Sister Salli was too kind and there were people taking advantage on her.

When Sister Salli was on three-month furlough, there was a Thai Chinese couple visited our Centre. The man came to study in Singapore Bible College. His wife, Suthiporn, came along and they stayed in the hostel of the College.

Suthiporn told me that Rev Ong of the Bible College asked her come and help me in the Centre. I thought that Rev Ong was our lecturer when I studied in the College, so I accepted her as our volunteer. She said that her husband came to Singapore Bible College to study and they did not have any income. I then told her to come and assist us on Sunday and we would give her a hundred dollars as transport allowance.

Suthiporn initially did what we agreed and she came to the Centre on Sunday. A few weeks later, she requested us to support her financially to study English in the commercial school as what we arranged for our pastor from Thailand. Although our financial resources came from Lutheran Church in Finland, Norway, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Thailand, but the key amount was from Sister Salli's country Finland. After discussing with Sister Salli, we supported Suthiporn to study English. She attended the English course three days per week and came to the Centre on Sunday.

Suthiporn soon said that she attended class three days per week, she needed more transport allowance. She wished that we give her four hundred dollars per month. That was the amount we gave to our Thai pastor who came to study English in Singapore.

After attending a course, Suthiporn said that she would stop studying English. She would like to come to the Centre on the three days when she supposed to attend course. And she asked for seven hundred dollars of transport allowance per month.

She was very smart. I worked six days per week, starting from ten o'clock in the morning till eight o'clock in the evening. She worked four days per week, from two o'clock in the afternoon till eight o'clock in the evening. I was a staff and she was a volunteer. We were taking the same amount of money.

Sister Salli was like Jesus. She did not haggle over the money as me. She did not even make any comment.

Suthiporn soon thought that her transport allowance was the same as my salary; she should be a manager of the Centre as me too. She started to involve our management and she started to squeeze our volunteer workers out.

An incident happened on the weekend when I went to Tangka Gospel Church in Malaysia. I went to visit my classmate who served God in Tangka. When I came back three days later, a Thai Christian told me that Suthiporn quarreled with one of our Thai volunteer and Suthiporn dismissed that volunteer. Suthiporn also warned that volunteer not to step into our Centre anymore. I was very angry. I was the manager. What was she to dismiss our volunteer? But we bore with her.

A few weeks later, Suthiporn did not come to the Centre on weekdays. She said that she was tired. Some of our students who attended the weekday English classes did not turn up too. I did not know what was happened. I had to conduct the class on weekdays for Suthiporn because she was absent. One day, when we were talking about some of the students did not attend the weekday class anymore; the students told me that those students went to attend English class at Suthiporn's place. They paid twenty dollars per month to Suthiporn.

I told Sister Salli what I came to know from the students; Sister Salli thought that I was oversensitive. She said that Suthiporn and I were getting the same pay, therefore I was not happy with her. From then, I kept quiet.

We had a management committee and we met monthly to discuss the work of the Centre. Other than Sister Salli, a Thai pastor and me, the other committee members were not involved in the daily activities of the Centre. Sister Salli was a missionary from Finland. The Thai pastor was from Thailand who came and studied English in Singapore. They came for six months and we had a new Thai pastor from Thailand every six months.

When I was with the Centre, the Thai pastors who came to the Centre were Reverend Visanukorn, Chamraeng and Somporn. As we needed to work with some other authority organisations, we made ourselves as it was a company. Sister Salli was the Director and I was the Manager of the Centre.

When Suthiporn knew about our arrangement, she said that she would be the Director if Sister Salli had to go back to Finland or Thailand. I told her that it could not be and it was impossible. The missionary would be sent from amongst the Finnish or Norwegian missionaries working in Thailand.

Suthiporn was not happy. She started to fight against me. In June 1992, when Pastor Chamraeng was going back to Thailand after completed the six month's service, Pastor Somporn was sent from Thailand. Few days after Pastor Chamraeng left, Pastor Somporn was not co-operative. I was very surprised. Those Thai pastors were supposed to come and assist us.

For the period of four to five months, we lost the joyful atmosphere. At that time, my bank savings was running dry after the three years serving in the Centre. In October 1992, I decided to resign from the Centre on 31 December.

When I told Sister Salli about my decision, she started to discuss with some other people. Then, she suggested offering me a five-hundred-dollar salary increment. I did not take it. She asked me whether someone told me that Bedok Lutheran Church would send a local pastor to the Centre, therefore I wanted to leave. I told her not to involve other people. I did not hear anything; I did not know who was coming to the Centre.

I resigned from the Centre as what I planned. I became a volunteer again staring from 1993. I conducted the English class on Saturday afternoon and assisted the Sunday worship service.

The committee thought that it was not a good arrangement to get a Thai pastor from Thailand every six months. Therefore from 1993, the Centre applied the Employment Pass for Pastor Visanukorn. He could then serve in the Centre for a period of three years.

In order to let others understand that I resigned from the Centre not because of the low salary, I did not look for a job immediately. Before my last day working in the Centre, I got an offer. There was a rich businessman Christian invited me to start a new Thai ministry in Golden Mile Complex. He got someone to discuss with me. The businessman loved God very much. But he did not have time to serve God. He then wished that he could make use of his wealth to repay his affection. I did not accept his offer. I said that the Thai in Singapore usually gathered around Golden Mile Complex and I should not start another Thai Ministry her to compete with our Centre.

Five and a half months later, I went back to my former computer company. Two months after my re-employment in the computer company, I received a call from Sister Salli. She told me that Suthiporn was not co-operative with Pastor Visanukorn. Suthiporn told Sister Salli that either she or Pastor Visanukorn could stay in the Centre. If she stayed, there should not be Pastor Visanukorn. If Pastor Visanukorn stayed, then she would leave.

Sister Salli asked me what to do? I told her that she should know the traffic system in Singapore as she had stayed a few years in Singapore. She should understand what was "green light" meant to the driver. I gave her and the committee the green light to what they decided.

The following evening, a committee member went to the Centre and told Suthiporn not need to come to the Centre anymore. The Centre gave her an extra month salary.

A month later I went to the Centre. Sister Salli mentioned about the dismissal of Suthiporn. She said that Suthiporn was more and more arrogant. No one in the Centre could stand her anymore. When it was discussed at the committee meeting about her, the committee would like to have my opinion. That was the reason she called me.

I told Sister Salli that Suthiporn was not co-operative and always fight against me when I was in the Centre.
In order to maintain a peaceful and harmonious atmosphere in the Centre.
In order to keep the works moving smoothly.
In order to avoid trouble.
I resigned
Sister Salli wept.

Sister Salli lived like those apostles in the Book of Acts, she shared everything she had.

Everyone knew that whoever bringing food to the Centre for Sister Salli, she would share with everybody. There was once a friend bought me a cake. She told me that the cake was for me. She asked me not to be liked Sister Salli to share the cake with everyone in the Centre. She reminded me to take it home.

We saw Sister Salli used to be with the Thai workers and maids. She listened to their home-sick stories. She shared foods with everyone in the Centre. She accepted every volunteer worker and not particular about their denominations. She made us seemed like we met Jesus.

After working with Sister Salli for years, I started to understand better the teaching in the Bible. I started to be more board-minded.

Sister Salli Lamponen has moved to heavenly home on 31st of October 2007