We started our Sabbath morning with breakfast at the hotel. Everyone dressed in a casual, semi-formal attire. (We're travelling). We then headed to the Kuching English Seventh Day Adventist Church. As we got there Dr. Perumal told us that he came to the small academy that was there when he was a kid. He basically grew up there. That was also his home church. As we went in, we were greeted in a welcoming manner, the people there were expecting us. They were in the middle of their Sabbath School. Side note: In Johor we rehearsed two songs we were going to sing for Sabbath. So during Sabbth School we then were set off to rehearse what we were going to sing. The songs we were going to sing were Amazing Grace and Doxology. We practiced, and well, it sounded good.
As the service began, we saw that the church was "moderately traditional". The church seemed really organized as well. They even had their own small choir and instrumental ensemble, which was so cool. We were introduce by Dr. Perumal to stand in place and to go and sing. We sang the two songs and surprisingly, it came out well. Considering the fact that we only rehearsed twice. I just thought that it was super adorable that everyone, despite the difference in abilities when it came to singing went up there to sing and simply praise God.
For the Sermon, Dr. Perumal invited Matthew Reeves, Meggie Evans, and Royce Olarteto to speak and give their testimonies. The testimonies were based off of Isaiah 55:8. They did incredibly well. I got to see how that verse impacted them when it came to their relationship with God. When the service ended, we all headed to the Potluck. We saw that there was an abundant amount of food. Also there were so many people there that wanted to talk to us and become friends with us on Facebook. I think it was the fact that we came from America, specifically the Los Angeles area. They wanted to get to know us. I even met this girl, who spoke to me about her struggles when it came to school and the Sabbath. The truth is, sometimes tests are placed on the Sabbath and unfortunately she has to miss them. This affects her grades. I was honestly in awe by her faith and strength to do that despite the bullying she's had to face as well. I also got to meet other people there, everyone was just so friendly and happy to attend us. Overall my experience there was memorable because it made me realize that our Church family stretches beyond borders. Being Seventh Day Adventist is definitely a culture within itself. I've thought about this so many times, however, it's different seeing it for yourself when you're on the other side of the world.
By 2:30, we said our goodbyes,took our vans, and left to the hotel. We were given free time until 7. I got to rest for a bit in my room. By 4:00 pm ,some of us were already out and about to explore the city. We crossed the Sarawok river on a really old boat, super fun and it was super cheap! It was also incredibly hot, but what could we do? We took pictures then we just walked around the water front.
By 7, we headed to Dr. Perumal's family's house. It was also one his relatives birthday, so there was at least 50 people there already. It was a party/reunion, with us in the picture as well. They had invited us for dinner. We ate with our right hand again. It was very good food, and They welcomed us so well! They wanted to feed us like crazy. They fed us so much meat,rice, and curry. I wasn't even finished with something and they would add more. They just placed it in our banana leaf plate. We also got to talk with some of Dr. Perumal's nieces and asked them about their culture . I still can't over the fact that there was so much food. Everyone got so full. Let's just say some of the guys were out (asleep) before we got to the hotel.
After we got to the hotel, Nikki, Matt,Zoe, Meggie, and
I, headed to explore a bit at night near the water front. Some of us even bargained. Well, that conclude my story for today!
Blessings and Happy Sabbath,
Sandra
P.S. Crossing the street like a native is harder than you think!
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