Wendy P’s immersion as an Asian living in a very Western environment with over 300 people from 35 nationalities on board Doulos in 1998 plunged her into an identity crisis.
Working with crewmembers from developed nations like Japan, America and Germany was a struggle for Wendy P, as her own country was still a developing nation.
“When I told people I am a Malaysian, they said no. They said I looked Chinese, or Korean, or Japanese, or Taiwanese. How could I be a Malaysian? I practise Chinese customs, so why do I call myself a Malaysian?
“My identity crisis led me to learn about my identity in Christ.
Next for Wendy would be lessons of acceptance.
“Friends would say, ‘You are strange Wendy! We don't eat eggs with soya sauce! We don't cook fish with its head, bones and tail!’ We realized that we were just different and it was not the matter of right or wrong.
Wendy, who is from Kuala Lumpur, also learned lessons about grace. She found that her fellow ship mates came from so many different backgrounds.
‘I was a drug addict and prisoner in Norway before I knew Christ.’
‘I was a beggar before I met a Christian on the street in South Africa.’
‘I was a high school student in Japan.’
‘I was a pastor in Papua New Guinea.’
‘I was a lawyer in Germany.’
‘I was a prisoner.’
“By grace, we entered to serve. By God's grace we served together.
“After a year with Doulos, I saw people’s lives change. They became more thoughtful. They learned to see things through God's eyes. They learned to accept people as who they are instead of trying to change them. They learned to appreciate other people’s culture. They saw their own weaknesses, other people’s strengths and they learned and learned and learned.
“We saw ordinary people doing extraordinary work for the Lord. We experienced seasickness, rough seas, storms, enjoyed calm seas on deck, read the Bible, shared our testimonies with brothers and sisters from different nations, and encouraged each other to serve the Lord with zeal.
“God’s grace and love healed me spiritually and mentally, after a year of struggling.
“Our daily experiences on Doulos led us to understand biblical Christian living. The word ‘doulos’ in Greek means slave or servant. We lived the ‘doulos’ life for the Lord and served the people for our Lord on Doulos.”
Wendy is now serving with another volunteer organisation.