Worth the Sun Burn

Malaysia showing off

There is a kind of sunburn you earn on purpose. The kind that comes from staying in the water too long at Monkey Bay in Malaysia, watching tropical fish flash past your feet in the Malacca Strait, deciding that the price of wonder is going to sting for a few days and accepting the trade without flinching. Somewhere between Port Dickson and Kuala Lumpur, it occurred to me that if a scorched back is “worth it” for a day at the beach, then how much more worth it is the slow, hidden ache that comes with giving up a year to make disciples.

A few weeks earlier, in Pakistan, the “worth it” looked very different. Islamabad, Lahore, and Faisalabad – cities I’ve only heard about on the news – filled up with Christian youth already fully committed to sharing the gospel and living a missionary lifestyle. In most rooms, we were not introducing Jesus so much as saying, “Keep going. You’re not crazy. This is worth your life.”

One night there, I led an altar call and this time managed to land it the way it was meant to be done. We only had one real chance to share the gospel with non‑Christians, but God gave us opportunity after opportunity to encourage the young believers who will keep sharing with their friends long after we’ve left. Before we left Pakistan, we heard from one of the founders of the Assemblies of God in the nation, who told us how his ministry went from touching six or seven thousand people in the first twenty years to more than two million in the last twenty once he said a wholehearted “yes” to the Holy Spirit.

From there, the original plan was simple on paper: fly from Pakistan to Hyderabad, India via the UAE. But events in Iran made that route impossible. Many of you were praying specifically for our safety and a clear, safe way out, and God answered in a way that exceeded our expectations. Instead of connecting through the UAE, the timeliest, most cost‑effective, and safest route turned out to be a week in Malaysia, with Kuala Lumpur as our new hub. Talk about going around your elbow to get to your thumb!

We spent about half that unexpected week in Kuala Lumpur (KL) and the other half in Port Dickson, where the weather averages around ninety degrees year‑round – which, for me, is just about perfect. Garden City Church welcomed us in on Sunday; we were invited to lunch with some of the young adults and then to their small group, a beautiful blend of learning, sharing, and simply enjoying the Body being the Body.

Malaysia also held some very down‑to‑earth graces. There was the all‑you‑can‑eat sushi buffet for around thirteen dollars, and a sleep schedule so strange that dinner rarely started before nine. We took a trip to Monkey Bay and actually saw monkeys, and I watched tropical fish in the Malacca Strait while getting more sunburned than I have ever been in my life – and still counted it worth it. Somewhere in that mix, God gently pressed the question deeper: if this kind of temporary discomfort is worth a beach day, how much more worthwhile is any suffering that comes from building His kingdom.

From that unexpected week in Malaysia, we flew on and finally landed in Hyderabad. On the plane, I ended up sharing the gospel with someone, and we talked for almost the entire flight. Apparently, I was loud enough that most of the cabin could hear me saying we were going on a mission trip to India… but God must have plugged up the ears of any officials listening. In a small act of ironic providence, the immigration officer stamped my India visa on the same page as my Pakistan entry stamp.

Our welcome at the first hotel was less straightforward. We arrived around midnight, only to be told that they would not give us our rooms because of a law that makes it very difficult to accept foreigners without a mountain of paperwork. The staff simply were not willing to go through the process. So Claudio asked the man who was refusing us to call around in Telugu, and he ended up reserving us another hotel that was willing to take us in. We finally checked in and slept at a wonderfully hospitable hotel – after 4:00 a.m.

Hyderabad’s church life quickly made the lost sleep feel worth it. We went to Hope UC church and met Pastor Yashar, who took us out to lunch, helped us exchange our leftover Malaysian cash into rupees, guided us through getting SIM cards, and even found us an amazing place to eat beef… which is more common than history books and social media would have you believe. He also invited us to the church’s staff meeting, where we got to meet the young adult and youth pastors and see a bit of the heart behind what happens on Sundays.

The days that followed settled into a kind of Spirit‑led rhythm. We joined a 6:30 a.m. Lenten prayer meeting. We visited a life group where we shared some of our testimonies and tried chicken biryani. On Friday night we shared at a worship and prayer meeting; on Saturday night we spoke at the young adults gathering (ages eighteen to twenty‑three); and on Sunday morning we shared with the youth band and then all the young people from twelve to seventeen. At every stop, we were able to pray for so many brothers and sisters.

We also attended the 12:00 service that Sunday and walked away feeling that we had received at least as much as we had given. During worship, Claudio prayed for the woman in front of him whose knee was hurting, and she was healed immediately. My thumb, which I had injured while playing in Faisalabad and seen miraculously healed there, started hurting again in Hyderabad; Claudio and Jacopo prayed for me, and it was healed again. God has been working in the tiny things and the larger ones.

One of the most memorable moments happened far from a church building. After one of the services, we went out to eat with two of the pastors, Gorev and Joy, at a place called Seven Sisters. Our waiter and waitress knew Gorev, and the waitress asked us to pray for a coworker who had recently had a child and been left completely alone by the father. She led us into an extra‑fancy private dining room, closed the door, and there we prayed for her coworker. After dessert, she brought out a piano, a guitar, and a ukulele, and we worshiped the Lord in that little room for well over an hour – an unexpected, beautiful way to spend an afternoon. By the time we left, it was well past dinner time.

The night still managed to keep getting better. Back at our place, I ordered watermelon and popcorn, and we “fait comme chez moi,” watching The Promised Land with popcorn and fellowship. The next day, Monday, was a proper day off and it was lovely. We went to Fat Cat Kitchen, where we all ate double portions, enjoyed the music and the fellowship, and possibly ate the best food I have ever tasted. If you’re ever within a two‑and‑a‑half‑hour radius of that restaurant, go – you will not regret it. For those from South Carolina, you’ll understand how serious this is when I say they had Sunjoy for a little more than seventy cents. Once again, we arrived around five in the afternoon and did not leave until after 21:00.

On Sunday, I shared a message about a missionary lifestyle, but instead of a traditional sermon we built the time around testimonies. We each contributed something, and Claudio closed with a short story and prayer. I loved this approach because everyone shared what God had put on their heart, and it took the weight off of one person trying to carry an “impactful message” alone.

Even after official prayer times ended, conversations continued. As people shared about situations in their lives that were clearly bigger than us, it became natural to pray short, focused prayers: “healing,” “deliverance,” “peace in Jesus’ name.” God met people in those moments, too, long after the schedule said “service over.”

We came to India with very little idea of what we would actually be doing once we landed. But God has given us something to do for Him every single day we’ve been here. We have felt very much in His hands; even while the future is uncertain, there is a steady sense that He is pulling the different parts of this trip together into His goodness and for His glory.

Today, the plan is simple: evangelize in a mall, talking with whoever God highlights. As always, would you pray that we continue to say yes to God and that He allows us to reveal who He is to everyone around us? Protection, clarity, wisdom, and energy would be quite nice as well.

Blessings,
Camera