Chanokphan Ruthaiwatthanakun buys shoes and clothing in South Korea to sell in Thailand. When her business began to falter, however, Chanokphan became very worried and telephoned her sister in the USA to discuss the situation.
Although she knew her sister had become a Christian, Chanokphan was surprised when her sister advised her to go to church and listen to the Gospel message. "Having come from a Buddhist background, I thought it very strange that my sister should encourage me to go to church when I had no interest in Christianity," she said.
"Nevertheless, one day I decided to go along to a church in Skumkumvit, to find out first hand what Christians believe. As soon as I heard the pastor speaking, I knew this was the message I needed to hear. I didn't understand everything, but I accepted what he was saying about Jesus Christ because it made sense and it made me feel happy. Also, I soon realised that I would need to buy a Bible if I wanted to discover more about this religion, because that was the book which everybody was reading and talking about."
Chanokphan bought her Bible and began to read it regularly. She also attended church whenever she could, until one day she finally came to faith in Jesus Christ. "The Bible has become so important in my life that I decided to buy a small size Bible which I leave at my friend's house in South Korea, so that I don't have to carry my heavy Thai Bible on the plane each time I go there," she said.
"My business is not going well at the moment and some of my friends have been telling me I should go back to the Buddha so that he can tell me what to do. But my intention is to continue reading God's Word and to follow his teaching." Chanokphan was born in Bangkok of Chinese parents. She has two children, a nine-year-old girl and a four-year-old boy, but she and her husband separated just before she became a Christian four years ago. "Sadly, my close family are not close at all: I have a brother in Japan, one sister in America and another in Northern Thailand. But the Bible helps me cope with my problems and brings me peace of mind."
Soucre: Errol Pike
E-mail: [email protected]
For more information on Bible studies available, visit the Churchlink site on the World Wide Web at http://www.churchlink.com.au/churchlink. Enquiries to: [email protected]