4 minute read
Coming home
Coming home: Prathum’s story
Prathum’s story doesn't start in the gambling dens. It doesn't start with the tragic losses of her husbands and son. No, Prathum’s story begins with a friend – a friend who started her on the journey home.
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Prathum and her friend
grew up together and, coincidentally, they
both shared a name. The Prathums both came from farming families, owning fields in the luscious hills surrounding the village of Wang Daeng, Thailand. When our Prathum, affectionately known as ‘Prathum Two’, grew up, she married a man in another village, and moved to be with him. ‘Prathum One’ married a man in Wang Daeng and stayed behind. While Prathum One became a pillar of the community in Wang Daeng, Prathum Two was forging her own path – one decidedly more dangerous.
She was known for being honest and reliable – and so was headhunted to become a money collector for a gambling den. But the job was dangerous. Gambling is illegal in Thailand, and Prathum had to employ bodyguards to be with her at all times. She became very rich, but also experienced many personal tragedies along the way. She married three times – but each of her husbands passed away. Not only that, she also tragically lost her only son. Things came to a head in 2014. Following a coup d’état, the new Thai Government imposed a stricter ban on the gambling dens Prathum worked in, leaving her without a source of income. So, after many years, and with a heart burdened by loss, she made her way back to Wang Daeng, and back to her old friend.
With the support of her friends and family back in the village, life continued on for Prathum Two in Wang Daeng – except with some new arrivals. BMS World Mission workers Helen and Wit Boondeekhun moved to the village and started teaching English classes, running a basket weaving project and telling stories about someone called Jesus. Slowly, people in the village started attending Wit and Helen’s church. One woman, Suree, gave her life to Christ. She began inviting people to join her at church – including Prathum One. “She came to the Bible study and her faith grew stronger,” says Wit. “And then she opened her heart to Jesus.”
So joyful in her newfound faith, Prathum One asked Prathum Two to come with her to church – and when she said no, she kept on asking! “I was invited to come along to church so many times that eventually I couldn’t refuse any longer, so I just said: ‘Ok, I’m going!’” says Prathum Two. She agreed to come and help cook at a youth camp the church was holding. During the camp, Prathum Two became curious about what this ‘foreign religion’ was all about, so she asked to come to the Bible study to learn more. She came back week after week and began to get to know Jesus, to learn about God and how to depend on prayer. She found herself singing songs of worship while she worked. She experienced answered prayer after people paid her back some money she had loaned them. Her faith grew inch by inch until she was ready to give her life to the Lord.
Without your support, Prathum wouldn’t know Jesus. Because you support BMS, church planters like Helen and Wit Boondeekhun are able to share the gospel’s good news with people who’ve never heard of him before. Head to www.bit.ly/HWBoondeekhun to discover more about their work, and how you can support them.
“I wanted to find real rest and peace,” says Prathum. “I wanted to have a better life.” But while Prathum was embarking on a journey that would change the course of her life forever, another tragedy was about to befall her.
Prathum One had been diagnosed with cancer. Prathum Two, who had lost so much already, was now going to lose her dear friend. A husband was about to lose his wife, and the church and village would lose a pillar of their vibrant community, loved by so many. Tragically, in January 2021, one month before Prathum Two got baptised, Prathum One lost her battle with cancer and went to be with the Lord.
“It was very, very sad,” said Prathum. “She was a good friend.” It was an unbelievable tragedy not to be able to share her baptism with her dear friend, who had brought her to church in the first place. Her heart was once again heavy with grief, but this time she had someone to take it to. She knew there was only one way to experience real comfort and rest. Prathum publicly gave her life to Christ and knew she had come home. The night after her baptism, she had a dream. She found herself in a field surrounded by lambs with spotless white wool. “I saw a person come running past the sheep, and he ran towards me,” says Prathum. “When he got to me, he said, ‘My little child, you have come back to your Father God.’” Prathum knew then that she had chosen the right path, and that she had a Father on whom she could always lay her burdens.
This might be where Prathum’s story concludes for now – but it’s not where it ends. In many ways, Prathum Two is carrying on where Prathum One left off. She’s continued sharing her faith, and has helped bring a beloved family member to Christ. She serves her community well by cooking regularly at church, and by selling refills of washing up liquid and laundry detergent. It’s a far cry from the life she used to lead, and she’s experienced so much loss along the journey. But now she has someone she can always depend on. Now she knows she’s home, at last. •
