PONG’S STORY “THE MONKHOOD IS FOR MOM”

Pong was beginning his senior year in a Northern Thailand college when he started attending church. He knew little about Christianity but was captured by the warmth of Christians and wanted to join. I invited him to 1-on-1 weekly Bible studies and Pong came faithfully every Tuesday morning. After several months of studying about God, Jesus, the Bible, prayer, and other basics, Pong was growing in faith. He was committed to daily devotions and church attendance, and even joined the worship team as a guitarist.

We finished our third week of studies on water baptism and I asked Pong if he was ready to be baptized. He responded by saying he had not yet become a Buddhist monk, as is expected of all young men in Thailand, and that he had to do so for his mom. He intended to do it immediately after graduation for a brief time and then he would get baptized.

I asked Pong why he felt so obligated to do it. His answer was eye-opening. In Theravada Buddhism the highest merit is earned by becoming a monk. Women cannot be monks in Thai Buddhism, but they earn merit vicariously when their first-born son enters the monkhood. In effect, Pong felt that forsaking the monkhood was akin to denying salvation to his mom. He felt deeply obligated to become a monk for her sake.

I asked Pong if we could pray together for his mother’s salvation, so he would not be obligated to become a monk for her sake. We prayed.

Even though his mother did not become a Christian, just before graduation Pong asked to be water baptized. He said he was ready to tell his mother he would not become a monk, and that her salvation was in Jesus Christ alone. He did just that and continues as a strong Christian to this day.