Dara’s Testimony of Salvation & Calling to Full Time Service: Yielding My All

I was born into a family of 11 siblings. Looking back to my original birthplace, it is unbelievable that a Red Lahu girl, who was born in a high mountain of Northern Thailand, could be a child of God today. Thank God for His saving grace. If God had not showered His love to me, I could imagine myself as a dark and gloomy mountain lady (not only physically but also spiritually), married young and having a dozen of children, for this is the life of most Lahu women, living a very strict Red Lahu traditional life-style, worshipping mountains, rivers and all sorts of spirits as gods, instead of the only one, living and true God who created the heaven and the earth.

When I was young, my village was uncivilized. Being hill-tribe people, they had no education and nobody was eager to search for a better life in the town. However, as for me, I had the opportunity to be educated. Being quite well to do in those days, my father was able to send my brothers and sisters and me to study in the city of Chiang Mai, where I grew up. By God’s providence, I was placed in a Christian boarding school, which made it compulsory for me to attend church, where my spiritual eyes were opened. It was during those few years of my time spent in the Sunday School, where I came to an experiential knowledge of God. The Bible says, “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent” (John 17:3). Hence, in my young age, God had opened my heart to embrace Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Saviour.

I liked and enjoyed going to church every Sunday. However, after I left the boarding school at the age of 11, I had to stop going to church till I reached 18 years old, even though I longed to go to church. Nevertheless, my mother was not against me being a Christian, because of my Christian testimony. I continued to experience the goodness and faithfulness of God in my life throughout those few years that I could not go to church. Life would have been so miserable during those days if God was not with me. The Bible lessons which I had learned from the Sunday School became very applicable to me and prompted me especially to trust God always to take care of me. When I was 12 years old, my father was murdered. All my brothers and sisters were still young at that time. Hence, my family was left without any male leadership and my uneducated mother had no choice but to do what she could to rear up the 11 of us, with the youngest at only 2 years old. Problems, one after another, started to pop up in my family, but God was very close to me and taught me to trust Him day by day, during that trying period.

God continued to bless me, even in my studies and had provided a good job for me after my graduation. In my heart, I knew very well that I must serve God one day. However, I was not prepared yet to do so at that moment. It was my plan to serve Him later when I am more ready, because I wanted to work a few more years and earn some money to support my mother, and my 2 younger brothers and 1 younger sister in their studies. I thought in my mind that after I have fulfilled my responsibility of supporting my family, then I would serve God. However, man proposed, God disposed. The Bible says, “Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not?” (Lamentation 3:37). I had chosen to do my own will rather than God’s will. Through that, God had taught me a most unforgettable lesson in my life.

I loved my mother very much. She was very weak mentally and physically ever since my father’s death. Hence, I had to work hard every day for her so as to provide her with a more comfortable life. As a daughter, I knew that it was my duty to take care of my mom. However, my problem was that my love for my mother was stronger than anything else in my life then. Though, I still loved God and trusted Him, I knew that my first love was given to my mother. One day, while I was working, I received a bad news that my mom was hospitalised. In the hospital, I started to pray very hard for her, but she passed away the next day. I was so sad that I did not put all my effort to win her to Christ while she was still alive. I was concerned very much for her physical well-being, but had neglected her spiritual needs, which was the most essential in life. Although I did share the gospel with her before, it was not placed the first priority. After that incident, I totally surrendered my life to God.

About half a year later, after my mother passed away, God opened a door for me to study in Singapore, in the Far Eastern Bible College. I had learned my lesson from my mom’s death. “O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps” (Jeremiah 10:23). I had decided to follow Jesus all the way and leave every thing else behind, including my two younger brothers and a younger sister, who are so dear to me. I knew that I must submit myself to God’s will and trust Him to take care of my siblings and do that which God wanted me to do. At that time, I did not have money to go Singapore, but the Lord moved a church to provide for my airfare and my needs while studying in Singapore. God did not fail to take care of me. He has been faithful. He has called me into the ministry. I knew that He will never leave me, nor forsake me (Hebrews 13:5). The Bible says, “Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6).

I know that it is not by chance that I could go to study theology in Singapore. It was there at the Bible College that God equipped me to serve Him. And it was there at the same College that God prepared me a life partner, who shared the same burden as me, whom God had called to be a missionary to my country and my village, to start a gospel work among my people, who are in dire need of salvation.

To many, the Red Lahus are a group of hopeless people. Many families resorted to selling drugs and the young women sold their bodies to be prostitutes. Hence, due to bad influences and examples, the children and teenagers eventually followed after the wickedness of the adults. The boys (as young as four years old) learned to sniff glue and take drug, and the girls were drifted into prostitution. The government did try to help them to get rid of their drug problems and provided work therapies for them, but it was to no avail. They were a group of lazy and stubborn people. After few attempts, the government also gave them up.

However, as a child of God, I firmly believe that there is always hope in Jesus Christ, “for God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved” (John 3:17). I am convinced that the Word of God, with the help of the Holy Spirit could change lives and give my people hope, as it did to me, for it is written, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” (John 8:32, 36).
Despite our unworthiness, thank God for enabling me and my family to serve Him in this part of the world. Jesus says, “The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into His harvest” (Matthew 9:37-38). There are so many works to be done for our Lord Jesus Christ, but so few workers desire to go. Our Lord Jesus told us to pray to the Lord of the harvest that He will raise up more willing labourers to do His work. When the Lord calls, He will definitely call the right person, to the right place, for the right job. I have learned my lesson from my mom’s death. How about you? If the Lord were to call you, are you ready to answer His call? Oh what a privilege it is to serve the living and true God, unto whom, we should yield our all. Amen!