Building the church

There was a morning in the little Karen church in Suan Pueng a few years ago that I finally came to a deeper understanding of the plight of the refugee. A few of the youth were standing in front of the church singing a Thai worship song, and the words cut deeply into my heart. Not for myself, but for the girls that were singing it.

The song was a prayer, asking God to 'heal our land', and it was then that I began to think about what it must feel like to not have a land to call your own. Not a piece of land, that's your own, purchased with money that can be worked for, but a land that accepts you as it's citizens and gives you the rights that should be granted to citizens of every country. The Karen are not citizens anywhere and many that live in this particular village come out of the refugee camp nearby, some having lived there for more than 10 years before finally coming out and living in Thailand.

We have known the people of this particular Karen congregation for around 4 years now. They are our brothers and sisters. We love their children as our own. Everyone that visits them is blessed by just being with them. They are a beautiful people, with hearts that reflect more of the heart of Jesus in their hospitality than can be explained in words - but anyone that has been there knows what I am talking about, because it is an experience that blows you away and changes your own heart forever.

When we met the people of this village, we had no idea that they had in fact just been through a very traumatic situation. Many months later, they shared this experience with us, and our hearts broke for them. The church that they worship in is a bamboo structure typical of the Karen people. However, bamboo structures are usually supposed to be replaced every 2-3 years and theirs has been around for almost 8 years and they have never been able to afford to replace it. The roof leaks, the benches are falling apart, there are holes in the stage - and most importantly, the church was built on borrowed land. When we met them, they had almost saved enough money to finally purchase a piece of land to be able to build a new, more permanent, more stable church building. The week before we arrived in their village for the first time, someone ran off with the money, never to be seen again.

It has been a long journey since then as we have walked alongside them through this situation. We challenged them to raise the money themselves as a congregation for the land again - through tithes and offerings from the minimal wages that they receive working in construction. We rejoiced with them when they were able to purchase the land last year. We came together in faith with them and found sponsors for the church toilets - the very first thing that was built on the land just a few months ago.

Late last year we were approached by a school in Bangkok that wanted to get involved in a construction project and we suggested this one. We will be starting the foundations with them next week and building some of the wall surrounding the church property.

This is so exciting for us and we know that even though they are not citizens in this land, or any land - having their own permanent church structure, on their own land that they as a church have purchased, is something very special indeed. They themselves are the church, and it is not any building or structure or government that can dictate their worship of God. Yet, we long to worship together with them in their new church building when it is finished :to rejoice in the faithfulness of the God who has brought us together as one family, across borders and cultures and regardless of language barriers and financial difficulty and lack of citizenship.

We will begin the foundations in faith, but we need partners to come alongside us and help us to join with our Karen brothers and sisters in this vision. They together as a church have raised a lot of money from their small salaries to purchase the land and begin the building. In order to finish the entire church building, we, together with the church will need to raise up to 850,000 Baht ($26,000).

Would you consider being a partner of something so special? If you have visited this village and would like to give something back to them as a community, this is your chance.
If you have never visited them, we challenge you to give towards this church as a step in faith that maybe, just maybe one day you may make it here to meet these beautiful people. 

Every amount will help us to make this a reality. If you would like to give towards this project, you can do so here, (please make sure to specify in the note that the amount needs to go to the 'Karen church' and notify us by email so that we can correctly allocate the donation)

Alternatively donations can be made to:
please send checks payable to "YWAM Montana" to: 
"YWAM Montana, 501 Blacktail Rd., Lakeside, MT 59922, U.S.A.".
Please don't write anything else on the check and include a separate note indicating that your donation is for "Project 3551, YWAM Ratchaburi".
 (if you donate via YWAM Montana, please send us a note when you have made the donation so that we can allocate it to the church building).


(Photo credit: Karina Palamarchuk)

The joy of a shared marble

'What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others...' Nelson Mandela

For most people who are not born into poverty it may be difficult to understand that people who have little are often more generous with the little that they have than those that have much.

My children have many friends from many different walks of life. They are missionary kids, growing up between worlds, even though they have Thai passports by birth. They have Thai friends who speak Thai, Thai friends who have been raised in English, friends from Australia, America, Canada and New Zealand. They are friends with the Burmese children in our area. However the children that they love to play with the most of all, are the Karen children who live in a small make-shift village on the border of Thailand and Burma.

Why do they like to play with those children the most? Their lives are so uncluttered. I would like to use the word uncomplicated but with the complex issues that they face growing up in extreme poverty and without citizenship in any country,  that simply isn't true. What I mean by uncluttered is that they have so little 'stuff'. There are few possessions to be had, and what they have, they share without a second thought. No parents have to come and intervene to make them share. It is their natural inclination.

