up to us to shake hands, strangers that we are in their midst, and how hospitable and generous they are to guests. From cooking meals right down to lending sarongs to us ladies game enough to swim in the river. Incidentally walking around in sarongs is the norm for ladies in the long house. So is 'menganyam' - they spend the hot afternoons sitting outside their pintu, weaving colorful bags, well-known as a traditional handicraft of Sarawak. They start by threading together individual lengths of rattan/bamboo, intermixing them into colored patterns. The end result after hours of labor is a very pretty and functional bag. 2 of our ladies bought them. I myself wanted to get one too, but I was too late; as there were no more of the color I liked....
A fact which turned out as inspiration for the message I was scheduled to deliver at the local church back in Kuching. It was so on point; just as the weaver had to take time and care to string together single strands of raw materials, likewise God is the Master Artist, who pieces together all the seeemingly random threads of our lives to create a tapestry that's absolutely beautiful and functions according to how it's supposed to function. If we submit to His hand, we get to live out the destiny we are each uniquely designed for. If we don't, we forfeit the 'what could have been perfect' in our life. And sad to say, many of us don't even realize our loss. Just like I missed out on getting the particular bag because I was late (I was dawdling in the kitchen whilst the other ladies ventured out to explore) , we can all too easily miss out on our destiny in life, when we get careless with or couldn't care less about God.
I was speaking in Malay, but when it got to "destiny", I didn't like to use the dictionary term 'takdir' or fate, for fate implies every individual life is enslaved in unbreakable chains predetermined by some nebulous force. Whereas God gives us a choice to accept or reject the destiny He has worked out for us. That's the highest most precious freedom of all, when we willingly choose to submit to His plans for our lives. The Orang Asal sister with us hit the jackpot when she translated destiny as 'hala tujuan'. There is a direction (hala) and a purpose (tujuan) to that direction which is not rooted within man's pitiful limitations of selfish desires but having its inception in the very heart of a loving God who wills the best for all His creation.
Actually, compared to other missions trips, this one turned out to be a holiday for me. My job was to deliver just 3 messages to the Orang Asal gatherings in the various places we visited. I went with prepared messages in my head but it was God who put life and heart into them, calling forth illustrations from their daily environment, relevant things they could relate to ...like bags that are created from scratch, fans that are powered by invisible current, gloves that need to be filled with a living hand to work well, down to getting drunk with tuak. Indeed it's not by my own might, or my own power, but by His spirit that His word goes forth to stir up people to see the reality of God.
Again and again, He proves Himself great - I went, intending to bless, but I am the one who is much blessed...after my message about the bag, my team member gave me hers - the very one I liked but didn't get to buy. But that wasn't the end of it - the next morning in church I got another bag, an even bigger one, from someone who chose to remain anonymous. Talk about a double portion of blessings...I know this won't be my last trip to Sarawak. Throughout the 5 days our team was there, moving out from the city into the country-side right into the long house, my heart has been stirred with the thought that I could so easily make this my home. It's not a very comfortable thought, considering the inevitable sacrifices that would involve. Still wherever God is calling me to in the next season of my life, whatever the price that needs to be paid, I don't want to miss out on my destiny in Him, for I know it will be well worth it. After all, He's already given me an abundant double portion, even on this trip.
"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" - Jeremiah 29:11
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