To our two sons and many others in the community, Namjai is like an uncle. He has become a close friend and faithful supporter of our ministry, especially at our learning center. In his late fifties, Namjai often volunteers to garden and do maintenance, quietly serving behind the scenes. Over the last decade, we have had the joy of knowing him.
Most Sabbath mornings, Namjai rides around the village on his motorcycle with a side cart, picking up children and bringing them to Kids’ Church. During the week, whenever he has a free moment, he gives rides to children needing tutoring or attending other educational programs. He believes that education can offer hope for a better life.
One of the things I admire most about Namjai is his consistent kindness and patience with our students. Even when they act out, I have never seen him speak to them in anger. He has shared stories from his own childhood of being punished for misadventures like losing one of the family’s cows in the jungle or losing track of time with his friends while watching the only TV in the village. He says that his parents punished him because he was naughty. Yet those stories have given him a deep empathy for children. He understands them. He sees them. And like Jesus, he delights in being with them, not because they are perfect, but because they are people.
Recently, Namjai became a grandfather. He hopes his new granddaughter will one day be baptized and grow up to follow Jesus. His quiet faith and love are having a positive impact on his family and shaping his community. He is a good role model to everyone around him. Yet if you asked him, I doubt he would say the same.
Namjai’s life has not always looked like this.
When he was a younger man and a new father, he spent long weeks away from home, working as a long-haul truck driver for a shipping company. Stress and exhaustion opened the way to using drugs to stay awake on the road. His dependence hurt his family and created distance between him and his children. Namjai still carries the pain of those years, sometimes wondering if his absence played a part in their own addictions.
One turning point came when a friend referred him to work for ADRA Thailand. Serving on projects across the country, he formed deep friendships with Christian coworkers. Their kindness, shared purpose and lives of quiet faith made a lasting impact on him. Those years of service helped rebuild what was broken in Namjai and set him on a path of healing and reconciliation with his family.
Namjai says his life is still far from perfect, but that no one is beyond hope. Watching the way he lives now, we believe him.
Your support helps us invest in local leaders like Namjai, who know the language, the struggles, the stories, and who have the trust of their communities and the potential to quietly change the spiritual landscape of Northeast Thailand.
