The Physically-Disabled Persons’ Spiritual Wheelchairs

Testimony of the founder of Thai Christian “Blessing Line” Group

Compiled by Vachiravan Vanlaeiad

My name is Sumitra (Panyakamonkit) Hongsachart. I live in Bangkok with my husband and one small son. I have been afflicted with myasthenia gravis (or degenerate nerve disease as presently diagnosed by the doctors at Siriraj Hospital which my father and I have been their case studies) since I was three years old. However, during that time until after my university graduation years I could still walk and run. In my family there are altogether 5 persons inflicted with this disease: my father, myself, one of my younger sisters, and two younger brothers.

My father had been converted to Christianity since he was 16 years of age. I could remember having gone to church and lived my life in a Christian environment since young. My family was a very big one, having many siblings and relatives living together under the same roof; my childhood life was rather chaotic. I thus loved it every time my father took me to church on Sunday mornings.

Later during studying in a private university, I had drifted away from God, having self-indulgence and not relying on or believing in God anymore. After graduation, I had worked with my father who at that time was the head of a direct sales business team (besides owning a small size lathe factory). On one of the business trips, our car, with his business coach as the driver, my father and me as passengers, accidentally fell from the mountain slope. The accident occurred because one of the car’s tires blew out, causing it overshoot the curve. At first I thought we were all going to die, I thus closed my eyes tightly and thought about heaven. But when I opened my eyes, I realized that we all had already and narrowly escaped death because only the lower part of our car’s body was demolished, being unable to drive any further. Despite this miraculous survival, I had not given credit to God’s protection!

After that incidence, my father’s business sales volume was plummeting, I thought of finding a new job to do at home. I then bought some textbooks about fortune-telling and astrology for my self-study as well as studying these sciences with a very good fortune-teller. I could also arrange tarot cards in sets to cast lots and make predictions. I had completely stopped going to church since I was a full-time fortune teller and tried to seek other moral supports by secretly going to Buddhism without my father’s knowledge. I had also bought and read a lot of books about dharma and chanting. Anyway, my behaviors had been under my youngest sister’s eyes (who was a Christian) all the time. She had put a copy of Bible at my bed head and prayed for me to repent and turn back to God for two whole years.

One day I was left behind at home by my other family members because they all went to Bang Saen Beach, Chonburi Province, without me. Since one of my younger sisters promised to wake me up and help me to get dressed (at this time I had to use wheelchair because my symptoms kept worsening), I felt so hurt and betrayed, crying in my bedroom. However, my youngest sister (a Christian) had not gone with them since she was going to a annual Christian revival meeting (titled “Rit Det” – The Mighty Power) organized at a Department Store in Bang Khae area, Bangkok. I wanted to go to the Store (not to the revival, of course!), I then asked my sister to take me there with her.

The revival started at 7 pm with a Singaporean Christian as a preacher of the night. After proclaiming the words of God, healing ministry followed. That night I was wearing a necklace with a Buddha image hanging on it and thought of testing and challenging this God. When the preaching ended, the preacher had invited the sick to come out to the front to be prayed over. I then went out. A Singaporean Christian man had prayed for me and laid his hand on me. He held up my two hands, trying to make me stand up, but I had fallen down onto the floor instead, feeling very hurt, embarrassed, and furious. And then another Singaporean woman knelt down beside me and prayed so loud for me in her own language.

After praying, she lifted up her head and shook it. Despite my wearing a T-shirt with its neck so high that nobody could see my necklace and Buddha image, this woman opened my shirt collar and took the necklace out and told the man that I was wearing a Buddha image. Since my mind stuck on the image, her prayers therefore could not reach God. I was impressed as well as surprised why this woman knew I was bringing a Buddha image with me. However, the Singaporean man gave me a Christian track and told me to come back tomorrow night.

When I was home that night, I had read the track titled “Signs and Wonders” for many times and felt guilty and wanted to turn back to God. Then on the next night, I went to the revival meeting again with my sister and I was prayed over by the same man. This time there was still nothing happening to me but I felt happier when arriving home.

