Mr. Pichai  Piang Lae

         My name is Mr. Pichai Piang Lae and I am a 34 year old Akha man.  I married a beautiful Akha woman named Dalarat in 1997.  We have two lovely children.

          I gave my life to Jesus when I was seven years old, after some evangelists came to my village.  My parents decided to leave animism and follow Christ.  I didn’t understand what it meant to be a Christian, but I remember that when my parents accepted Jesus we were forced to leave the village.  The other villagers said that we had betrayed our ancestors by following a foreign God.  We started a new village, along with seven other families who were confronting the same problem.  This impacted our lives greatly.  We had lost our fields and we had to rebuild everything.  It took much patience and hard work for us to regain what we had lost.

          When I was twelve, I moved to the city to go to a boarding school.  While I was a student, I didn’t learn of God’s kindness.  I always thought that God was for poor and helpless people.  And since I didn’t have any problems, I didn’t need God. 

          After I graduated from high school, I began working with an NGO in Chiang Rai, from 1996 until 2004.  My faith was still not strong and I was living a sinful life.  When I looked at the lives of my friends who were Christians, I did not see any difference between them and other people.  Though they worshipped at church on Sundays, they drank heavily and stayed out late, neglected their families and treated their children harshly. 

          On October 10^th 2005, I came to work at the MMF as the domestic coordinator for the LCB program.  I felt the atmosphere of Christian love.  Every Monday morning we worship together and have monthly worship times.  The Christian culture began to seep into my life. 

          I saw God’s blessing on the MMF and my faith became stronger.  The people working alongside me saw the changes happening in my life.  My temper decreased and I became more patient with my children, acting more gently with them when they needed correction.  I know that God forgives everyone when they sin.  And I’ve also learned that even if I don’t have problems, I should still praise God, because he has given me everything I have.  I know that God’s love is everlasting.  Now I am living a good Christian life.  I no longer drink and am more responsible with my family.  I am inspired to serve the Lord and to be a part of the Church’s mission.  I thank God for bringing MMF into my life.