“Our vision has always been to encourage and plant a seed of hope for this new generation of Khmu believers,” says Samuel*, a FEBA Ethnic Ministries broadcaster. “All of our staff want them to be proud of being identified as Khmu – to love their culture and speak the language.”
The Khmu people number approximately 850,000. They are spread across at least six countries, with the majority living in remote villages scattered through the mountains of Laos and Vietnam, and smaller numbers in northern Thailand and China. The Khmu traditionally practise animism – they believe that natural features possess spirits – and ancestral worship. Most of them are poor, poorly educated, and marginalised in the countries where they live. In short: they need the Good News.
FEBA’s daily broadcast is the only Christian broadcast available in the Khmu language. Thanks in part to these broadcasts and the faithful follow-up work done by the staff of FEBA Ethnic Ministries, who visit remote villages to tell people of FEBA and its message, there are about 70,000 Khmu Christians today … and the ministry keeps growing! Yet Khmu Christians not only face persecution from hostile governments, but also from their community leaders and families.
Sunya* and Mala* shared their struggles with Samuel last year, when they met at the FEBA Ethnic Ministries camp for young Khmu believers in Thailand. More than 100 young people attended.
Sunya’s story
Sunya, an orphan, became a Christian two years ago. She was 17 at the time and living with relatives who disapproved of her conversion. They told her that they would disown her if she remained a Christian, and one of her uncles repeatedly threatened to kill her. Still, Sunya remained steadfast in her faith.
By the grace of God Sunya was able to go and live with another uncle who is a pastor and strong believer. She has since finished high school and is currently working to enter a university, where she hopes to study maths.
Mala’s story
Mala, 17, and her younger sister are the only Christians in their family. Their stepfather looks down on their faith, while their mother keeps pressuring them to stop “wasting time” with things like church and school, and become prostitutes to earn money.
Mala’s brother-in-law is a drug addict who has attempted to assault her in the past. He despises her for following a “foreign” religion. Just days before the camp, he fired a gun into the air and kicked Mala and her sister out of the house for going to church. Thankfully, Mala and her sister were able to go and stay with relatives who are believers. A local Khmu leader now visits them every week to encourage them.
Hope for the future
The FEBA Ethnic Ministries staff are passionate about the next generation of believers. They encourage young Khmu listeners to take their education seriously, and host youth camps to introduce disadvantaged listeners to God’s Word.
“I remember our first youth camp about 15 years ago,” says Samuel. “[Out] of 100 young people, only four finished Grade 12. More than half of the people who attended, dropped out of school. Today, all of the youth are on the path to finishing high school, and nearly 20 are attending college!”
Hope for the future brings courage in the present. Through the faithfulness of FEBA Ethnic Ministries, many Khmu are receiving the gift of God’s Word and gaining the hope they were lacking. May the same come true for many more.
*Names changed for safety reasons