This is not something that is behavior that has been taught, but rather an attitude that has been learned from the way that they see their parents interact with others. Everything is shared. As poor as they are and as little access as they have to whatever it is that they may need, they are always thinking of others. Just last weekend when we were in the village, a friend from Bangkok brought some second hand clothes for the villagers. The response of one of the leaders in the village was: "Next time you come, don't forget to bring more winter clothes. We know some people who live on the Burmese side of the border who live in the forest. It is very cold in the winter and they have nothing to wear." I had to ask myself, if I struggled to get by every day, would my attitude have been to think about someone else in need?

In the past few months we have spent a lot of time out at the Karen village with teams of volunteers. In all that we have given, and all that the teams have done, I am never convinced that we are the givers and not in fact the receivers in this relationship. For all that we teach and all that we do, I think each one of our volunteers, including our own family, learns and receives one hundred times more. I know that for my children, countless life lessons have been learned playing in the dust and climbing the trees together with their Karen friends. Probably one of the greatest is this:

One marble shared among many friends can bring more joy than a room full of toys kept to oneself.

My Karen friends have made a difference in my life. How much money you have is not the limiting factor on the difference that you can make to the world. Share what you have been given and the joy will be shared.

The strength to start again

Thongdee, Ae, Saoda and K

“I hope you live a life you're proud of. If you find you're not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again.” F. Scott Fiztgerald

What does it look like to have the strength to start again? It takes courage. It takes strength. However, without someone cheering you on from the sidelines, it can be a very lonely journey.

The four people in the picture above have each begun to start again. In fact they have been on this journey for some time now. One of them is a very talented musician that was living a life that he was not so proud of, 2 of them were just recently released from prison, and one of them lived a large part of his life as a refugee. 

Life if full of circumstances that make it difficult to stand up when we make a mistake. When someone makes the decision to stand up and start again, we want to be cheering them on. Thongdee, Ae, Saoda and K are on a journey of redemption together - their stories, although  somewhat different, have a common denominator - each one of them believes that God has called them to serve Him in some way or another.

Together they left Ratchaburi at the beginning of June 2014 to attend a 6 month Discipleship Training School with YWAM Ubon Ratchathani in the north east of Thailand. They are desiring to learn more about God's plans for them. They are desiring to continue on in this journey to live a life that not only they are proud of, but that the Heavenly Father is pleased with.

Each one of the four need to raise US$1000 for the 6 month Discipleship Training School that they are involved in. We are here to cheer them on in their journey, but we need others who are willing to stand up with us and cheer them on from near or from far. We need people to join us in prayer for them. We need people to help them to cover a small amount of the fees of a 6 month experience that to them, is invaluable. 

We believe that God will use ordinary people who at some point in their lives have had to start again, just like the four of them. We believe that as people are willing to stand up with us and cheer for people like these four individuals, that they will have the strength that they need each day, through the encouragement that they receive. If you would like to contribute you can do so here.
(Please make sure that you state in the note that it is for: YWAM Ratchaburi DTS students).

We also believe that God will use the stories of these four people to encourage others to stand up and make a change in their lives. If that is you, be encouraged - and may you have a team of people cheering you on as you continue to try and rewrite your story with God. If you know someone who is trying to gain the courage and strength to stand up and make a change - why not let them know that you are cheering for them. 

Dreaming beyond the rainbow

‘Every child has the right to a good education. Every child has the right to an education that develops his or her personality, talents and abilities to their fullest; an education that prepares him or her for an active adult life; an education that fosters respect for his or her own family, cultural identity, language, country, and the natural environment; and an education in the spirit of understanding, peace, tolerance and equality.’ (The United Nations Convention on the rights of the child, simplified version: article 28 and 29).

 According to the United Nations this is something that should be the right of every child – until they are 18 years old. However, we have met many children that have been denied that right for various reasons. As we have gotten to know the Burmese children that live in our area in Thailand, we have learned so much about the plight that they face. Most never study beyond 6^th Grade. Once they are not in school, they usually begin working in construction. Six years ago, we began to fight for the right to an education for 2 young ladies – we fought for them, not only for them, but for their entire community. They were to be the first, but certainly not the last. They were to be the example of what every child in their community should have the right to.

Wanlee and Tuway, six years ago had reached the end of their 6^th grade year at school. They confided in us that they desired to attend high school. Nobody in their entire community had ever attended high school. Did they have the right to attend school as Burmese migrants in Thailand? Although it is not without challenges, it is possible.  The right to an education was being withheld not by the Thai government, but rather by their own community. It was their own family - who did not understand the desires that these girls had to continue their education. It was their own parents who because of the extreme poverty that they were faced with would rather have had their daughters find a job at the age of 12, than continue their education. To some in the developed world, this story may seem unreal. However, Wanlee and Tuway’s story was not unique. In fact in the developing world, it is an all too common story of how extreme poverty takes away your right to choose your own future – all when you are only 12 years old.

