Pastor’s Corner     
                                                                     Rev. Dr. Kris Poontajak

       Fall is here.  Another season creeps in.  “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die” Ecclesiastes 3: 1-2a.  I have mourned the death of the Rev. Dr. Kamol Arayaprateep who was my Old Testament professor in Thailand.  She was a mother to me and my mentor who had inspired me to be a pastor and shaped my life to be who I am now.

        On Saturday morning of September 13^th I had got words that Dr. Kamol was hit in Bangkok by a motorcycle on Friday morning of September 12^th and died around 1:40 AM of September 13^th.  My heart was crushed.  There was no word that could explain the loss and the grief I carried.

       Two days later a question haunted inside me, “Did God know that the motorcycle would hit her?”  I felt so guilty with the question in me and was in much pain thinking of it repeatedly.  Day and night the question was in my mind and I cried bitterly.  I did not realize that the question was part of my healing.  It took much courage.  I let it out and I felt God’s comfort.  First of all I learned to be honest to my feeling with God.  And mostly I learned to trust and trust enough to ask such question to my friends.  And they listened. 

       Then God said to me gently, “Yes, I knew!”  “I knew.”  But God did not plan it or cause it.  I learned to submit myself more to God and to all that God knows.  I am on the way of healing.

       For many days I had focusing myself on Dr. Kamol and did not get to ask my friends in Thailand about the person who hit her if he or she died or was injured or not. 

     The young man who hit her was only 19 and September 13^th was his first day to go to work at Bangkok Bank.  My friend said that it was truly an accident because Dr. Kamol came out from behind a big post so suddenly and he could not avoid her.  He was the one who rushed her to the hospital where she died a few hours later.  Then he was in jail at a police station for two days. 

       I feel so terrible for the young man.  I don't know his name yet.  I pray that he will come to know God and God’s love through this.  It will be horrible in years of his life to live with this tragic accident. 

     My friend ministered to his mother and sister who were at the memorial service on the first night telling them that Dr. Kamol had already forgiven the young man.  The family was so in grief about what happened and fear that he would be in prison.  The young man and family are Buddhists.  I asked my friends to follow them up.  

     The memorial services were held for Dr. Kamol at a church in Bangkok for three evenings and the day they buried her, September 18^th.

     Please allow me to share with you my journal on Dr. Kamol for it is part of my healing.

Remember My Dr. Kamol

     The Rev. Dr. Kamol Arayaprateep:  I saw her when I was in school.  I knew of her since I was in my early teen.  I heard of her seriousness in teaching, working with pastors, and seminarians to become pastors.  I heard of her roles in the Church of Christ in Thailand (The CCT - the United Church with Presbyterian background - its level is like the PCUSA General Assembly here). 

     Dr. Kamol was Buddhist from Bangkok but most of her adulthood she lived in Chiang Mai my hometown where she found Jesus Christ and became a Christian.  As a child I was afraid of her.  She did not know me.  She was in my mind and I admired her within my heart.

     Dr. Kamol was a main influence for me to strive through the McGilvary Seminary at Payap University in Chiang Mai, to reach my goal and to be a pastor.  I can say that I was her favorite student because I always felt her love to me. 

     I saw her worked hard every night in her office at the seminary reading, writing, translating books, etc.  I studied in the library which was near her office.  I studied late because my house was in a walking distance.  About 10 PM every night she gave me a gentle smile with tired eyes before she walked down the steps beside the library.  I saw her walked in the dark back to her house (houses for faculty were behind the seminary). 

     She often told me, "I read your paper," and walked away.  She did not comment about it.  That always made me nervous.  I was anxious to know how she thought about it.  When I got my grades back from her, I always saw big A.  I did study hard to get them.

     Dr. Kamol was an Old Testament scholar.  She humbly shared with me about her archeology study and trips to the Holy Land.  She taught me Old Testament and Hebrews.  She was very patient with me and all my friends because sometimes we did not pay much attention to her. 

     Her exams were always the hardest.  We were to draw perfectly the maps of the cities and stories in the Old Testament.  We had to redo the exam until it was perfectly done.  She said that we moved the cities and countries around and made up another world and history.  She often reminded us not to switch husbands and wives when we tried to figure who belonged to whom in the Bible.

 

     She assigned us to read Genesis from the Hebrews Bible.  We were quiet in class when she asked, "Did you read it?"  Since no one spoke up she asked me to start the reading.  I did not even know how to open the Hebrews Bible.  I looked for Genesis in the front.  I still see disappointment on her face. 

     My friend acted smart.  He opened pages from the back and started to read Genesis chapter one and stopped dead at the first sentence.

