Hope personified: Ba Nuan’s story

Hope personified:

Ba Nuan’s story

Ba Nuan went from not being able to see a way forward to living every day for Jesus. Her incredible story was made possible through your gifts to the Thailand Spring appeal.

If you asked Ba Nuan about her childhood, she’d say that life felt very ordinary. Growing up as one of eight siblings in rural Thailand, it made sense to Ba Nuan that her parents, struggling to make ends meet, would ask their children to help wherever they could. When Ba Nuan’s grandmother became too elderly to take care of herself, the family chose Ba Nuan to go and live with and support her. And so it was that Ba Nuan, though still a young girl, would grow up far from home, taking on the responsibilities of both caregiver and breadwinner in one. Life was tough – but so was Ba Nuan.

Ba Nuan went to school during the day and spent all her free time labouring or collecting branches for roof thatch to earn money. There was no time to dream about her future: the health and happiness of her little two-person household rested entirely on her young shoulders.

A Thai man and woman pray together sitting on blue plastic chairs inside a church building.
Your support has helped Ba Nuan to live with hope.

As she grew older, Ba Nuan’s strong work ethic continued. She opened her own restaurant and also began working as a medium to cure people believed to have been cursed by black magic – a practice passed down by her grandmother. Married with two children and with a stable career, poverty gradually lost its grip on Ba Nuan. But happiness was still a long way away.

Helen and Wit Boondeekhun stand next to each other in a field in Thailand
Your support for Helen and Wit Boondeekhun allowed them to come alongside Ba Nuan.

One day, Ba Nuan’s world came crashing down around her. She was heartbroken to discover her husband had been unfaithful – and that this wasn’t the first time. Her business began to crumble as her marriage fell apart. Then, four years ago, Ba Nuan’s husband tragically took his own life. Alone and in despair, Ba Nuan couldn’t see a way forward. That’s until a neighbour visited her, and told her about a man called Jesus.

Ba Nuan was invited by her friend to the church run by BMS World Mission workers Helen and Wit Boondeekhun in a small village called Wang Daeng. There, Ba Nuan encountered unconditional love, from God and from her new community. “God transformed me,” says Ba Nuan. “I didn’t have any hope, my life was in despair, and I didn’t want to live. But now I have found a new life, new happiness,” she continues. “I’m so happy indeed that I found God. I know that he loves me, and I want to live my life for him.”

Thank you!

Thank you so much for your incredible response to the Thailand Spring appeal, sharing the gospel with people like Ba Nuan. Coming to know Jesus has transformed Ba Nuan’s life and given hope to a whole community now attending a fledgling church in Wang Daeng. Learn more about the appeal here.

The people who attend the church in Wang Daeng each have a story like Ba Nuan’s – a story of a life searching for hope, and finding it in Jesus. The village has gone from being a place where no-one would have called themselves a Christian, to a community with a thriving church where eight new believers were baptised just last year. Excitingly, Ba Nuan was one of them. The BMS team asked Ba Nuan whether she had a message for supporters in the UK. She replied: “Love God with all your mind, soul and strength, because God is powerful, and he can help you, and he loves you so much.”

If you gave to the Thailand Spring appeal, thank you for bringing new life to Ba Nuan and to a whole church community. Helen and Wit are so encouraged to know that you are standing with them. And if you haven’t come across their ministry in Wang Daeng before, there’s still time to get involved. Why not find out more about Helen and Wit here, and subscribe to receive their free prayer letters today?

A woman getting baptised in Thailand.
Praise God that Ba Nuan was baptised last year!
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Words by Hannah Watson.

Good news in Wang Daeng

Good news in Wang Daeng:

five ways your prayers have been answered

You’ve been praying and God has been moving mountains in Wang Daeng.

What does good news look like? It could be as simple as receiving an unexpected phone call from a friend, or perhaps it’s the relief of the kids returning to school!

