Living the Gospel in Thailand

At the rear of the sun-drenched chapel, behind the last row of chairs, a man squats on the floor, happily bottle-feeding a baby. It’s not his baby. He has just “borrowed” the baby from its mother, which gives her a chance to concentrate on the Gospel Doctrine lesson and gives him the pleasure of cradling a baby in his arms.

This is typical of the sensitive service rendered by Wisit Khanakam, Young Men president in the Bangkok Branch, Thailand Bangkok Mission. Brother Khanakam is well known for reaching out to others and has made opportunities to do so. He has served as branch president in two smaller Thailand communities and currently works as the country manager for the Church administration offices in Bangkok.

The gospel is “the way of our life,” according to Brother Khanakam, speaking for himself and his wife, Sumamaan Srisarakham, and their two children. “Going to church on Sunday, fulfilling Church callings, paying tithing are not sacrifices. They are blessings; we have been blessed in so many things and ways.”

One of the family’s most recent blessings has come as Brother and Sister Khanakam struggled to help their son, Wisoodthiporn, or Ben, overcome what appeared to be a learning disability. Teachers by profession, Brother and Sister Khanakam used family prayer and training to help Ben. “We prayed about the problem, and we realized that the best teachers for our son were his mother and father. We were very busy, but we realized that the most important thing our children needed was our time.

“What we do within the four walls of our home is most important to us and to those we can influence for good,” says Brother Khanakam. “For example, a neighboring couple has been taking the missionary discussions and now permits their son to attend church with us. This has come about because they liked what they saw in us as a family. As a family, as Latter-day Saints everywhere, we can perfect our lives through living the gospel.”—David Mitchell, Salt Lake City, Utah