When Khoo Meei first left Malaysia for the mission field, she did not go as a preacher or evangelist but as a finance person.
“My mission work at that time was different from evangelizing,” she shared. “My role was mainly to do finance as a support team.” From that role, God has expanded her ministry and carried her on a remarkable journey of faith.
Born in Melaka and raised in a Buddhist family, Khoo Meei later became a Christian. English-educated from primary to secondary school, she has now served with Operation Mobilisation (OM) since the year 2000. Although poor eyesight has recently brought her active finance work to a stop, she still considers herself part of the mission journey through prayer.
Khoo Meei’s first mission trip came in September 1997, when her pastor brought her and five other FGA church members to Almaty, Kazakhstan, for a Uighur partnership conference. It was there that she sensed the Lord calling her.
The leaders in Kazakhstan had been praying for someone who could help with finance on the field. For Khoo Meei, this became the beginning of a long journey.
However, getting approval to go was not easy. “In their mind, all the leaders said that to go as a missionary is to evangelize, to spread the Word, to bring people to salvation,” she recalled. “But my role as a finance person, they were not very keen.”
After three years of prayer, preparation, and support-raising, Khoo Meei finally left Malaysia for Kazakhstan in 2000.
Life there was difficult from the start. She had to learn Russian, adjust to harsh winters, and navigate daily life in an unfamiliar country. “When I first arrived, I felt like crying and crying,” she said. Winter temperatures could drop to minus 40 degrees. Even taking the bus was a challenge because she had to shout in Russian for the driver to stop.
Food was another adjustment. She missed Malaysian food deeply. In Kazakhstan, she discovered that horse meat was commonly eaten. “They gave us sausages, but they didn’t tell us what the sausages were made of,” she remembered. “After that they said, ‘You know what you are eating? You are eating horse meat.’”
Yet through the struggle, Khoo Meei held on to God’s Word. Philippians 4:13 became a source of strength: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” She also remembered Psalm 37:4: “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.”
By her second year, things became better. She learned the finance system used by OM worldwide, served in a Russian-speaking church, taught English, helped with children’s ministry, and began to enjoy life in Kazakhstan.
God also provided unexpected help. Through a contact in Malaysia, Khoo Meei was introduced to the Malaysian ambassador to Kazakhstan, who was also a Christian. At that time, foreigners could not easily open bank accounts, and bringing money into the country was difficult. The ambassador’s assistance became one of the ways God provided for the ministry’s needs.
“I really thank God,” she said. “Whatever I do, I trust in Him. He sent me there; He will find ways for me to face the challenges.”
What she thought would be a two-year mission assignment became much longer. Khoo Meei was later asked to become the Area Chief Finance Officer for West and Central Asia, overseeing finance work across countries such as Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Iran, the Caucasus, and Kazakhstan. She often joked that she was working with the “Tan family.”
Her responsibility was to ensure accounts were properly handled and funds used with integrity. “Finance is also very important,” she said. “We are accountable to the donors.”
In 2004, Khoo Meei was asked to travel to Afghanistan to help the team with finance after the war had brought in many relief and project funds. Before leaving, FGA asked if she had travel insurance. At that time, no insurance company wanted to cover travel to a war-torn country.
But at a combined church meeting in Kuala Lumpur, she met a friend who helped her find coverage. Soon after, Khoo Meei flew to Kabul. She did not tell her mother where she was going because she knew her mother would be afraid.
On the plane, she changed into appropriate attire: long sleeves, covered hands, a long dress, and a scarf over her head. But when she landed in Kabul, no one was inside the airport to receive her.
“I was a bit afraid,” she said. “Never mind, just keep cool. Ask the Lord.”
Then an American lady approached and asked if she needed help. Khoo Meei borrowed her phone to call the team member who had arranged her pick-up. When the lady saw the number Khoo Meei had dialed, she said, “We are neighbours.”
To Khoo Meei, it was another sign of God’s provision. The woman had only come to the airport that day to collect luggage from a previous arrival.
In Afghanistan, Khoo Meei saw deep poverty, especially among women. “It was very, very sad,” she said. “We always come from a country where we don’t face all these things. But the women there really suffer a lot.”
In 2006, Khoo Meei moved to Baku, Azerbaijan. But even that journey came with trials. When she arrived, she was denied entry because her invitation letter lacked the required official stamp. She was deported back to Tashkent, Uzbekistan, where she had transited.
The airport transit area felt like “a prison,” she recalled. Her passport and ticket were taken, and she had to wait there for several days until a proper letter could be sent.
During that time, she survived on instant noodles and chocolates packed in her hand luggage. She also had her Bible with her. “I said, ‘Lord, is it because I was busy preparing to leave for Azerbaijan and didn’t talk to You, didn’t pray to You, that now You kept me captive in the airport?’”
Yet even there, God used her. She met another woman facing a similar visa problem and prayed for her. The next day, the woman was able to leave the airport.
When Khoo Meei finally received the correct letter, she insisted on returning to Azerbaijan instead of flying home. Jeremiah 29:11 strengthened her: “I know the plans I have for you… plans to give you a future and a hope.”
She arrived in Baku after four days without a shower. When her leader wanted to hug her, she laughed and said, “Please don’t hug me. I’m smelly.”
For Khoo Meei, these stories are not just travel adventures. They are testimonies of God’s faithfulness.
“To serve the Lord,” she said, “have an obedient heart, a right heart, a sensitive heart, and an open heart.”
Though her eyesight has now limited her work, Khoo Meei continues to pray. “Now I cannot go, I can pray,” she said.
Looking back on more than two decades of mission service, her message remains simple: “God can make use of you. Since God can make use of me, you too can serve the Lord wherever He calls you. All glory to the Lord.”
Christianity Malaysia expresses its heartfelt thanks to Khoo Meei for her generosity in sharing her story as an encouragement to our readers. All photos were kindly contributed by Khoo Meei, and a video of her testimony is available on YouTube.
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