Pastor Khoun’s impossible faith

One choice has cost Pastor Khoun* from Laos his home, his community and his traditions – but his mind is made up. He has decided to follow Jesus.

Pastor Khoun first heard about Jesus through his mother-in-law. “When she told me about Jesus, I read and liked the teachings in the Bible,” he shares. “They talked about humility and love.”

But that wasn’t the only thing on his mind as he continued learning. The pains in his body made his daily work almost impossible – until someone told him that he could be healed if he prayed and believed in Jesus. So Khoun prayed and, a few days later, the pain disappeared.

Khoun told his wife about his healing. She too suffered regularly from frequent bouts of fever, so Khoun prayed for her – and she was healed. That was the moment that he and his entire family gave their lives to Jesus.

Spiritual warfare

As Khoun shared the gospel, his neighbours began to turn to Christ. “More than 30 people came to Jesus,” he remembers. “There were over ten Christian households.”

But a spiritual warfare had also begun. “When I told the villagers that I believe in Jesus, they hurled abuses at me,” he says. “I started receiving threats. They wanted me to stop the worship services I was conducting.”

The villagers continued to intimidate Khoun, threatening him with an ultimatum: “If you do not leave Jesus, we will destroy your house, and you will have to leave the village.” Khoun boldly testified to the truth of the gospel and refused. But they didn’t listen.

On New Year’s Eve, it reached breaking point.

“You must flee”

When Khoun requested to hold a New Year’s Eve thanksgiving service, it was quickly denied by the village authorities. The next day, he found his water pipes cut. “One person from the village came to my house and warned me: ‘They are planning to kill you. You must flee.’ I was terrified and ran to a nearby village.”

He later heard that his house plus two others had been destroyed and their possessions taken to a detention centre. The devastation was so great that one family renounced their faith.

“My life is safe in Jesus”

Since then, Khoun and his family remain in exile, unable to return to the place they once called home. “Life is a struggle; we have very little food and resources,” he says. But, through your support, Open Doors partners are responding with practical help and persecution survival training. This training has not only taught Khoun but grown his desire to share the gospel. He is only one of many other pastors who, though in exile, are receiving formation and dedicating their lives to the work of the gospel.

“Many Christian leaders in villages have not undergone formal training and have studied the Bible themselves,” Khoun explains. “They read the Bible every day and are very dedicated to their ministry.”

Opposition and difficulty remain. Nevertheless, Khoun remains thankful. “I am thankful to God that we have a place to stay and that we can worship with others in a nearby village. The Bible teaches that nothing can harm me. I stand strong in my faith, and I know that my life is safe in Jesus.”

*Name changed for security reasons