May 2003
Dear Friends,
We first met Lanee Wongsekhul, whom we call “Noy,”
three years ago. She was brought to interview for a job as our
“housekeeper,” a common position in Thailand. She
was recommended by long-term PC(USA) mission co-worker Bill Yoder.
She was quiet and spoke no English. Since we spoke no Thai it
promised to be a challenge. But “Uncle Bill,” as our
children now refer to him, assured us that we probably wouldn’t
find a better person for the job. He had a lengthy connection
with her husband’s family and her sister-in-law had served
as his secretary for many years. Noy wasn’t really in need
of a job but the family, in hearing about our position, thought
it would be a wonderful opportunity for her and us. And so we
took a step of faith and hired Noy, on the spot.
And what a tremendous blessing it has indeed been. Noy has served
us faithfully going way beyond the call of duty and has become
our closest friend. She has helped us with language and culture
issues. She has cared for our children when we have had to travel.
She has provided inroads into our neighborhood and other settings
that we never otherwise would have had. And she has provided us
an immediate opportunity for what may well be our most significant
ministry in the three years we have been in country.
Noy lost her youngest daughter to a form of Lupus just three
months before we hired her. It was a tremendous loss for her,
the extent of which we would only discover as time went on. It
wasn’t long before Noy brought pictures of her daughter
and of the funeral to show us (a significant thing in a culture
where emotions and privacy are closely guarded). And she began
to open up to us through this sharing.
Although a Christian, raised by godly parents, and the great-granddaughter
of an American missionary, Noy never had the chance to go to a
Christian school. She was educated at a Buddhist Watt (temple)
through about the ninth grade. She struggled to do her best but
eventually was unable to finish her education.
She married and had two daughters. Not long after the birth of
her second daughter her husband took a mistress (a common and
almost expected thing in Thai culture). Noy was unaware of this,
however, since she was working evenings to help support the family.
It wasn’t until her daughter referred to her “other
mommy” that the secret came out. In Thai culture a man may
legally divorce his wife for infidelity, but the wife does not
have the equal standing and so she did what Thai women all too
often have to do. She learned to live with that fact.
And then came the disappointing news—her youngest daughter
was ill. It was diagnosed as Lupus and within a relatively short
period of time she died. We entered the picture just a short three
months later. We hoped that we would be able provide the kind
of setting in which Noy would experience the healing power of
God. We prayed with her. We cried with her. We tried to provide
the kind of healthy work and family setting in which she could
freely express her needs. Little did we know that there was more
to come.
A year and a half later, Noy was diagnosed with Leukemia. It
hit all of us like a brick. But we did the best we could. We sought
out appropriate medical treatment. We went with her, encouraged
her, and prayed for her. A long struggle ensued, including the
sickness associated with the treatment—the loss of hair,
and the feeling of wanting to give up. Even worse, her husband
became abusive—verbally and physically. And then he left
her to go live with his mistress, going so far as to take the
step of being married in a Buddhist temple service without bothering
to seek a divorce.
Noy didn’t see much point in going on. But we did. And
more importantly so did our Bible study group who asked permission
to come to lay hands on her and to pray over her. Noy consented,
probably as much to appease us as anything else. And something
wonderful happened. We began to see signs of new life and, over
the ensuing months, Noy began to change. She became stronger.
Her countenance lifted. Her hair grew back. And she began to experience
joy, a deep down healing. Today, Noy is cancer free. She is again
laughing. She is beginning to try to use English. She is talking
about the future. She is not naïve. She knows that there
may well be other struggles. But she also knows the healing love
of God. And through Noy we have come to better understand the
culture in which we live.
Our time with Noy has taught us many things, but none more important
than the value of relationships. We cannot claim to have started
any world-renowned ministry. We cannot claim to have set the world
on fire for Jesus. We cannot even claim to have mastered the Thai
language as this point, But as we come to the end of our first
term in Thailand we can make the greatest claim possible—to
have known, and to have experienced first-hand, the healing love
of God. And that is why we are here—to testify to his goodness,
his mercy, his kindness. Thank you for making our ministry possible.
In Him who is our Peace,
Glen, Carol, Zach, Natalie, Jacob, and Caleb Hallead
The 2003 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p.
184 |
