Mr. Arun Phummarin
I
was born into a Buddhist family in western Thailand in 1977. I’m
the youngest of 7 children. My father, a successful farmer, died
when I was 3 months old. Without his income my mother was forced
to sell the farm and our home to pay back money that my father had
borrowed. Faced with raising seven children on her own, my mother
decided to move to another village where other relatives could help
us. My older brothers and sisters did not study beyond 6th grade,
and all of us had to work from a young age to help our family survive.
Often my family had nothing to eat, which made me determined to
study through college so that we would not be poor. I believed that
education would rescue us from poverty.
Like most Thai
young men I attended a Buddhist school, and I served as a novice
monk for about a month during grade school. In 1996, I began studying
Political Science at a university in Bangkok. It was there that
I heard about Jesus for the first time from a group of Christian
students involved with YWAM. For me the story of Jesus was totally
different than anything I had studied, and it was not easy for me
to accept because I had grown up for 20 years with Buddhist teaching.
After 8 months of struggling with the Gospel, I began to believe
because Christians were the only people who could answer the difficult
questions in my life. I was the first person from my family, village,
and district to believe in Jesus.
I used to be
embarrassed about growing up in financial poverty. Now Jesus is
showing me not only that he used my circumstances to draw me to
him, but also that true wealth is in knowing him.
Mrs. Jairak
“Pang” Phummarin
Pang is from
Payao in northern Thailand. She was born in 1979, and grew up in
a Buddhist family. She has 4 older stepbrothers and sisters on her
father’s side. Pang first heard about Jesus at 15 years old,
when a foreigner came and passed out Bibles. When she read the Bible,
she didn’t understand it and lost interest. While in the north,
Pang’s family had a successful restaurant and convenience store
business. During the Asian economic crisis in 1997, her parents
business suffered and they moved to Bangkok to look for work. In
1998, Pang also moved to Bangkok to study at the university where
Arun was studying. That year, Pang heard about Jesus again and that
time she decided to believe it. Pang has a special gift for prayer,
and is always interceding for the university students and for our
country.
In 1999, Arun graduated from university. That year both he and Pang
went to a YWAM University Discipleship Training School (UDTS). UDTS
is a year-long training program for Thai Christian university students
who want to develop their relationship with God, and understanding
of Him. After graduating from UDTS, they both became YWAM staff
in Bangkok, and then married in 2000.
Pang’s
Parents - At and Noot
Dad (At) and Mom
(Noot) both grew up in Buddhist families. Mom is an oldest child,
and has four brothers and sisters. She had to look after her family
from a young age because her father died. She was born in 1955. Mom
graduated from a teachers college, and went on to open a restaurant
so that she could take care of her younger siblings and her aging
mother. At that time she met Dad, who was a businessman trading rice
and produce. Dad was born in 1938, and he studied through 4th grade.
He has a lot of experience driving transport trucks and buying and
selling goods. At one time, he spent a few years in Saudi Arabia driving
a truck because the pay was higher there.
After Pang
accepted Jesus she went home and shared with her parents. Mom and
Dad knew already that what they believed was not the answer, and
they accepted Jesus easily when Pang brought the news in 2000. Soon
after becoming Christians, they moved to live with Arun and Pang
near the university and started working with YWAM. In February 2003,
At and Noot completed their YWAM Discipleship Training School in
Chiang Mai as well.
Mom is passionate
about evangelism and prayer, and has gifts in teaching and helping
people. She opened a restaurant next to Home of One Heart, a YWAM
university ministry in Bangkok, and also cooks for most of our YWAM
functions here. Dad is rather shy, but loves to talk one-on-one.
He loves to work and fix things. He drives the YWAM truck to transport
outreach teams and helps out wherever he is needed. Dad loves farming,
too, and looks forward to getting a project started in Kanchanaburi.
Financial
Support
If
you would like to financially support
Arun & Pang Phummarin
or Mae & Paw Pang ,
please send checks payable to “YWAM”
(Please do not write anything else on the check
but include a separate note designating your donation to
“Arun & Pang Phummarin or Mae & Paw Pang”)
to YWAM Montana:
YWAM Montana
501 Blacktail Road
Lakeside, Montana
59922
U.S.A.
or
NEW - For Canadians!
If you would like to financially support
Arun & Pang Phummarin or Mae & Paw Pang,
from Canada please send checks payable
to “YWAM”
(Please do not write anything else on the check
but include a separate note
designating your donation to
" Arun & Pang Phummarin or Mae & Paw Pang”)
to YWAM Vancouver:
YWAM Vancouver
Donor Services
PO Box 57100
2480 East Hastings Street
Vancouver, BC
V5K 5G6
Canada
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