In the remote village of Wang Daeng in Thailand, we’re talking about good news on a whole other level – life-transforming news with eternal consequences. BMS World Mission church planters Helen and Wit Boondeekhun are showing and telling the good news of Jesus to people who have never heard of him. Last year we asked if you would pray for the spread of the gospel in Wang Daeng, every week, for a year. And those prayers have been answered. For Wang Daeng, this is what good news looks like…

  1. You prayed for the beginnings of the first church in Wang Daeng

Now four people have asked Jesus into their lives, and dozens of seekers attend a weekly Sunday gathering. Praise God that there is also a Bible study group meeting in the neighbouring village of Chum Song, where Helen and Wit hope another church can be planted one day.

To top it all off, the Thailand Action Team (the BMS gap year for 18 to 23-year-olds) organised a Christmas event which saw an incredible 140 people attending. They also built a friendship with a young girl called Prang. That December, when she heard the good news of Jesus coming to Earth as Saviour, she came forward to declare herself a Christian.

Four young people smiling and looking into the camera.
Hosting a BMS Action Team mobilised the young people in the village.
  1. You prayed for new Christian Suree to grow in her faith

Suree now regularly invites friends to Sunday gatherings. “It’s still difficult for Suree,” says Wit. “She was asked to perform Buddhist rituals and she was ashamed to say no. So I told her to focus on Jesus.” Please continue to pray that she keeps her eyes fixed on Jesus as she lives out her faith.

A woman and a man looking into the camera.
Helen and Wit study the Bible with Suree and pay her regular visits to support her walk with God.
  1. You prayed for Ajarn Tah, a Thai Christian who teaches young people football and guitar

Praise God that he has now moved permanently into the village. His guitar students and football team eagerly attend the Sunday gatherings led by Helen and Wit. “They are very enthusiastic in worship,” they report in their latest prayer letter.

A team of boys in football shirts looking into the camera.
“The football players are fascinated by the stories from the Bible!” say Helen and Wit.
  1. You prayed for God to bless Wang Daeng

“There’s certainly been a new openness to the gospel in the area,” Wit says. The boys at the football club were also blessed by a camp in July. The focus was on learning about God, self-discipline and football skills. It was a whole village affair, with Ajarn Tah’s guitar students and the basket-weaving group that Helen leads organising fun and games, and cooking.

  1. You prayed for Helen and Wit

``We have absolutely experienced God’s protection and blessing over our lives.``

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“We have absolutely experienced God’s protection and blessing over our lives,” says Wit. And God has given in abundance with a new centre for their work: a two-storey building in the heart of the Wang Daeng community. “There is so much space that we won’t be needing a separate location for English classes and church,” say Helen and Wit.

They’ll also be starting a sewing group this month. The hope is, as with the basket-weaving group, more women will come to know Jesus as they develop self-sufficient livelihood skills.

Three woman sat on the floor weaving baskets.

Some BMS supporters have been praying for a year, and it’s been incredible to see those prayers answered, but there are still challenges. Addiction and spirit worship practices remain, and Helen and Wit feel a burden to help those imprisoned by addiction, starting with Suree’s husband, Got. Please continue to pray that he would be set free from alcoholism and continue to ask God to reveal himself in Wang Daeng. When we gather together in God’s name, he moves mountains!

Special thanks to Baptist Insurance for their generous financial support of the church planting project in Wang Daeng.

A dove in a circle of blue, green and black with Baptist Insurance next to it.
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Words by Melanie Webb. This story first appeared in Engage and has been adapted for web.

Pioneer mission: The church planters who need your prayer

Pioneer mission:

The church planters who need your prayer

Praying for this

Being Jesus in a village that is 100 per cent Buddhist is challenging work. Our church planters Helen and Wit Boondeekhun would love you to partner with them in prayer as they live out their faith in Wang Daeng village. Meet them and their new neighbours in this video brought to you straight from Thailand!

“We have one secret believer. But nobody really knows about this. She hasn’t been brave or bold enough to tell her friends yet, because it’s hard.”

It’s really difficult for people to convert to Christianity in Wang Daeng, in northern Thailand. BMS World Mission workers Helen and Wit have been living out their Christian faith in the village for the last two years – faithfully serving the community and trying to meet the practical needs of their new neighbours.

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They’ve been building friendships, teaching English, and helping women develop new skills. They’ve also hired a youth worker called Tah, who is training young people in football and guitar, and building relationships with their families.

Helen, Wit and Tah have become part of the community – and they’re so happy that their new friend Suree has become a believer. Now, they would love to see more fruit!