 

     Dr. Kamol was always there to help all of us to learn no matter how slow we were.  Besides her academic teaching, she taught us manner and how to be proper as Thai and especially Thai Christians, and how to show our respect to God such as no crossing your legs when you pray; putting your hands together in front of you when you pray, etc. 

     Dr. Kamol was always well dressed and proper.  I remember how I enjoyed seeing her dressed nicely every day.  She was professional and I looked up to her.

     She was a brave lady who was not afraid to speak up her thoughts and shared her opinions in meetings or at the General Assembly even when some men were frowning at her.  She worked hard all her life and did not expect appreciation or recognition.

 

     Her name was the same as my dad's, "Kamol."  My mom and dad respected and thought highly of Dr. Kamol.  My dad knew how much I loved her and looked up to her.  He baked her cake.  When I took it to her, she gently smiles and said, "People who name Kamol are always nice like this."  She returned the cake plate with fresh fruits in it.

 

     My friends at the seminary knew that I was her beloved student because I studied hard.  They often said to me, "Dr. Kamol loves you the most because you are a smart student."  The truth was that Dr. Kamol loved all students and tried to help everyone. 

     One day my friends said, "Dr. Kamol asked for you."  I was nervous because I knew how strict she was and so she must want to correct me about something either my study or my behavior.  I did not go to her right away. 

     A few days passed I ran into her.  She called me over, "Come here, Krisana, I wanted to see you several days ago.  Where were you?  It is almost too late now.  I want to send your name on to the WCC (World Council of Churches) and I want to know if you want to go or not." 

     "Go! Where?"  She said, "Europe!" and that was it.  I paused and answered softly, "Yes."  It was part of my being obedient to her.  In fact I was terrified.  I did not want to go.  I had no idea what it was all about.  I had never flown before in my life. 

     The next day she said to me, "You are going to a conference in Switzerland.  The WCC wants a woman seminarian who wants to be a pastor to attend the conference and I am sending you." 

     A few days later I heard that other professor suggested to her to send another person who was older.  But Dr. Kamol insisted that I was the one.  And there I went, by myself.  And I was the only Thai at the conference.  When I came back I brought her a Swiss chocolate bar.

     We, students, had to go to Bangkok for about 2-3 months one summer to learn a city life study course in the big city.  Dr.Kamol took us on public buses to visit and study the slums, hospitals, schools, and even nightlife in Bangkok.  She taught us how to eat, how to talk, how to walk, how to cross the roads, and how to survive Bangkok’s traffics and crowds.

      Dr. Kamol would always back people up to support them in every way when they wanted to strive to serve God in churches.  She was also there to listen and comfort when people had personal problems.

     After my graduation from the seminary, I was the pastor at a village church out of Bangkok for five years before I came to the USA in 1988.  Dr. Kamol was always there to support me mentally and spiritually.  She had never got tired of trying to teach me about things: how to be a good pastor and a good person. 

      When she led a group of Thai pastors and lay leaders to visit churches in Korea and Taiwan, I saw how hard work she did.  I watched her the whole time of my traveling with her and working with her. 

     One day when we were waiting for a bus on a sidewalk in Seoul, Korea, I noticed an old skinny and wrinkle woman in a very short dress designed for a teenager.  I whispered to Dr. Kamol to look at the woman hoping that she would smile with me because it was such a funny scene.  Dr. Kamol looked and there on her face was a thinking expression and she said softly to me, “She did not understand.”  That was all she commented. 

     I heard a kind compassion in her voice.  It was OK to Dr. Kamol that the old woman did not understand how to dress.  Dr. Kamol did not think it was funny.  She did not laugh at the woman or judge her.

      Dr. Kamol was the most humble person I ever knew.  With her education, knowledge, intelligence, capacity, and experiences she lived a simple life, alone, was never married.  I saw how much she enjoyed working and being with people. 

     Dr. Kamol was the pastor of all pastors in the CCT and others.  She was also very active in the Evangelism Department of the CCT.  She held many tasks and worked so hard all her life joyfully.  She worked for free after her retirement at the CCT and at Bangkok Institution of Theology till the day before she died. 

     Dr. Kamol was on the boards of many organizations internationally.  She was a dedicated Christian and faithful servant of God.  Her life was so active and fruitful.  I wonder how many thousands of students, pastors, and others she had touched and transformed with a lasting influence.

     Dr. Kamol was a student at the McGilvary Seminary (1956) where I went years later and she taught me.  She was the first student of the Rev. Dr. E. John Hamlin an Old Testament scholar and a missionary in Thailand for 20 years and now is retired living in Ohio.    

     Dr. Kamol was the smartest with great memories.  She did her graduate work in the Old Testament in Philippines, received her Master from McCormick Seminary in Chicago (where I received my Doctorate).  She received her doctorate at Seabury-Western in Chicago.  Her doctoral dissertation was a study of Covenant Terminology in Deuteronomy.

