Bible seminary and vocational training

In my life as a soldier, I had military training for two months to transition from a citizen to a soldier. The training was tough and intensive at first, because I had to adjust myself physically and mentally. I felt a loss of strength and encouragement because I had never faced anything like this before. Sometimes, I did not understand the purpose of what I was doing in training. It required such discipline to live in the soldier culture, which is something I did not like.

However, I realized that the purpose of the training is for self-adjustment. Whenever I felt discouraged or weak, one thing I could do was to pray and tell everything to God because He was the only one I could rely on at that time. I asked God for His strength every day until I passed the training.

Now, I have been admitted to the troops, where I will be meeting with the senior soldiers. Each of them is different in characteristics, but I must adjust to get along with them. I will be working with them in the general tasks or during the night-guarding shift. Sometimes I feel tired to pass each day, but I have my family, friends and teachers at church who always pray for me and encourage me. Most of all, I know that I have God who I can lay everything with. When I am struggling, I will ask for God’s help. I will be thankful for God in any situation and at any time.

After I am discharged from the military, I plan to work as a salesperson in car sales, or work at a warehouse. I will put everything in God’s hands and ask for His guidance by His will.

Love in Christ,

Thanks to your generous support, these dedicated Christian young adults have developed the strong leadership skills that will allow them to thrive in their gifts, both in church and in business. Even during the pandemic, all four students have matured in Christ and learned how to model His love by serving others.

After completing their third year of seminary, both Chaba and Suwipha began a 10-month internship at Mae Lai Tian Ang Church, which ended in February 2022. During their placement, Chaba and Suwipha attended leadership meetings and had opportunities to preach at church. They served the community in many practical ways, keeping the church building clean and distributing COVID-19 relief packages—even cleaning out the village pig pen! “I have experienced God’s protection and favour in every situation I was in,” says Chaba. “I am thankful for my 10 months of work, as I had good friends and generous church members who always supported me.”

Suwipha now supervises a group of younger girls at a local dormitory, which involves leading morning devotions, helping the younger children get ready for school and making sure that students are getting their homework done each day. Suwipha is so grateful for your support, which has played such an important role in equipping her to share the gospel with boldness. While she has struggled at times with shyness and insecurity, the encouraging words of her mentors and other members of the church have helped her overcome her self-doubt to step out in faith. “God answered my prayer to work at Mae Lai Tian Ang Church for my apprenticeship. Even though I felt I lacked confidence when reaching out to proclaim the gospel, I learned that God uses ordinary people to do great things.” Chaba and Suwipha would value your prayers for wisdom, protection, strength and a continued sense of closeness to God.

Kanda graduated from her program in March 2021 and is so pleased to be serving at her home church, Kraykee Evangelical Centre. Kanda teaches children in the Sunday school class and regularly preaches during Sunday services as well. She is a hard worker who has dedicated her life to sharing, teaching and serving others. “I have learned to be a leader and to be confident when teaching Bible lessons to others, especially to young people or teenagers,” she shares. “I am so thankful for this scholarship that helped me throughout the four years of my education at the Bible seminary. Without your support, my family would find it difficult to support my education. Thank you for your kind support and prayers. I will do my best in any role I am responsible for and will honour God through my work.” Please continue to pray that Kanda will have courage and wisdom to share the gospel boldly, as there are very few believers in her village. Pray that she would be salt and light to those who do not yet know Jesus.

Natthakorn has also graduated with a diploma in accounting. His greatest concern was finding a job after graduation to help support his family members, as the pandemic has impacted employment opportunities. However, we are pleased to report that Natthakorn has secured a job in the military.
Please pray that God would open the right doors for Natthakorn and continue to strengthen and encourage him.

In Thailand, where so few are Christians, strong Christian leaders are in short supply. By investing in these four young people, you are helping build strong local churches that can reach their communities for Christ and make a lasting impact. Thank you for bringing the hope of the gospel to Thailand!