From Clients to Citizens

The Santisuk Families Program is a Gospel-centered, holistic mentoring and educational program for families living in low-income communities. We call it the "Santisuk Families" program because when we think of what we want to see happen in these families, we summarize it as "seeing families experience the full shalom (Santisuk) of God in their lives and home." Families commit to formal and informal training in these areas and regularly meet with P’ Kaew, who is a faithful mentor and friend.

In late 2020, four families eagerly signed up to be mentored. However, the second and third waves of COVID-19 in early 2021 forced these families to restrict their activities. With gatherings banned indoors and travel throughout the city significantly impacted, these families were not able to "officially" enter the program. But instead, these same families stepped up to serve their neighbors. They organized and distributed care packages to families in their surrounding district. They planned with great care, intentionally seeking out the most vulnerable and the most forgotten. Despite the fact that these four families were facing financial challenges of their own, they didn't hesitate to serve those in need. They recognized that everything they had belonged to God...and they graciously accepted His invitation to steward those blessings to others in need.

We hoped for this kind of result at the end of the program, as "serving others with generosity" is one of the desired outcomes we have written into the program. But we didn't expect this so soon. This is one of the clearest expressions I see of God's moving in Bangkok during the COVID-19 crisis - people coming together to help serve their community. There is such generosity coming from places marginalized by poverty, and that is an amazing expression of the Kingdom of God.