At just 17 years old, Win Kyi* has already walked a path marked by much hardship. Raised in a small town in Myanmar, Win Kyi grew up in a Buddhist family and was the eldest of three siblings. Her father worked as a general laborer, and her mother, seeking better opportunities, found work as a domestic helper in Bangkok. With her parents often absent, Win Kyi shouldered responsibilities well beyond her years.

 

Her early childhood offered glimpses of hope. Win Kyi attended a Seventh-day Adventist primary school in her father’s village. The teachers from the school invited her to the Sabbath services, and she loved attending Sabbath School. Though she was still very young, these early experiences planted the seeds of a spiritual journey that would later bloom against all odds.

 

Life with her grandmother and aunt proved challenging. Win Kyi often faced harsh treatment, and fear kept her from speaking openly about her budding faith. Compounding her struggles, her neighborhood was rife with drug abuse and darkness, and it felt like hope was slipping further from her reach. When two of her closest friends moved away, the loneliness was unbearable. It lit a fire inside her: she had to find a way out.

 

With quiet persistence, Win Kyi begged her mother to send her to a different school elsewhere. Finally, her mother agreed and reached out to Win Kyi’s cousin, who was a teacher at a nearby school. Through her cousin’s help, Win Kyi was accepted at ASAP’s Mi Phra Narr School in a different town, which was far from home, and in that moment, a new chapter of her life began.

 

Arriving at Mi Phra Narr School felt like stepping into the sunlight after a lifetime of shadows. For the first time, Win Kyi felt a sense of freedom — freedom from fear, judgment, and sadness that had weighed so heavily on her spirit. Surrounded by a supportive community, she flourished both academically and spiritually. It was here at Mi Phra Narr that she learned to love Jesus and was convicted to give her life to Him through baptism. Three months before an evangelistic meeting, Win Kyi approached her homeroom teacher to express her desire to be baptized. When the invitation came during the evangelistic meetings, she stepped forward without any hesitation.

 

Telling her mother about her decision wasn’t easy, as, to the Buddhist mind, converting to Christianity brings shame to the family. Initially, her mother advised her to wait until she was older. But Win Kyi’s quiet determination and sweet spirit won her mother over, and she finally agreed that Win Kyi could be baptized. 

 

Reflecting on her journey from childhood to the present, Win Kyi sees unmistakable signs of divine protection. She recalls a terrifying childhood incident when, studying by candlelight under her bed, she fell asleep, causing a fire—yet she emerged from this incident unharmed. She remembers the bullying she endured in government school and realizes that even in her darkest moments, God was watching over her.

 

Today, Win Kyi clings to the hope and healing she has found in Christ. Every day, she prays fervently for her father that he will find peace and healing. She hasn’t heard from him in over a year and longs to be reunited with him. Win Kyi is determined to share her faith with her mother so that she, too, may know the joy found in Jesus. She knows God’s promise to always be with her is true. God was with her in the darkest places of her life, and she rejoices in knowing that He will be with her always!

 

When you support ASAP Ministries Education Fund, your gifts can be used where needed most and help provide marginalized children with:

• the opportunity to learn about Jesus and give their lives to Him
• a quality education, teachers who care, and school supplies
• a safe place to live, food, and medical care