 

     While I was the pastor at the village church, Dr. Kamol and I taught together in the Lay Pastor Program of the CCT.  We traveled central and south of Thailand to teach elders from churches. 

     When we worked together in the Program, she taught me how to improve my sermons.  One time, after she read my sermon, she handed it back to me and said, “Add some stories and examples in it.  The sermon is like a house without windows.”  I will never forget what she told me and have always tried to do what she taught me.

     She prepared me to come over to study in Austin, TX.  The year I would leave my village church for Austin, the CCT asked me if I wanted to go to a study course of the ACC (Asia Council of Churches) in Pakistan for a month. 

     Dr. Kamol suggested that I should not travel but give all my time to my church people before I left them.  I was stubborn.  There I went.  I knew she was upset but she did not say a word.  I brought back some marble souvenirs from Pakistan for her.

     I still remember Dr. Kamol seeing me off at the airport that night about 20 years ago to come to the USA.  I went to Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary in 1988. 

     Dr. Kamol was so happy to know that the Rev. Dr. Jack Stott was the president there because he was her president when she studied at McCormick Seminary in Chicago.  Dr. Stott was very kind to her and took good care of her when she was in need living in Chicago.  So, she was relieved knowing that I would be well taken care of.

 

     When I was a pastor in Ohio, I invited her to visit my Presbytery, Presbytery of Scioto Valley, for about 3 months.  She stayed with me.  I cooked.  She washed dishes.  We went places doing things together.  She always insisted to pay when we ate out.  She saw me mowing grass, planting flowers, visiting the sick, leading worship, preaching, etc. 

     She saw me doing pastoral works.  She said to me many times with her kind smiles, "You are very good!  You are a good pastor."  She was proud and pleased to see me live well and work well.  It was a great encouragement to hear her, my teacher, saying that to me. 

     Another comment (I would say compliment) she said to me a few times when she first arrived my house was “Your house is so neat and clean.  Who did it?”  I smiled and said, “Who else?  I did it myself.”  She was impressed (I guessed), “How do you find time to do it?”

     Dr. Kamol took good care of herself.  She said, “I live alone.  I must try to be in good health.  When I get old or get sick it will be difficult because nobody will be there to take care of me.”  She told me of her experience that she passed out falling on her face in a bathroom in Sweden.  That really scared her and then she really watched what she ate. 

     Dr. Kamol never drank coffee or took medicines for headaches.  I don’t drink coffee either but I did take pain pills a lot when I was in college and seminary because I always had headaches.

     Dr. Kamol taught me how to stay in good health.  I don’t remember when the last time was that I had a cold.  She told me to squeeze fresh lemon on salt and drink it.  That was to help preventing me from having a cold, sore throat, too much fat in my body.  And I follow her teaching.

     I bought a squeezer.  We drank fresh squeeze lemon and salt everyday when she was with me in Ohio. 

     Dr. Kamol loved flowers.  She even liked wildflowers and weeds.  She admired them all the time.  She would look at a small flower coming up from the grass and said, “Look, it is doing its duty.”  She meant, “No matter how small it is.”  She was with me in spring.

     She made a few days trip to Chicago to visit old friends.  When she came back to me she said, “Walking a dog in Chicago made more money than the Rev Doc did in Thailand!”  And we both laughed.

     Dr. Kamol was the coordinator of the partnership between presbyteries in the CCT and presbyteries in the PCUSA.  She was always there at the airport when I took 3 mission trips to Thailand. 

     She took our groups of about 20 some people each time to sightseeing and visiting places.  She arranged all the schedules, lodging, transportations, and places where to eat and to go to. 

     She was on the government board and could walk in and out the palace officially.  She was on many boards globally and traveled to conferences and to teach mostly in Europe, many times in Germany.

     I suggested to my friends in Thailand both the CCT and Christian Institution officers to establish the Rev. Dr. Kamol Arayaprateep scholarships for seminary students and to name the libraries in her name.  I suggested having memorial gardens in her name because Dr. Kamol had planted, pruning, and watered many lives to grow and bear fruits in Christ.

     I also suggested that we should hold annual memorial service for her on her birthday to remember her that she was born to us, a gift from God, and we are celebrating her life in worshipping God together.     

     I have so much more to write about my Dr. Kamol who loved me dearly and tried to teach me many things.  Her love to me and my love to her will always be in my heart. 

     Now I can feel her closer to me when I am preaching and doing my pastoral work.  I feel that she is looking at me with her kind and gentle smiles.  One day when God says to me, “It is finished.  Well done.  Come home!”  I will see her again.

     My Dr. Kamol: November 23, 1925 – September 13, 2008!  Thanks be to God!

Krisana Poontajak

September 2008