My dear readers,

Billy Harichaikul entered FEBC in 2004, completed his Bachelor of Theology in 2008 and Master of Divinity in 2010. He returned to Bethel Development Centre (BDC) in Chiang Rai, Thailand to serve the Lord upon graduation in 2010 and has been serving till today, by the grace and mercy of God. He has written doctrinal papers that included: “On Bible Inspiration and Preservation”; “On Reformed Theology”; “On Biblical Separation”; “On the Millennium”; “On Church Government”; “On the History of the B-P Church of Singapore”; “On Hermeneutics”; and “On Pastoral Ministry”; as well as “On Personal Matters”: (a) “Write a testimony of your salvation and call to fulltime ministry”; (b) “How can you contribute to the advancement of your church?”; (c) “A Resume of your background and service in churches that you have attended.”

Billy passed the oral examination presided by the ordination council comprising Rev Dr Quek Suan Yew (chairman), Rev Clement Chew of Tabernacle BPC and Rev Lim Seh Beng of Calvary Jaya B-P Fellowship.

Billy Harichaikul writes:

A testimony of my salvation and call to fulltime ministry

I was brought up in a Christian family. My grandmother taught me about Jesus and prayed with me since I was very young. However, I had no interest in spiritual or religious matters. As my father lay on his deathbed, he told me to repent of my sins and return to God. Upon hearing that, I was sad but continued to live in my sins. I was later baptized without any proper understanding of what it means to be saved. I felt pressured to do so. I just went through the motion. I believe I was not saved back then.

University life was my time to enjoy the world. During that time, one of the Youth For Christ (YFC) members from Campus Crusade approached me and shared with me the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He asked me if I will be in heaven after I die. I could not answer him. He then showed me the verse from Romans 10:9: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved”. This verse spoke to me, and I believed and was led to pray the sinner’s prayer. From then on, I believed and accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Saviour and was assured of my salvation.

However, I continued to live a sinful life. My spiritual life did not progress as I did not know what I should do after salvation. I thought I could live my life the way I wanted since I had received salvation, but deep in my heart I had no peace and knew that I was not right with God.

In my final year of studies, I was diagnosed with tuberculosis. I feared death and started to seek help and solutions, but found none. There was a huge burden and fear in my heart. My grandmother told me the exact words that my father told me on his deathbed: to pray, repent and return to God. I prayed and vowed to God that if He healed me, I would someday go back to Him and serve Him. Thank God for full recovery after six months of medication.

Despite God’s goodness and mercy upon my life, I forgot my vow and chased after the world again. There was no repentance, life change, or interest in spiritual matters. After graduation, I worked as a teacher in a missionary school. In the third year of my career, my sister, who was studying in FEBC, kept calling me to study with her. I rejected her invitations because I did not want to waste my time there. I would instead do what I wanted. But God did not forget me even though I forgot my vow to Him.

That year, I felt no peace in my heart and was heavily burdened. I had no joy of salvation because of my disobedience. Everything seemed wrong with my life. I recalled my prayer and the vow I made to the Lord when I was very sick. God called me to full-time service with the verse in Matthew 6:33: “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” This verse spoke to me to put God first in everything, and He will do what is necessary for me according to His will.

After much struggle, I responded to the call, resigned from my secular job and joined my sister to study in FEBC. Thank God for leading me to FEBC, the God-honouring and faithful Bible college, where I learned the whole counsel of God’s Word, and that the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ are the only things we have to live for. Truly, it was a great joy and blessing to have learned under many faithful servants of God during my study there.

In the third year of my study in FEBC, my uncle encouraged me to help him with the children's hostel ministry back home in Thailand. I prayed and asked the Lord to show me where He wanted me to serve. My prayer was that wherever He leads me, I would go. The calling became clearer through my daily study of God’s Word and I came across Isaiah 6:8: “Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.” God laid a burden in my heart for the Lahu people who needed to hear and receive the truth of God’s Word.

From then on, I prayed and prepared to return to serve in my homeland. Thank God for answering my prayers and leading me back to the BDC ministry which I used to reject and showed no interest. But man proposes and God disposes.

Looking back, I truly appreciate and am thankful for what God has done in my life. I had gone my own way many times, but He did not give up on me. Instead, He led and guided me. Truly, He is a gracious, merciful and loving God who has prepared me my entire life to know Him and to serve Him full-time. I pray that my house and I will serve the Lord my whole life in His ministry with His enabling until He calls me home (Joshua 24:15).

My ministries

Thank God for leading me to serve in Bethel Development Centre (BDC) in Thailand.

BDC ministers to the Lahu children in Chiang Rai through her hostel ministry, which is called the “Bethel Hostel Ministry” (BHM). By God’s grace, we provide them food, shelter and the Word of God to lead them to Christ.

BDC also ministers to adults such as the parents of the hostel children, the local pastors, evangelists, friends and loved ones through her Bible College ministry named “Bethel Bible College” (BBC). Thank God for sustaining us to teach God’s inerrant, infallible and perfectly preserved Word to the people here.

The goals of the BDC ministry are: 

• “To know Christ and to make Him known” and lead people to salvation.
• To defend the Truth, warn and expose the false teachings and practices that contradict the Bible. 
• To be a living testimony for Christ.

With God’s enabling and guidance from His Word, I will try my best to help the Lahu people to know God and grow in Him through the planned activities:

• Daily Bible Class for the adults attending Bethel Bible College
• Daily devotion for the hostel children
• Prayer meeting
• Monthly Bible Study
• Adult Bible Class
• Lord's Day Morning Worship Service 
• Lord's Day Thai Worship Service
• Annual Events such as Good Friday Service, Reformation Sunday Service, Christmas and Year End Services, etc.

I thank God for the privilege to serve in BDC, where my role of service is to manage the planning and running of the events and activities, the compound and building projects and oversee the physical and spiritual well-being of the hostel children and adults, especially by feeding them God's Word.

I covet your prayers that the Lord will help me, my family and other staff to serve Him faithfully to the best of our abilities as He enables in His ministry.