When her parents separated, Year was only a few months old. She was raised by her grandmother, and her father was in and out of her life for years, continually being arrested for selling drugs. She felt lost and alone.
In eighth grade, Year was restless and unhappy, and began skipping school. She never went back. Instead, she moved in with a girl who introduced her to drugs. “I used and used and used until I didn’t know what was happening,” Year said. “One month I only slept ten days. The drugs kept me awake.”
Year was finally caught selling drugs, arrested and sentenced to one and a half years in the juvenile detention in Chiang Mai. She was hard and rebellious, but one of the other girls noticed her and dared to tell her that God would wash away her sins if she just believed in Jesus. Year was invited to come to Bible lessons being taught by Multiply worker Cynthia Friesen and the ministry team.
“At that time, I didn’t care what the Bible taught,” Year confessed. “I was hungry, and I just wanted the snacks they offered during the lessons.” Even so, Year started to read a daily devotional that focused on God’s truth and felt that he was speaking directly to her life. “I found a cartoon Bible that taught about how to pray like Jesus,” she said. “I practiced that prayer but didn’t tell anyone.”
One night at church, a speaker invited people to open their hearts to God. Year was stirred with a different kind of hunger, a hunger to hear God’s voice. “The pastor told me to pray what was in my heart,” Year recalled. “Then he prayed for me. For the first time, I understood mercy, thankfulness and forgiveness. I wanted the peace of God to be with me. I didn’t want to hurt my family anymore.” Over time, Year completed a process of discipleship through the Freedom Trades program. It was transformative. “When I think of who I was in the past, I am amazed at how God has worked in my life!”
Today, Year is a full-time baker. “My prize product is my cinnamon rolls,” she laughs. She sells her product widely, and hungry customers enjoy the sweetness of her baking. In the same way, Year prays that she can help many to taste the sweetness of God’s love.
