Testimony from a Widow

When I was at the Palong village in July 2008, we had a church service. The women, men and children were gathered to sing songs of praise and worship.

After the sharing, the people of Palong were given a chance to share their testimony and following is a testimony from a lady.

**************

Testimony No. 1

When I was in Doi Angkhan, my husband passed away. Pastor Somboon asked me to come over to this village to stay. Initially I hesitated but in the end I agree because the whole village consist of Christians.

Being a widow, its almost impossible to find a husband. Infact its a taboo. But miraculously God provided a bachelor for me as a husband and we have 3 children since I arrived in this village. I have 3 from my previous marriage. My current husband is a very good husband.

I have had dreams of Angel. God is so gracious that he answers every small little request I make.

Testimony No. 2

Since we do not have Identification Cards, we are not allowed work but my children has been granted, so he went out looking for jobs. Unfortunately, his bicycle was without brakes and he fell into a stream and broke his bone and teeth.

God brought a Pastor to the village at that particular time, and he brought us to the hospital.

When he was admitted to the hospital, the Doctor said that his wrist is broken and has to be admitted into the hospital. Oh no! I cannot stay because in 2 days time, I have to go to the court. The government of Thailand is prosecuting me because I chopped down a tree.

So I prayed.

The next day, the Doctor returned to check again and said that we can leave and return in 10 days. Praise God! So, I managed to go to court.

The other miracle was, the American Pastor paid the hospital expenses for us. We had no money at all! God sent the Pastor here at the right moment. So now, I pray for this American Pastor all the time, everyday.

I was so grateful to both God and the servant of God.

The Children Hostel

The Hostel was built as a result of the vision of the Palong Pastor to educate the children from this Palong village. The poorest children from the Palong village is given a placing at this Hostel. Some of whom has never been to school and have just started going since the inception of the Hostel on Feb 2008.


This hostel house about 15 children both boys and girls. Staying in this hostel which is rented, makes it easier for them to go to school. Everyday, they walk to and fro school.


Pastor Suria is the House Father to all these children. He oversees the children, look out for their welfare, ensure they have food, raise funds for their education and many others. The boys and girls takes turn to cook every alternate week.

The hostel is about 200m from the main road in Chiang Dao

There are 3 huts. One houses the boys, another houses the girls and another smaller hut is the kitchen

One of the girls standing just infront of the girl's hut

The kitchen

The girls wash their dishes at the back using the water from the well

The stove which the children uses to cook

The boys retrieving water from the well and filters it for drinking purposes

The Origins of The Palong Tribe

The roots of the Palong people go back to the nation of Myanmar (formerly Burma). They lived under the rule of Khun Sat, a famour drug warlord and military leader who forced them to serve as soldiers since their childhood. They fought alongside the Thai Yai against the Burmese army.

When the Burmese army entered Palong villages and saw that the Palong had provided food for Khun Sat and the Thai Yai, they became very angry and set fire to the Palong villages, raped the women and forced the men to carry their ammunition. The Thai Yai and soldiers of Khun Sat would find refuge in the homes of the Palong creating hardship for them.

Finally, the Palong moved into Thailand along the Thai-Burmese border as refugees because of the fighting. Immense poverty resulted.

The Palong people began moving into Thailand more than 20 years ago and began waiting to obtain Thai citizenship, which has now been granted. Although they were able to escape the persecutions of their former country they met other hardships in Thailand. Because they did not have Thai citizenship they were not able to enrol in school to receive an education. Initially, they were also unable to speak Thai fluently. Living without Thai citizenship and lacking in the Thai language made it difficult, if not impossible, to find work to provide for the needs of their families.

Having obtained Thai citizenship there was still another hurdle to cross and that was finding a permanent place to live. They had no money to purchase land and build homes. This along with the lack of language skills and education produced poverty once again.