Would you pray with them for Wang Daeng? Download our prayer poster at the bottom of the page, print it out and stick it somewhere you will see it to remind you to pray for Helen, Wit and Tah, and the village of Wang Daeng.

PLEASE PRAY

  1. Pray for ten people to come to know Jesus Christ as their personal saviour in the next 12 months, through the ongoing witness of Helen, Wit and Tah. Pray that they will be the beginnings of the first church in Wang Daeng.
  2. Pray for Suree. Pray that she would continue to grow in her faith, and that God would give her boldness to share the gospel with her family and friends. Pray too that he would give Wit and Helen the wisdom to support her and disciple her well.
  3. Pray for Tah, as he seeks to build relationships and share the gospel with young people in Wang Daeng. Pray for energy, discernment and opportunities for him to pray with and encourage his football players and guitar students.
  4. Pray for God to bless Wang Daeng and all of its inhabitants with peace, joy and opportunity. Pray for real hope to drive out despair.
  5. Pray for Helen and Wit as they live and serve in Wang Daeng. Everyone knows that they are Christians, and they feel like there are thousands of eyes on them. Pray for protection and blessing on their lives, so that they can be salt and light.
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Click the image to download and print the prayer points.

The frontline is everywhere

The frontline is everywhere:

nine encounters with the realities of mission

Our mission workers are doing inspiring things in incredible countries around the world. And their blogs definitely show that! We’ve picked nine that we’d love for you to read today.

1. When a rock the size of a sofa tumbles towards you

Ever hit a pothole or been held up by roadworks? It won’t seem so annoying after you’ve read what BMS World Mission teacher trainer Annie Brown went through in Nepal. Thick mud, monsoon-flooded roads and steep hillsides were challenging enough. But then came the landslide.

Read Annie's blog

2. The French church that needs your prayers

BMS mission worker Christine Kling gives a sermon in France
Christine Kling is taking on scepticism and a secular nation as she shares the truth of God’s love.

Church planting in secular France is very hard, and often lonely. But BMS pastor Christine Kling is giving all she’s got to try and help people get to know Christ, and God is with her. Please read Christine’s latest blog in which she shares some of the amazing opportunities she has to share the gospel, and please keep her church in your prayers.

Read Christine's blog

3. How a sewing machine can spark dancing and hope for a better life

Sara’s husband is unemployed, just as her four adult sons are. Many others in her neighbourhood in Maputo, Mozambique, struggle to find work too. Your support for BMS worker Susanna Barrell means something is being done to help not only Sara, but others who want to learn a new skill to bring in money.

Read Susanna's blog

4. The day dozens of soldiers showed up at a hospital in the desert

BMS pharmacist Claire Bedford at Guinebor II Hospital as soldiers walked the grounds
The day when soldiers turned up at Guinebor II Hospital to do some gardening, captured by BMS pharmacist Claire Bedford.

It was turning out to be a relaxing Saturday for BMS pharmacist Claire Bedford at Guinebor II Hospital in Chad. She’d chilled out with a friend over lunch, watched a film and arrived home before dark. And then her phone rang. Claire’s weekend of peace and rest was no more… the military were on their way for an important visit. It was a memorable affair. We’ll let Claire complete the story.

Read Claire's blog

5. Bringing a whole lot of joy to some amazing mothers

Songs, games, gifts, and a lot of smiling. What a great celebration of mothers this was in the village of Wang Daeng, northern Thailand. BMS workers Helen and Wit Boondeekhun will explain the rest.

Read Helen and Wit's blog

6. Home assignment in numbers: ten facts from the Judkins family

BMS church planters Claire-Lise and David Judkins
BMS church planters Claire-Lise and David Judkins travelled over 5,000 miles during their recent UK visit.

Did BMS church planters Claire-Lise and David Judkins visit your church over the summer? Aren’t they great?! Even if you didn’t get to hear about their work in France, we think this set of important, interesting, and slightly quirky facts will give you a taste of their time visiting churches in the UK was for them and their four children. Check it out!

Read the Judkins' blog

8. A sermon in the jungle, an exhilarating boat ride… and dolphins

As family trips go, the one taken by the Mahon family into the Peruvian jungle is certainly unforgettable. Find out what Baptist ministers Dave and Michele, and their three children Jonathan, Ruth and Phoebe, experienced when they left the city behind them and went up the mighty Nanay River, heading for the village of Santa Rita.