What is unique about Wanlee and Tuway is their desire and exceptional courage to fight for their dreams. When they approached their parents with us to ask if they would be allowed to attend high school, we knew that it was the beginning of a difficult journey for them. Amazingly, their parents agreed to allow them to begin 7^th grade – and each year they agreed to allow them to continue on. There were times when there were threats of sending them back to work in Myanmar. We stood strong with them and cried many tears with them each time that their parents threatened to not allow them to continue what they had started.

In February 2014, Wanlee and Tuway graduated from high school. We are so proud of them and feel privileged to have walked this journey with them so far. However, the journey is not yet done. From the start, we have encouraged them to dream bigger. Last week, they left Ratchaburi to attend university in Bangkok. What seemed like a dream that was way beyond the rainbow for two young girls six years ago is finally becoming a reality. There is much work ahead and there are many struggles still to come – but Wanlee and Tuway have already beaten the odds in their own community. When Wanlee and Tuway were 12 years old, they dreamed dreams of having the right to an education. We hope that they will be the future advocates for the next generation. That when the time comes, they will stand up and speak for those who do not yet have a voice in their community.

Wanlee and Tuway would not be where they are today had it not been for the people that have encouraged, prayed for and helped to support them over the years. If you are one of those people – thank you for the part that you have played. To some, it may appear that two lives have been changed –  but we know that it is the beginning of so much more, for so many more children like them.

If you would like to send an encouraging note to Wanlee and Tuway, or if you would like to help support them in their dreams in some small way – please contact us: ratchaburi@ywamthai.org

‘Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy’.Proverbs 31:8-9

When love looks like a menthol candy and a bottle of shampoo...

When you are given a prison sentence, most ordinary comforts are removed from your life. In Thailand, most often there are more than fifty people staying in a prison cell together, with barely enough room for all of them to sleep. Any personal items that are allowed need to come from relatives, but often relatives are far away, or worse yet, have cut all ties because of the prison sentence.

One of the worst things about being in prison, we are told by those that have come out, is that inside the prison, you have no choices of your own to make. You eat what you are given, when you are told to. You return to your cell when you are told to. You wear the clothes that you have. There is no choice of what to wear - that is all you have. Some of the women have even told us stories of how they had only one bra, and when they washed it, it got stolen from the washing line. Most inmates get so used to not having to choose anything that coming out of prison is completely overwhelming for them.

There are a few choices that are left to make when you are in prison. One of them is your attitude while you are inside the prison walls. You can choose to change, to learn from your mistakes, or you can choose to stay the same. The environment inside a prison, is usually not conducive to a positive change in attitude. Ratchaburi Central Prison however is different. With prisoners in Thailand returning to the prisons sometimes 10 times or more, they have begun to see a need for change in the way that the prison system works. They have made the prison surroundings beautiful. The gardens between the zones are filled with plants and flowers. They allow numerous organizations to come into the prison to teach various things, because they desperately want to see change in the hearts of the prisoners.

We (YWAM Ratchaburi) are one of those organizations. And the inmates that study with us truly change. The wardens see it. They don't understand it. But they continue to allow us to do what we do because they see the visible change. The change in fact, has nothing to do with us, and everything to do with the inmates really and truly encountering Jesus. It is Jesus that is changing their hearts. It is Jesus that is teaching them how to love one another. It is Jesus that is changing the face of the prison, one life at a time. All we do is try to be available to love them in whatever way we can.


Last year when we began our three month Prison Discipleship Training School, (fifty inmates who gathered with us every day for an intensive Bible course), we had no idea the change that we would see in the lives of the students. Yet, they are not satisfied with only one three month course. They are desperately hungry to learn more. When we opened applications for the 2013 Prison DTS, we had only planned on accepting 25 students. Those that had studied last year begged us to allow them to join again. We were able to open this year’s Prison DTS up to the ladies and the men (2 days of teaching for the ladies and 2 days of teaching for the men), and on the opening day of the DTS last week, the total number of students was 72!


As we begin again to run the Prison DTS, we are reminded of some of the struggles that we watched last year’s students face. For many of the men, one of the only things that they are able to hold onto when they go to prison is smoking. To give up smoking in prison is not an easy feat. But in order to get the most out of the DTS class time, most of the men try to quit. Many of the students from last year were able to quit, but we know that it wasn't easy for them. One of the things that we found made it easier for them was to provide strong menthol candy for them during class each day. This set us back quite a bit in our budget, but we know that for those that it helped, it was worth it. It costs us about 1,200Baht a week just to provide enough candy for all the students each day. This is a really practical gift that people can give towards. If you have ever struggled to quit smoking and know how hard it is, let alone trying to do so in the stressful environment of a prison, maybe you would like to give towards this. You can do so here. Please send us an email to let us know so that we can make sure that we allocate the money correctly.