In the next morning (Sunday’s), I woke up and asked my sister to take me to church with her, which made her very glad. I was at the church since morning till late afternoon to study the Bible. After that we went to the last night of revival meeting. When the preacher invited the sick to be prayed over for their healing, I went out to the front. The same Singaporean man had led me in prayers. And I lifted up my hands to the sky and told God that I was sorry for all the sins I had committed, and asked for forgiveness from Him. Then all of a sudden, I felt like some power so covered me that I could not control myself. I was throwing up and screaming and crying my lungs out. I was not myself. I felt like there was a fierce fighting going on inside of me. I felt very tired, crying and begging my sister standing nearby to help me. She was also scared and dared not go near me. I then cried out to my deceased mother’s spirit to help me, but to no avail. I was at my wit’s end, so I cried out to God for help. At this time I was carried and placed on the floor and was told to confess all my sins. I surrendered myself and conformed to the telling. The evil spirits that had controlled my life for many years could not resist the great power of Almighty God and they gradually set me free. Finally I was not under their grips and control anymore. I was back to normal, to be myself again. I just knew then that the evil spirits really existed in this world and the Bible had also confirmed my new discovery. These spirits were afraid of God’s mighty power and when we ordered them to leave in the name of Jesus, they would go. I was delivered by God so I realized at that time (for the first time) that God loved me so much.

After having been delivered from the yoke of Satan, causing me to make an absolute turn-back to God, I discovered all of the reasons behind my backsliding and predicament. Turning back from God had rendered a good opportunity for the evil spirits to dominate my whole life. But when I repented and forsook all my old ways of doing various sinful and disgusting things: being a fortune-teller, chanting mantras, etc., and called for help from God, He made me absolutely free from them all. He had also granted me unprecedented peace. And I knew that when I was in God’s Hands, I would be safe. All these things had made me feel very grateful to God and His great love which had granted His Light to me one more time. I thus thought of repaying Him and His goodness and love by serving him as best as I could. I strongly believed that even though I was limited but My God was unlimited. And I was also immensely inspired and encouraged by the Bible verses: “…I will rescue the lame and gather those who have been scattered. I will give them praise and honor in every land where they were put to shame” (Zephaniah 3:19), and “ ‘In that day,’ declares the Lord, ‘I will gather the lame; I will assemble the exiles and those I have brought to grief. I will make the lame a remnant; those driven away a strong nation. The Lord will rule over them in Mount Zion from that day and forever’ ” (Micah 4:6-7).

One of my friends, Phakkard, was a severely disabled person and a Christian; however, she was very keen and skillful in using mobile phone’s conference call function. So we could start my dream works by assembling all our disabled friends (some blind, but most of them severely-disabled) from various parts of Thailand to have a prayer meeting using mobile phones as equipment to connect with each other. Every working day during 10.00 – 11.00 hrs, we would sing praises to God, read the Bible, share God’s Words, give personal testimonies to encourage each other, and pray for one another. We called our ministry “Blessing Line Group”. We have been meeting like this for more than 7 years now. Presently we have Saowaluck Phuang-ngern as our group’s coordinator. We not only connect with one another at the same time during Monday to Friday, we also meet in social events and functions, especially in memorial service or funeral of one of the group members or of our friends. There are two able-bodied persons helping in the group – in prayers, finances, and preaching: Amporn Phao-poon and Rewadee Liu-wiriyakul. Since this group was set up, my health: physical, mental, and spiritual, has been improving day by day.

In 2006, God had blessed me with my present husband and later a son who is at present over 3 years old. God had told me in 1999 (in a dream) while I was a student in a Bible college in Chiangmai Province, that one day I would marry and have a son. In the dream, I had given birth to a baby boy without labor pain. This dream was realized when I had given birth to my son because I was pain-free while waiting for my cervix to open to the full extent since eight o’clock in the morning until five in the evening. My delivery was easy and simple: not only painless, but also stress-free. And God has helped me raise my son with His numerous and miraculous protections and providences.

My husband and I have currently worshipped God at Nam Phraporn Evangelistic Center which is an affiliate of Jaisamarn Church. And in the near future the center will move to locate in a building within the vicinity of our family’s residence cum small-sized lathe factory. My youngest sister, Manarin, is also serving God at the center. I want to end my testimony with the following Bible verse, which has tremendously encouraged me and I trust it will also encourage my disabled friends all over the world: “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength” (Philippians 4: 13). Because having God is for me like having everything.