Read the Mahons' blog

9. ‘These poor people work literally until they drop’

Two female tea pickers in Bangladesh
It is a very hard life being a tea-picker in Bangladesh.

Your tea of choice may well have been produced ethically. But it’s not the case for all the tea on the market, as BMS workers Louise and Phil Proctor document in their powerful blog post about the backbreaking work many tea-pickers in Bangladesh endure.

Read the Proctors' blog

Thank you for your incredible support for our mission workers. Of course, there are so many other blogs that we could have included above. We do our very best to feature as many as we can on our Facebook page, where you can also keep-up-to date with the latest BMS news, stories and prayer requests.

Please check the page out today and share this story as another way to show your support for the Christians you’re partnering with around the world. They inspire us every day, as do you.

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How football is being used to share the gospel

More than just a game:

how football is being used to share the gospel

Supporting this

The best part of the World Cup has already happened, even if your team wins.

We’re in love with football right now at BMS World Mission, and it’s not just because of the action on the pitch in Russia. The reason is far more important than any goal or victory. The gospel is being shared, accepted and lived out thanks to the powerful combination of your support and the beautiful game.

The World Cup mission field: introducing fans to Jesus

One-to-one chats about Jesus. New Testament distribution. Booklets answering questions about Christianity. It’s not the usual build-up to a game that football supporters have, but it’s what fans from Iran and the Arabic nations of Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Egypt and Tunisia experienced at the World Cup.

Thanks to a BMS grant, and support from churches and Christian organisations around the world, evangelists from the Middle East and Europe travelled to Russia to meet these fans. In the days before matches, the volunteers approached supporters, and in their own language, shared their faith. Then on match days, they handed out New Testaments in Arabic and Farsi, along with booklets and SD cards that explained more about what it means to be a Christian.

And though none of these five countries made it to the next stage of the tournament, many of their supporters will be heading home having experienced Jesus’ love for the first time, and with the Scripture our Father desires them to read.

The Brazilian footballer in India: outreach goals

Joshua* sought fame and glamour when he started his professional football career in Brazil.

After his worldly success, his passion for football still remains, but Joshua’s focus has changed. He’s now a coach and a Christian, and he’s combining these two influential parts of his life to help children who have next to nothing.

Thanks to your giving, Joshua held training sessions in Delhi last year for children aged seven to 14. The children received coaching for the first time, got to play on a first-class training pitch, and sense, often for the first time, the joy that playing sport can produce. But it’s not only the children who attended those sessions who will benefit from Joshua’s work. Christian football coaches from across India were also there to learn so that they could return to their communities and hold training sessions that will help young people.

Young people with footballs at their feet listen to a man talk.
Children in Delhi take in every word that Brazilian football coach Joshua says, as do the local coaches behind him. From Brazil to the world: football is carrying mission, with your help.

With your support, Joshua’s work has made an impact in India and he hopes to work in Guinea and Thailand later this year too.

“I know I can get a ball, go on a field and share the gospel with more than 50 children,” says Joshua. “It’s amazing when you go into a place, leave a legacy, and see people becoming Christians.”

The club that teaches a whole lot more than how to play football

It takes more than skill to be part of Blessed Boys Football Club in Guinea. Players need to show teamwork, discipline and a commitment to putting school first.

BMS worker Ben takes deprived children under his wing and shows them a different way to the one taken by other managers in his community.

Whilst others use aggression and violence to get results, Ben does not. If one of his players needs someone to advocate for them in school, Ben is there. And if they need extra help, they can receive it at the summer classes he helped set up with his wife, Isabelle, a passionate teacher.

Here, football often leads to learning – both academically and values.

Boys of the Blessed Boys Football Club in Guinea play football.
These young players in Guinea are becoming better footballers (and people) with the help of BMS worker Ben.

The team that warms up with worship

Most teams start their preparation for a game with sprints and ball drills. Not so for the team that youth worker Ajarn Tah formed in a village in northern Thailand. For these players, preparation begins with Christian songs in a local church and a short message before they head to their match.

