Our recent mission trip included a stop in Thailand and the opportunity to once again visit with Reverend Wanchai Supawas and the Sameong Girls Home outside of Chiang Mai. Reverend Wanchai is such a gracious and humble servant of God. He shared his life story with us.
When he was a young man he was a Buddhist monk, but living a rough life. At a festival where he said he stayed drunk for three days, he became frightened and called out “God, help me.” His uncle gave him a gospel pamphlet that told about Jesus, and included a sinner’s prayer. Wanchai took the pamphlet and went by himself to the top of a mountain. There he made the decision to follow Christ and asked Jesus into his heart. He became a successful builder and started attending a Christian church. Later God called him into ministry and he attended Bible College.
In 1984 he established a church in the village of Sameong and the girls home. At first, he experienced much opposition to his ministry, but through it all he depended on God’s protection and provision. In 1986 Allan and Harle Eliason visited him in Sameong and Global Outreach helped to fund the construction of the dormitory for the girl’s home. The dormitory has beds for forty girls, but due to a lack of funding they currently care for only twelve girls. All of these girls have committed their lives to Christ. Through the years many of these girls have gone into ministry or entered professions such as nursing and teaching.
The girls that live in the home are usually about fourteen or fifteen years old when they arrive and most stay for about three years. Most of them are from hill tribes such as the Karen, Lisu, Hmong tribes. They are girls that are either at risk, or have already been involved with promiscuous activities. A few of the girls are HIV positive when they arrive. The sex trade industry is huge in Thailand and many of these girls could easily end up trapped in such a lifestyle without the love and life-changing training they receive from Pastor Wanchai and his wife Pensi. We were very impressed with the work they are doing with these girls. We promised Wanchai we will do our very best to provide enough funds to fill the remaining 28 empty beds and impact many more young girls for Christ.
To see more pictures from our trip to Thailand please download our April 2012 newsletter: http://media.wix.com/ugd//b27ff3_b11c0e2fa2f1593b261eb16b3cdc2bc0.pdf
Learn more about Global Outreach ministries in Thailand:
