Jack is an unlikely cornerstone of church plant in northern Thailand

By Tim Allan

Jack is 38 and lives in a small, rural village in northern Thailand. He shares a small, wooden house with his mother, his stepfather and his stepfather’s mother.

His partner, the woman by whom he had a child when he was 18, no longer lives with him. After Jack suffered a stroke, he was unable to provide for them so they moved away with his blessing. He used to drink heavily and was known by everyone in the village as a very angry person.

At first glance, Jack might seem an unlikely person to start a church with but, as we all know, God often makes use of unlikely people. Who would have chosen the disciples Jesus picked?

Jack, who used to work as a car body painter, gave his life to Christ about a year ago after a series of conversations with SIM church planter Khrieko Peseyie. The transformation in Jack’s life has been nothing short of astonishing.

Khrieko, who comes from north east India and has served in Thailand for 17 years, said: “Jack has changed completely since he started reading the Bible and through our conversations with him. He is no longer so angry and the villagers have noticed the change. They see the difference and, while they may not attrribute it Jack’s new faith, they know something has happened.”

Jack’s mum runs a small shop in the village and he spends much of his time sitting in the warm, tropical air on a small covered terrace nearby. People who come to the shop often stop to chat and many have noticed the change in him. He is calmer and more at peace with the world than he used to be.

Khrieko and his team of church planters come twice a week to sit, pray and worship with Jack and the small but growing fellowship. Others from the village often come along, some with a desire to learn more, some simply to find out what’s going on. That doesn’t sound too dissimilar to what happens every Sunday in more established churches the world over.

Khrieko said: “When we moved here from north eastern Thailand, we didn’t really know much about the area. We had done some research and we knew that there were no churches here and that this area had the highest rate of suicide in Thailand.

“I found out what I could on the internet and then decided to come to Jack’s village, praying and hoping that we would be able to make some connections. That was two years ago, and Jack was the first person I really got to know here.”

We had done some research and we knew that there were no churches here and that this area had the highest rate of suicide in Thailand.