Supported by BMS, Tah formed the team to stop young people from falling prey to alcohol and drugs, like others are in the village of Wang Daeng. It didn’t take much to start the side, just a few hours in fact, and enough players had come forward.

But had it not been for your giving, those ten-to-13-year-olds would have not been able to enjoy the thrill of winning their first game, or the joy of worshipping Jesus together. And this wholesome hobby is, in a very real way, keeping them safe.

Young football players take the ball round cones on a grass field
Children in a village in northern Thailand had little to keep them busy until a football team was formed with your help.

Jesus’ love has been felt at the World Cup and on football pitches in Delhi, Guinea and Thailand.

Even if football is the last thing on your mind, consider this: there are people stepping into the freedom of a life in Christ through sport. What a victory that is. What a reason to cheer. That’s something we can all support.

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* Name changed to protect identity

Release from addiction, safe pregnancy and our very latest prayer requests

Release from addiction, safe pregnancy and our very latest prayer requests

Praying for this

We believe God intervenes when we pray. Would you please pray for these people today?

A pregnant mission worker recovering from a terrifying health scare. Villagers enslaved by addiction. And a family facing the demands of moving countries. These are real people who need an outpouring of love and prayer, and they need it from all of us today.

Lois and her unborn baby

A few weeks ago, BMS World Mission worker Lois Ovenden, based in Gulu, Uganda, was rushed to hospital, suffering extreme pain under her ribs. The fears for her health were magnified by the fact that she was 19 weeks pregnant at the time. The doctors couldn’t work out what was wrong and transferred Lois to Kampala, 200 miles away from her two young children.

After days of worry and pain, Lois was told she had pericarditis (inflammation of the fluid lining around the heart). The condition is treatable and shouldn’t affect her baby, and Lois is back home now with her husband, Joe, and their children, Connie and Reuben. Praise God! Please pray for Lois and the family.

A woman and a man, and a boy and a girl, smile at the camera, with the girl holding a cat
Pray today for Joe and Lois Ovenden, and their children Connie and Reuben.

• Pray for Lois’ swift return to full health and for the health of her unborn baby. Pray there would be no complications from the medical scare.

• Pray that God provides an assistant to support Lois in her speech therapy work with children and that the right person comes forward today.

• Give thanks for the Ovendens’ BMS colleagues, Linda and Tim Darby , who looked after Connie and Reuben while Joe was at Lois’ bedside. Pray for a blessing over them, and their children, Joshua, Annabelle and Elsa.

A village shackled by addiction

Alcohol addiction is ruining lives in the village of Wang Daeng, in northern Thailand, where BMS church planters Helen and Wit Boondeekhun work in what is largely a Thai Buddhist community. But alcohol isn’t the only problem. A highly addictive drug called yaba – a toxic mixture of methamphetamine and caffeine that leads to aggressiveness and paranoia – also has its destructive grip on the village.

• Pray that Got* breaks free from alcoholism, and that his wife, Suree*, returns to the Bible study where Wit has been supporting her.

• Pray for wisdom for Helen and Wit as they try to start a group for people who want to liberate themselves from addiction. Pray that people would be open to receiving help and to hearing about the gospel.

A village road is covered with tarmac. There are shops on one side, and trees on the other.
Stand alongside BMS church planters Helen and Wit Boondeekhun as they tell people about Jesus in the village of Wang Daeng, in northern Thailand.

Politicians, women in Nepal, and many of you

• Pray for continued peace in Mozambique following the recent death of opposition leader, Afonso Dhlakama. Pray that his successor and politicians across Mozambique will promote unity.

• Pray for the women who are being helped at a gynaecology outreach service in Jajarkot, west Nepal, this week. Pray their surgeries would go as planned, and there would be no complications afterwards. Give thanks for all the personnel at the International Nepal Fellowship (INF) who are helping them, and for BMS worker Chris Drew who is working with INF.

• Pray for all those attending the Baptist Assembly in Peterborough this Saturday (12 May). Pray for safe journeys for us all, and for a day of joy and community.

• Pray that Ann*, a worker at a BMS-supported home for children with disabilities in Thailand, opens her heart today to Jesus. Pray for the Holy Spirit to work a transformation in her life.

