 What comes to mind when you think of the many foreign workers in our country? Maids? Labourers? Factory workers? Do you also think about crimes, gang fights and infectious diseases?
The foreign workers in our midst have certainly impacted our society – both positively and negatively. But let us pause and think about WHO they are, rather than WHAT they do for us, whether good or bad. Think about them as human beings – just like us, precious individuals whom God loves and desires to fellowship with. Think about the opportunities God has given the Malaysian Church to touch their lives, writes lawyer cum Interserve Vice-Chairman VICKY NG.
Malaysia is now host to an estimated two million migrants. As at July 31, there are *1,823,431 foreigners from at least 22 countries working as domestic maids, and in the construction, manufacturing, services and plantation sectors.
The five countries with the most workers here are Indonesia (1,172, 990), Nepal (199,962), India (130,768), Vietnam (96,892) and Bangladesh (64,156). The others are Pakistanis, Myanmarese, Cambodians and a small pocket from the Middle East. This does not include the daily, steady influx of illegals onto our shores.
If you take a stroll along some of the streets of Kuala Lumpur such as Jalan Tun Tan Siew Sin, or visit shopping malls such as Kota Raya and KLCC on a weekend afternoon, you may think you are in a foreign country as you confront a sea of foreign faces. In fact many of the shops along Jalan Tun Tan Siew Sin have notices in Nepalese and special eateries have sprung up to cater to differing ethnic palates.
In the housing estates of Kuala Lumpur’s Ampang, some of the high-rise apartments are occupied by Middle Easterners from Lebanon and Iraq.
How shall the local churches respond to these people groups that have come into our nation? Dare we ignore the two million migrants and go about our business as usual? Do we see these people as the Lord Jesus sees them – sheep without a shepherd?
The mandate that the Lord Jesus gave to His followers to go and make disciples of all nations is even more urgent and relevant now. The nations are at our doorstep. The Church in Malaysia needs to rise up to the challenge and reach out to the migrant workers in our midst with the love and gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.
It has become somewhat “trendy” for many churches to organise short-term mission trips of between seven and 14 days to countries such as India, China, Vietnam, Cambodia. Certainly, there is a place and purpose for short-term missions overseas.
However, it would be a grave and tragic omission on our part if we ignore these same people groups at our doorstep – and they are here to stay for the long term. It is time to re-think cross-cultural missions in Malaysia and include the migrants.
Initial Contacts in Myanmar
In 2000, I joined Asian Outreach on a mission trip to Myanmar to conduct a one-week leadership and training seminar at the Shan Baptist Church, Yangon.
Back home over the next two years, I got involved in reaching out to migrant workers here.
I met Pastor Lily and her Myanmarese co-worker, Pau Kek, from New Life Restoration Church, PJ (NLRC) and soon accompanied the NLRC team to Dengkil to help in their Myanmar outreach work. We also had the opportunity to go to a pig farm in Tanjung Sepat to conduct worship services in the farm. It was a joy to network with Christians from other churches who shared a common vision to reach out to the migrant workers.
Once, I found myself representing a Myanmar brother in Kajang Magistrate’s court on a plea of mitigation so that he would not be whipped for overstaying. Later I visited him at the Kajang prison and encouraged him and gave him a Bible. To the best of my knowledge, he was deported and is now back in Yangon training for the ministry.
Beginnings of Outreach
As the burden for outreach among the migrant workers grew in my heart, my church, Praise Baptist Church, Sri Damansara (PBC), took the first step of hosting a dinner for a small group of Nepalese workers, one of whom was the jaga in my office building.
At an Easter evangelistic outreach in 2005, I invited a Lebanese bakery owner, Fadi, to a dinner. Fadi gave his life to the Lord Jesus that evening.
Subsequently a group from PBC visited a pasar malam in Kepong Industrial Park and met up with some Vietnamese workers from a nearby factory. Over a period of three months, we visited them in their hostel, took them for outings and ran English classes for them. However after three months, we sensed they had no desire to continue befriending us, so we stopped.
Last year, a churchmate, Poh Gaik went to a mamak restaurant in Taman Tun Dr Ismail , KL, to buy dinner. An Indonesian waitress, Sari, working there approached her and asked whether she was a Christian. (probably the necklace around Poh Gaik’s neck was the telltale sign). Sari expressed desire to go to church and soon two Indonesian waitresses came to worship with us.
Another churchmate, Fong Peng, met a Myanmarese, Joseph, in Sri Damansara and invited him to come to our church. Joseph, started coming to church and soon he brought more Myanmarese brothers. Over six months, we befriended them and their non-believing friends through outings, excursions and a special Christmas programme.
After prayer and discussion with the Myanmarese brothers, we decided to start the PBC Myanmarese Christian Fellowship (PBCMCF) and so on August 6, we launched the fellowship with a vision is to build and edify Myanmar Christians and to reach out to other Myanmar workers in Sri Damansara.
It is marvellous to know that there are many urban churches in Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya working among the foreign students enrolled in our universities and colleges. Truly these churches have caught the vision to reach out to these students with the love of Jesus Christ.
Lessons Learnt
- The Master saw our love for the migrants. In our zeal we were going here and there looking for them but He wanted us to wait upon Him. He alone will give us the green light. Out of His sovereign grace He brought the Myanmarese to us. His timing is always perfect.
- God taught us patience and perseverance. We were discouraged by the lack of positive response from the Vietnamese. God Himself will establish His work among the specific migrant group that He wanted us to work with.
- God used that period to prepare us as a church and to raise up a core group of our church members who would be committed to minister to the migrant workers.
- God taught us that while our church was quite active in short-term missions at home and abroad , a more rewarding, enduring and focused work would be among the migrant workers who would be in Malaysia at least for the next two to three years of their contract.
There would be ample opportunities to train, equip and disciple them and to share the gospel with them. Upon their return to their home country, they could be church planters and evangelists in their remote provinces.
For many of them, their dislocation from their home country means that for the first time in their lives, they will have a chance to hear the gospel which otherwise they would not have had the opportunity.
- Our church is a small one but God is no respecter of size. He can use a small church to reach out to the migrant workers if only His people are willing and obedient.
- There is tremendous opportunity for the Malaysian Church across all denominations to cooperate, partner and network with one another and share resources to do the work of ministry among the migrants. This is the essence of love and unity in the body of Christ that our Lord Jesus himself would encourage and commend. The task is too big for any one church to handle.
The migrant workers are scattered and found everywhere.
- The migrant workers are often lonely and displaced people. They have left their families, friends and familiarity of their home country to come to Malaysia to earn a living.
Many work under harsh and oppressive conditions and are victims of exploitation by unscrupulous employ-ment agencies or employers.
They feel vulnerable, weak and helpless. Under such conditions, they respond readily to sincere acts of love and friendship. Acts of love can take the form of invitation for makan, organisation of outings and excursions for them; provision of recreational activities and teaching them English or Bahasa.
These form the basis of initial friendship with them and once trust has been established and respect earned, opportunities abound to share with them the gospel and the love of Jesus Christ.
* Figures were provided by Parliamentary secretary to the Home Ministry Datuk Paduka Abdul Rahman Ibrahim at the Dewan Rakyat on Sept 11.
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