From secret believers to standing for Jesus!

When Helen and Wit Boondeekhun arrived in Wang Daeng, Thailand, it was a village without any Christians. The first believer, a lady called Suree, was initially hesitant to share her faith with anyone. In a culture where Buddhism is the norm and many people follow traditional animistic practices, it feels very hard to stand out as different. Even more so when, out of the 2,000 people around you, you know you are the only Christian.

Wonderfully, over the years, God changed hearts and minds in Wang Daeng, and strengthened new believers to worship more openly. Today, Suree is not only surrounded by close family who call themselves Christians – her granddaughter Grape, and son-in-law and daughter-in-law Thew and Som – but also a thriving church family. The church in Wang Daeng has grown so much it needed a new building, partially funded by BMS supporters. And church members have now lent their support to a new congregation springing up in the village of Ban Dara. From new believers too scared to share their faith back in 2018, God has brought Wang Daeng’s Christians on quite a journey. In 2025, they’ve just returned from helping to host a three-day evangelistic event, alongside Christians from Ban Dara.

Gospel events like this are unusual in Thailand, so much so that this event in Uttaradit province was hosted by Malaysian Christians. Spanning three days, it included worship, seminars, and times for prayer. But the welcoming, ushering and praying for seekers was all done by Thai believers like Suree, Thew and Som. “Before 2025, there weren’t really any big events like this,” Helen Boondeekhun explains. “Now, there have been two this year. Something is happening...!”

Though it was hosted by Malaysian Christians, the event was organised to make Thai seekers feel at home. Traditional Thai music was performed, and members of the youth groups from Wang Daeng and Ban Dara even led the worship during a seminar. A clear gospel message was proclaimed, and prayers for healing were offered, which drew in ordinary people curious about what was going on. Even traffic wardens, who happened to be working near the outdoor stage, found themselves touched by the event. “They were just directing the traffic,” Helen remarks. “One of them went up on the stage and a couple of them accepted Jesus!”

In the UK, churches may place a lesser or greater emphasis on the timing or means of God’s healing power. But in Thailand, and across Asia, it’s a very tangible sign for new believers from other faith backgrounds that the God of the Bible is uniquely powerful. Members of the Wang Daeng and Ban Dara churches also found themselves experiencing God’s healing hand. “[Church member] Sommai had a trapped nerve in her back and had been bent over and in pain. After the prayers, she snapped upright!” explains Helen. “Even now, her pain continues to be reduced by about 90 per cent,” explains Wit.

Suree’s husband, who is still on a journey with God as he wrestles with addiction, went up with many others to an altar call. “Every member of the church also went up when a call came during a seminar for those set apart for Christian work to come forward,” explain Helen and Wit. The response was so amazing that even they found themselves blown away. “We did say to them, ‘Do you know the significance of this?’” Helen and Wit don’t know yet whether it will become the start of full-time Christian work for some members, or is a general sign that God is using the whole church in Wang Daeng for his glory. Either way, Helen and Wit were very encouraged.

The most encouraging of all, however, is the steadfastness of faith in people like Suree, seven years on from committing their lives to Christ. “We don’t really talk about numbers,” Wit shares. “We talk about the quality of someone’s inner spiritual life; that we see people being discipled and growing in their faith. We see a whole-life transformation, a desire, a passion: it’s something you can’t create. It has to be by the Word of God, by the Spirit.”

Moving forwards, Helen and Wit are praying that God will continue the journey he’s brought people on so far. “We hope that [our brothers and sisters in Christ] will grow and love Jesus more, and be passionate about sharing their faith and telling people. We wish to see one person inspiring another. We keep on praying.” It brings us full circle to where Helen and Wit’s work began: not with grand strategies but with humility and prayer. It’s a journey BMS supporters have been part of since the beginning. Thank you for praying for gospel work in Thailand!