Living in a place with few ordinary comforts, or what most of us would consider necessities (shampoo, sanitary pads, washing powder, toothpaste), just a little bit of love goes a really long way. We cannot provide all the time for everyone, but we do like to give love gifts to the inmates when we are able to. A small pack of toiletries goes a long way to help someone in the prison understand that they are loved. If you would like to contribute towards this, please contact us and we will let you know how you can do so.


The last thing that we like to do, is to provide a special meal (a very simple meal to someone outside of prison, but for those inside, just having something different is special) and we eat together with the students. Eating together gives us the opportunity to share life on a different level with the students. When we eat together, we feel like family. Family is something that many of them don’t have any more – and is a special bond that we know contributes to helping them to change. Oftentimes, last year our students chose to study rather than to eat. You can't arrive late to meals in prison, and our classes often had to go over into the mealtime - sharing a meal together with the students helps them to get the food that they need, in a loving environment.

Sharing a meal together costs us about 800Baht per day. We would like to continue to do this throughout the 3 months, but right now don't have the budget to do so. If you would like to help us to provide a meal you can do so here. Please send us a separate email so that we can make sure the money gets allocated accordingly.


Will you help us to love the 72 students in the Prison DTS this year? You can give, you can pray, you can share this story with someone else who can do the same. You can help us to see the face of the Ratchaburi Central Prison changed for good.

A beautiful story of an aunt and her niece.

Last year we met a young lady named Kung. Kung grew up near to our home, living in a family that she describes as ‘broken’. Kung says that she often felt unloved by her father and that her family struggled financially to get by. Kung wanted to get a good education, but her family couldn't afford to send her to a good university. Determined to study, Kung worked hard at school and was granted 100% scholarships to study at 2 well renowned universities in Thailand, completing her bachelor’s degree followed by her master’s degree.

It was while Kung was at university that she met someone who told her about Jesus. Kung decided to accept Jesus into her heart eight years ago at the start of her studies. When she finished her master’s degree, her pastor asked her if she was interested to attend a Discipleship Training School(DTS) with Youth With A Mission (YWAM). 

It was during her DTS at YWAM in Chaing Rai, in the north of Thailand, that we first met Kung. Kung was one of the students along with Diaw, a young man who came out of the prison ministry here in Ratchaburi. Little did we know at that point that Kung’s life and our prison ministry were already interconnected to a much greater degree.

Kung and Diaw

 Five years before Kung went to do her DTS, her aunt, Napa was sent to prison in Bangkok. Kung went to visit her and shared the Gospel with her. Kung encouraged NaPa to join the Christian fellowship in the Bangkok prison.

A few years later, Napa was transferred to the Ratchaburi Central Prison. Napa has been a part of the women’s fellowship for some time now, and this week began her own DTS journey as a part of the Prison DTS.

Kung says of NaPa: “Napa has a heart to serve God. God will help her and will do even more in her than He has done in me.”

Kung is now living close to home again and has begun reaching out to children who are growing up in circumstances similar to her own - many from broken families, attending poor quality schools and having to fight for the right to a better education. Kung teaches extra lessons to them after school hours, tutoring them and sharing the love of Jesus with them. Only God knows what their future will be like one day, but having someone like Kung as an example for them to follow can only encourage them to keep fighting for the future that they deserve. 

It's time to begin again...

Days blend into nights and nights blend into days and all of it is just wonderful and terrifying all at the same time. Then before we know it, three months have passed us by - in what seems like a blink of the eye.

We are the staff of the Prison Discipleship Training School (PDTS) in Ratchaburi Thailand - a three month training program where inmates learn important Biblical truths about who God is and who they are in Him. Last year was the very first time that the PDTS was run. If it went by in a blur for us, we cannot imagine what it must have been like for each one of the students who participated.

There is something that goes beyond human understanding when God's grace is extended to people who are labelled as the outcasts of society. The ones who have been abandoned  even by their own families. Assassins, murderers, drug dealers, rapists - they have committed the worst of crimes, and yet there is still grace for them. There is still forgiveness and peace, even behind the high walls of the prison.

This week, the second PDTS begins. Last year we had 55 students. This year, there are 72 students. 72 inmates studying about the love and grace and forgiveness that is available for them in Christ Jesus. 72 students, many of whom will remain in the prison, and who share the message of Christ with others through the bars of the cells that they sleep in. 

We could never have imagined that God would transform the prison in this way. Nor can we even begin to imagine what the prison will look like in the years to come should the Christians inside continue to be equipped and continue to share Christ with others. But what we can imagine, is that it will surely be an inexplicable kind of beauty that is rarely seen in this world today.

As we begin this three month journey again this Monday, as nights again begin to blend into days and everything becomes wonderful and terrifying all at the same time, all over again - please remember us in prayer. For we cannot fight this battle alone - we are only the messengers - we need an army of prayer warriors to stand with us in this battle.