Our brothers and sisters in France

Christians in a nation as secular as France can sometimes feel like they’re on their own. We can change this.

BMS mission worker Christine Kling gives a sermon in France
Pray for BMS worker Christine Kling, who is telling people in France about Jesus.

• Pray for the 400 people at the three-day French Baptist Assembly that starts in Lyon today (10 May). Pray for a great sense of unity and fellowship, and for inspired worship and teaching, and that every logistical issue would be overcome.

• Pray that people who have never stepped into a church before will hear about the Saturday evening services about to start at the Baptist church in Gif-sur-Yvette, near Paris. Pray the services would help BMS worker Christine Kling connect with people who do not attend church.

• Pray for the couples who have come to the end of a marriage course in Brive-la-Gaillarde south west France. Pray thanks for their deepening relationship with God, and pray their marriages continue to become stronger.

• Pray that God will guide BMS Action Team staff as they choose the right person to fill the final space on the next France team.

A family facing a stressful move

Arthur and Louise Brown have been BMS workers for years in Beirut and are coming to the UK with their children, and it’s all very stressful as moving can be. Please pray for the whole family, for Arthur in his role as Regional Leader for Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, and particularly these things:

• Pray for energy for Louise who must complete her dissertation this week if she’s to graduate before leaving for the UK.

• Pray for Arthur and Louise’s daughter Jessica as she sits her IGCSEs. Pray Jessica would get the rest she needs during her exams.

• Pray for the family to feel God’s presence as they face the emotional and logistical demands of moving countries.

A woman in a grey dress and a man in a green t-shirt stand on a terrace with the countryside behind them.
Please pray for Arthur and Louise Brown who are preparing for a big move to the UK.

We’ve one more request, but it’s a really important one. Please share this article with your friends, family and church before you do anything else.

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* Names changed to protect identities

Stop, look, listen: restoring community through exercise

Stop, look, listen:

restoring community through exercise

Supporting this

Mending rusted exercise bikes might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of ways to bring back a sense of community. But in Thailand, it’s working.

Listening to people and responding to their needs can be an extremely powerful way of demonstrating Christ’s love. In a rural village in Thailand, this is exactly what BMS World Mission workers are doing.

Helen and Wit Boondeekhun moved to Wang Daeng village in the Thai province of Uttaradit with the long-term goal of planting a church. With no Christians or churches in the village of five hundred families, the locals didn’t know what Christianity looked like. Instead of engaging in a battle of words with the majority Buddhist population, Helen and Wit decided to take a different approach. They listened. Upon arrival, they carried out a survey of the village, asking what the main concerns and needs in the area were. One of the biggest issues identified was the state of the gym.

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In times past by, Wang Daeng’s small open air gym gave people a sense of community. It was a place for the youth to go instead of engaging in drink and party culture. But it fell into disrepair. It lay there, dilapidated. A rusted exercise bike, a broken step machine and corroded weight lifting gear, spread out in a row, neglected and unused.

After hearing the results of the survey and seeing the gym for themselves, Helen and Wit believed that restoring the exercise equipment would bring back a sense of community to the village. After applying for a BMS grant, they were able to employ a local worker to restore the gym. He got to work fixing, painting and rebuilding the old exercise bikes and other machines. A roof was built to protect the equipment from rain and people from the sun when exercising. Lights were also added, meaning the villagers could exercise any time of the day.

Once the gym was restored, a grand re-opening ceremony took place. A local government representative came to unveil a plaque and give a speech. Leaders from all over the area arrived, ready to celebrate. Many people from the village rushed to try out the newly oiled and bright green exercise bike. Since then, the gym has consistently been used by the people of Wang Daeng, helping to restore a sense of community once more. “The village were really excited about the revived gym,” said Helen. “It’s been a great way for us to serve, and we hope God will continue to use it to bring people together.”

Helen and Wit are just getting started with BMS in Wang Daeng, having been there for only a year. But, by listening to the needs of the community and acting upon them, they’ve demonstrated the love of a God who hears, and who wants to bring people into community. Your support is helping them show their faith in a village with no Christians. We believe God is at work in Wang Daeng and can’t wait to tell you what he does next.

Watch the videos below to find out more about Helen and Wit and what they’re up to.