Ps Calvin arrived at 8.30am for an 8am breakfast. We quickly ate sandwiches and then packed the car with all of the books and our bags for our trip to Pengkalan Hulu. After a quick introduction, prayer and group photo with the Bishop of the LCM we were ready to leave by around 9.30. It was approximately a 5 hour drive. We stopped in Ipoh for lunch and reached our destination around 3.30pm.
We met with Pastors Daniel and Martin at the church where the new library is. We put together the Ikea shelves, tables and chairs, and did it in an impressive time. We then sorted all of the books and put them on the shelves.
Dinner was at 6.30pm, after which we had a quick rest at Hotel Hiltowne where everyone except Chloe, Erin and myself would be staying the night. Back to the church at 8pm where we watched the local church group rehearse for the Orang Asli production being held at the Luther Centre on 20 October. For a rehearsal, the performance was very good (as Chloe would say: "totes awes"). There were traditional Orang dances and costumes, then a play. It was all in the local Orang language so even Zen, Terrance and Ps Calvin wouldn't translate, but we got the gist. It was about a tribe who were seeing a witch doctor for their issues, but it didn't seem to help. Then a missionary came and comforted them and shared the Gospel with them. Some followed, others did not. The witch doctor had an argument with the missionary and they battled. Of course, the missionary and his faith in God prevailed, and the final scene was a worship service in the village. The witch doctor snuck in at the back and as the service ended he went to the missionary and they hugged - a happy ending!
Afterwards, I went home with my home stay family - they hand picked me; "the small cute one". It was the most nervous I think I have ever been. I felt so very far out of my comfort zone. The family spoke very little English, so the ride to their apartment in the police housing complex was mostly quiet. Their daughter (Amela) spoke a little English learned in school, and we were able to have a bit of a conversation using a Malay/English dictionary. It was frustrating and confusing for both parties. We tried to talk for about an hour, by then it was around midnight. We had prayers and then it was time for bed. Bed was a mat on the floor, and I was quite uncomfortable. There was only a ceiling fan in the room, so I used the thin sleeping bag I had brought with as a little bit of extra padding to sleep on.
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