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After the Storm

By Annie Langston

A family survives the Tsunami, finds strength in Christ, and embarks on a new journey.

“Back-to-school” bargains have already come and gone in Thailand. With summer officially over, most schools in Thailand began classes again by the first of June. Many students returned to their classrooms with mixed feelings, most of them hating to give up the lazy days of vacation. However, this June, two students were anxiously waiting for the reopening of their school, Romphrakhun Baptist Bible Institute.

Winai and Koi just 18 months earlier had experienced firsthand the tsunami that devastated several countries in Southeast Asia, and that left the lives of countless people changed forever. Though the lives of Winai and Koi were spared, they experienced the grief of losing loved ones, neighbors and friends, and of seeing their seaside town nearly wiped off the map. Winai was a batik-cloth businessman who designed, dyed, and sold batik clothes to the thousands of tourists regularly visiting the tropical paradise islands of Thailand.

After the tsunami, the resorts were destroyed and few tourists returned to the once bustling area. One day, as Winai was walking up and down his nearly-deserted town, he happened upon a new building with activity going on inside. Thinking it was a relief center, Winai walked in hoping to find some potential customers. Upon learning that it was a Christian counseling and English center, he approached one of the workers. “I have always had questions about Christianity,” he said. “Could you tell me more about it?”

The center Winai had “happened” upon was the Romphrakhun Baptist Center, a joint project of ABWE, PABWE (Philippine ABWE) and the Thai Fellowship of churches. It opened three months after the deadly tsunami had done its damage in the area. Its goal was to help survivors deal with their grief through sharing the gospel of Christ. The workers at the center befriended Winai and answered his questions.

Soon he and his wife, Koi, were attending the Sunday worship services at the center, and eventually they were born again. Standing firm in their faith, they gave testimony to their new life in Christ. Winai’s parents soon came to know the Lord also. In March of 2006, Winai, Koi, and his parents were baptized, along with four other new believers from the center. All were bold in proclaiming their decision to follow Christ. Because of his firm stand, Winai lost his seamstresses and his fabric supplier. But he never looked back.

The desire of Winai and Koi to grow spiritually through learning God’s Word led them to Bangkok (800 miles from their home) to enroll in the Bible Institute. How do they feel about this daring new direction in their lives? “It is so exciting for us to be able to study God’s Word daily,” Koi told me. “We are learning so much and loving every minute.” They request prayer for their studies, and for Koi’s parents who are still antagonistic toward the gospel, but softening.

There have been many changes for Winai and Koi. Eighteen months ago they did not even know the name of Jesus Christ. Today they are busy learning all they can about Him. They have no doubts that the God who controls the wind and the waves is also in control of their lives. Pray for them that God will work mightily in their lives as they seek to grow in the knowledge of Him and His Word.