Rajes Paul attended her first Out of the Comfort Zone (OCZ) conference in 2012 to prepare for a 10-day outreach exposure trip to Himalayas. That time broke her and set her heart right, brought her closer to the Lord and excited to do the work God called her to do. “I went to Himalayas to bring help and hope, but I came back changed, recharged and blessed.”
Rajes Paul was standing at a mountain in Himalayas, gazing into its beauty. The view was breathtaking, the skies blue and clear, the surrounding was quiet and still – and it was at this one particular moment that she heard the heartbeat of the Lord for His people.
Rajes’ first outreach trip abroad changed her life. She first attended the Out of the Comfort Zone (OCZ) conference in Port Dickson alongside a multinational team to be prepared for the 10-day trip to Himalayas. The team members were different but united by the bond of Christ.
“The Lord clearly spoke to me during the sessions. At one of the night prayer stations, I just cried. I reflected on all those who are still lost without Christ in their lives in this world while I had been so comfortable with my own life in this world, which is so temporal.
This Perakian and the rest of her team members then had to spend four nights in the mountains, walking for hours through the dense hills, braving rivers, and streams, visiting villages in Himalayas, and sharing the good news in broken Urdu.
“Despite the language barrier and exhaustion, I can still remember vividly the smiles of the children, the excitement of the people as they welcomed us despite their poverty, and also the joy of bringing the love of Christ for the people.
That trip was the beginning of Rajes’ involvement in outreach work.
“The Lord knew me. He had to break me and set my heart right first through the OCZ conference and the Himalayas trip.
A conference at Mount Murud, Sarawak, a year later further inspired her and in 2015, as her church outreach coordinator, she was able to pioneer work among the locals in an impoverished part of Sarawak.
“All the experience with OM came in handy as we prepared teams to bring the good news into the interiors of Sarawak and Sabah.
Rajes, who is a senior sports editor with a local newspaper, says that we are also called to be the light that shines bright for Jesus in the marketplace too.
Rajes returned to volunteer with OCZ in 2016 and for the last three years, has been with the parachurch organisation coordinating work in Sarawak, Sabah and other regional fields.
“I’m still learning, still growing and still discerning the heartbeat of the Lord. There have been good and hard times, but the Lord’s faithfulness and lovingkindness have remained unchanged. We are nothing apart from HIM.
“No matter how big a mountain of struggle we are facing right now, our Lord will not let our feet - those beautiful feet that bring the good news - slip and stumble. He is ABLE to carry us through.”
Psalm 121:3
I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip— he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.