After her father died, life changed for six-year-old Maam and her younger brother and sister. Their mother became irresponsible and was often away from home, so Maam had to grow up fast. Thailand’s Buddhist culture was her only teacher of right and wrong, but even with this, she couldn’t stop herself from lying and stealing. She saw herself as a bad person.
Around age 11, Maam took a free English class led by Filipino missionaries. Although Maam couldn’t grasp who God or Jesus was, she warmed to the people and the atmosphere. Here, she learned her first Christian song, which taught that Jesus could help her. Maam puzzled over this, because Buddha’s teachings said, “No one can help you; you have to help yourself.” But she kept these thoughts in her mind.
As Maam prepared to enter junior high, her mother’s gambling debts meant there was no money to send Maam to school. Sad and embarrassed, Maam spent her days indoors. But when loneliness got the best of her, she pedaled her bike to the missionaries’ church. She fearfully walked through the door, but the Christians showered her with so much love, Maam never wanted to leave. She was ready to receive Christ when a missionary shared the gospel with her.
It took time to put aside her old habits of lying and stealing, but now there was something new: a feeling of guilt. The way of Jesus was harder than the way of Buddha, she discovered, but by age 16, Maam chose to follow Christ wholeheartedly. She developed a heart for people, with a comfortableness in teaching, outreach, and other ministries. Taking a step of faith, Maam pursued Bible college and later met her future husband, Nate Beckman, an American serving short-term in Thailand.
Today, Maam’s sister and mother now share her faith in the Lord. Wanting to see others set free, Nate and Maam joined BMM in 2001 so they can continue bringing the life-transforming truths of Christ to Thailand.