|  TESTIMONIES

KEVIN TRANSFORMED  •  Romans 12:3

I was born in the country of Laos into a nominal Christian family. My parents were weak Christians and did not tell me about Jesus. Therefore, I did not know about Him until I was 8 years of age.  By my fifteenth year I told people I was a Christian but still didn't know Him and didn't go to church.  I attended school from ages 9-15 years. Then war came to my country. So, at age 15 I also became a soldier and continue this way for the following four years. I went to school all day and watched and guarded our camp all night. This was my way of earning money for my relatives and I to live.

I stopped military service when I was 19 years old and moved to Vientienne,, the capitol of Laos, to study for the next five years. It was possible for me to complete about the eighth or ninth grade school. Then in 1975 the government changed. I was still unmarried, still said I was a Christian, and still did not know Jesus. So the next five years found me as a single young man living in the world of heavy sin. And, I sinned very greatly.

Then it happened that I met and married my wife. She was already a Christian. Soon after that we began to go to church. However, I did not understand the reason for going to church and continued in my life of sin. Nevertheless, in 1986, our lives changed drastically. By this time we had two young sons. With our children we left our country of Laos and went to Thailand to live in a refugee camp. I had a lot of friends in the camp who joined me in many sinful ways. But, I t was there that I went to a discipleship Bible School. Upon completing this course I felt very convicted over my sin. This led me to confess and repent of all my sin. When I stopped drinking liquor all of my friends left me.

It was at this point that I prayed and asked God if He wanted me to serve Him because He gave me life and hope. I promised Him I would serve Him if He would help me go to the USA. Soon after that God answered my prayer confirming His call on my life to serve Him. Since that time and since coming to America I have been aware of the constant presence of the Holy Spirit of God with me. He has led me to give myself to Bible training to prepare to serve Him as a pastor. I am happy God has called me to serve Him. My prayer is that the church I am helping to develop will grow and that our members will grow in the knowledge of Christ. The most important thing is for my family and I to live for Jesus Christ continuously.

UNDER THE SHADOW OF HIS WINGS:  “If I had not known Jesus I do not know if I would still be alive”

“I was born in the country of Laos. My family was Christian. Since my baby years I knew Jesus. I lived a godly and clean life until 19 years of age. What I remember is that I was running from soldiers who shot me in the head. But I didn't die. I prayed, “God please help me so the people shooting the guns won't kill me. I have lived a clean life. Please help me!” He did help me.

After that, I tried to escape to Thailand, but was caught and taken to jail for fifteen days. Then I went for the interview and had to promise not to try to go to Thailand again but to stay in Laos. I said I would do that., Then someone helped me to leave that jail and again, told me not to try to go to Thailand.

Later, before I met my husband, I went to live in the forest with friends and family from 1976-1977.  That was a very difficult time. We had no other clothes, no medicine, and no food except for potatoes and bamboo.

For two months there were abscesses on the bottoms of my feet. I had to walk on my heels.  Both of my entire legs hurt and I cried in pain. Then a man came and helped me. He put medicine on my feet and in ten minutes I could walk again.

During all of this time I did not leave God. I kept praying and He helped me.

It was after that I married and soon after became pregnant. There was a big problem during my pregnancy and delivery of this child. There was no doctor and my legs swelled. The labor lasted for thirty-six hours. The baby was only half out with his head appearing first. Some of the people wanted to call on the spirit, a practice called “len pii” to make the baby come. I wasn't willing to do that and prayed only for Jesus to help. I confessed all of my sin and repented  then the baby came out easily. So, after a hard labor I delivered my first male child  named Phonesy.  He was born in our home as we did not have enough money because we were mountain people who lived outside the city.

Three years later another baby son, Soulivanh, was born. Then my husband went to find a job in the nearby city so we would have enough money for food. Our lives were quiet for the next two years. At the end of two years we went to Thailand to stay in a refugee camp. There our third child, a baby daughter named Phoung Phet was born.

In the camp, we went to church every Sunday and prayed that God would help us come to the USA. In 1989 He answered our prayers and we arrived in California. There we met “Aajan Linda” who helped us in many ways and provided Christian fellowship and Bible classes.

Someday we will all be in heaven together with Jesus. If I didn't know Jesus I would be so depressed. I don't even know if I would be alive. I saw so many of the people who did not know Jesus who did not make it. But I did.  He kept me! He delivered me! I lived in the shadow of His very great and safe wings!