When I was at the mission seminar in Bedok Lutheran Church on 13th August 1988, I was very glad to know that the Lutheran Church in Malaysia and Singapore (LCMS) would like to send a missionary to Thailand. It would be part of the participation in the Lutheran Mission in Thailand (LMT) after LCMS became one of the LMT members. At the discussion, Yala, a Thai student from the Trinity Theological College requested the meeting to look into the field in Singapore. There were thousands of Thai workers in Singapore. Why we did not think of them, but think of the Thai in Thailand. I was excited and responded that I would like to help in that ministry if it was to be in Singapore. The only consideration was that I did not know how to speak Thai.

Thereafter, LMT sent two missionaries, Salli Lamponen and Anneli Konni, to Singapore and Malaysia for a study trip at the end of 1988. When I first met Sister Salli at the welcome dinner at Queenstown Golden Crown Restaurant, she asked me whether I ever attended the LCMS Annual Convention recently. I told her that I did not. I looked at her eyes through her glasses and said that she looked familiar. She also said that I looked familiar to her too.

The preparation of Thai Ministry in Singapore was quite rapid. A unit of office in Golden Mile Complex was rented in March 1989. I also started my Thai Language class twice per week from January.

Sister Salli and Mrs. Sompong came to Singapore for by a two-week field work at Golden Mile Complex in early March 1989.
On 8 March evening, we had a gathering with some Thai workers and domestic maids in Golden Mile office. They shared with us the happiness and sorrow of working in Singapore. A Thai worker told us that he had been over-stayed. He stayed at the work-site of his friend now. We asked him to hide away for the time being and see what would be going to happen. It was soon a special pardon for those over-stayed foreigners to leave the country without punishment. That worker was then back to Thailand with other thousands of Thais.

At that time, I thought I would face the problem with Thai workers who over-stayed and would request our assistant when I became a volunteer worker. At the same time, I thought of our ancestors who came to Singapore from China and they were not punish but later became the Citizens. Those Thai workers came to Singapore to look for jobs. Some of them were cheated by the employment agent and hence over-stayed. Why should we cane them?

On 12 March, I went to Golden Mile Complex to meet Sister Salli and the working group. I found that there were many plain clothes officers from various Government Departments. I wondered what was happened. Two officers approached me and asked me about my nationality. When they heard that I was a Singaporean, they requested me to leave the building. But I felt a driving force to make me stay in. I told the officers that I had an appointment with friends and I would not leave. They then left me alone.

When I found Sister Salli, I saw her with Mrs. Sompong, Suthida and three domestic maids. They were taking lunch. Suthida was from Thailand and studied in Singapore Bible College. I told them that it seemed that the Complex was cornered and asked them to go back to our office. At that moment, three persons approached us and asked us to show our identity cards. Sister Salli, Mrs. Sompong and Suthida showed their passports and relevant identity cards, but the three maids did not bring their work permits. I explained to the three officers that their employers had kept their work permits and they were our friends. But the officers took three of them away.

We asked the officers that where the maids would be taken to, but they did not give us a definite answer. We looked for a person who looked like the senior officer. We told him that our friends were taken away and we should be told where they would be taken to. The man told us that they would be in Paya Lebar Police Station.

We then went to Paya Lebar Police Station. A police officer told us that we could not see the maids. Sister Salli requested to see a senior officer. She then told the senior officer about the case. The senior officer asked us to contact the employers of the maids and request them to bring the maids back by showing their work permits. The senior officer went to get the telephone numbers of the employers from the maids and then gave the numbers to Sister Salli.

We spent about two hours in the police station. The employers came and took the maids home. After that we went back to Golden Mile Complex office.

By seeing how Sister Salli handled the case, I realised that we should be calm and be firm when we faced the government officers. We should not be scared and let them do whatever they liked.

After the two-week field work, Sister Salli and Mrs. Sompong went back to Thailand. Suthida continued her study. I was busy in my work and did not go to Golden Mile Complex.

By August 1989, the Lutheran Mission to Thais in Singapore (LMTS) started its operation through the Thai Good News Centre. Salli Lamponen was transferred from Thailand to Singapore to manage the Centre. She started to plan for the English courses for Thai. Each course would last for three months and the fee was only $20. The fee was unbelievable cheap as Sister Salli thought that the workers and maids had low income. The enrollment fee was $5 and each student would get a textbook with four cassette tapes with Thai and English pronunciation of the lessons. The class would be on Sunday morning, afternoon and evening. On other days, as long as there were five members come together, we would conduct the class. Therefore, each member could attend a class per week, or attend all the classes.

I usually went to the Centre on Sunday. I used to see Sister Salli talking to the Thais at the ground floor of the Complex instead of staying in the office. I eventually understood that in order to help the Thai, we had to go amongst them, to understand them, and then we had the opportunity to help them.

More and more Thai came to our Centre. There were also many local people came to the Centre. Amongst the local, there were members from other church as well as non-Christians. We turned down those Singaporeans to attend our English class. They could afford to attend the course conducted by commercial schools. Besides, we usually conduct the lesson in Thai. We were not welcome the local who came to look for Thai girlfriends.

Thai Good News Centre was officially open on 8 October 1989. The Bishop of LCMS came to attend the celebration from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Representative from the Thai Embassy came to support our work too.

Getting along with the Thai for months, I got to understand a little bit of the Thai workers and maids. They were thousand miles away from home. They were lonely in this strange country and always thinking of their native land.

By the end of the year 1989, I suddenly felt very tired in my work. I seemed like a candle that was burning out. I struggled with the last breath to give the last ray of light. I finally requested the company for me to go for a six-month unpaid leave. From January 1990, I temporary took a break from my 23-year-old working life.

Part 2 of 3