Dear Friends and Supporters,

My name is Ake and I’d like to share a bit of my story with you. My life before I knew Christ was a struggle: my family was broken; my parents did not live together, and my mother was not able to care for me when I was young. For most of my life, I was raised by my grandmother.

I always loved playing soccer, and ultimately that is what God chose to use to draw me to Himself. The church I attended had a soccer ministry where they invited teenagers to come and play. They used the opportunity to share the Gospel with them and it was through this ministry that I came to know God.

When I was 26 years old, I received God’s calling through a question from someone who asked me, “Would you like to study the Bible and become a servant of God?” I immediately answered, “Yes.” For more than three years, I had been praying and asking God, “What do you want to use my life for?” When this opportunity came, I knew that God was answering my prayer.

After completing my Bible studies, God led me to serve Him full-time in a local church. I am very thankful to God for giving me the opportunity to be part of planting a church in Bangkok, where I served for more than eight years. Today, that church is still active, with people continuing to worship God. There is a youth worship team, a soccer ministry, and ministries that teach English and music. Through these ministries, they continue to serve the community and introduce people to God.

Then, in 2020, I knew God was calling me to go and share the Gospel in a new place, although at first I did not know where that would be. God eventually made it clear through my wife, who felt that she needed to return to her hometown to care for her parents. When we made the decision to move, God began showing us how He wanted us to serve Him.

He reminded me of my own childhood experiences and how He had used soccer to help me know Him. Because of this, we felt called to reach teenagers through the things that had been meaningful in our own lives: soccer, teaching English, and music.

I believe God can use these activities to bless and reach young people. Our desire is to help them avoid destructive lifestyles and instead discover a life of purpose through Christ. Just as God rescued me, brought me to faith, and patiently helped me grow into a life of serving Him, I want to help young people experience that same transformation.

Today, my wife and I continue to follow the calling God has placed on our lives. Children and teenagers come to us, and we have the opportunity to share the Gospel and show them the love of Christ. We believe that, in His time, many of these young people will come to know Jesus, love Him, and choose to serve Him with their lives.

My foundation for ministry comes from Matthew 28:18–20:
“Jesus came near and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’”

Because of this calling, I believe there are four things I must pursue in my life and ministry: 1) Build strong and meaningful relationships with those God places in my life, 2) Share the Gospel through the way I live my life, 3) Teach and disciple those who have a heart to follow God, and 4) Raise up people who have a burden and calling to serve.

I like to say that in serving God I must affirm and stand firm. To affirm means that my life must confirm, through both my words and actions, that I am a follower of Christ. I must know and understand God’s Word deeply and allow it to shape the way I live.

To stand firm means remaining faithful in serving God whether I have much or little, whether I receive recognition or receive nothing in return. Every difficulty we face is a test, and within every test, there is always a hidden blessing that God can use to strengthen us.

All of us who belong to God are people who have received His blessings. Therefore, our lives should also become a blessing to others. To affirm and stand firm is to receive God’s blessing and, at the same time, to become a blessing to others.

Thank you for supporting my family as we seek to serve God in Rong San Village. We are grateful to God for each of you!

Sincerely,

Pastor Ake