Tony Bounthapanya came to this country as a young man. It was the right time to leave Laos. His mother had a boat. His father, a soldier enslaved by the government, had a pass, and the family took whatever they could carry and sailed to Thailand. They stayed there in the camps, but before they could enter the country, they had to give up their large boat and all of its contents.
They knew and experienced the price of freedom.
They also came to realize what it means to be a refugee, like the newcomers we serve at FIRM.
In this country, Tony flourished as a young adventure, entrepreneur, and all around teenaged young man. He was introduced to Christianity by a winding path that is too long to tell here. To short cut it, one evening, he walked into a youth group in a local Baptist Church and saw a pretty girl named Tout Tou and it was all over.
Suddenly, he was totally involved in church life and exposed to the message which he later embraced as his own. He accepted, Christ, was baptized, and eventually married Tout Tou.
His studies equipped him for work in the for-profit world. He always had a job and hardly ever interviewed for one. While working, he began to volunteer for FIRM where Tout Tou was already employed. He drove the bus and lent his hand at needed chores until one day a job opened up on staff for a van driver. He had his very first actual job interview and was hired.
Since that time, his role has evolved and grown and Tony is now FIRM’s bookkeeper for part of his time and garden manager for the rest.
He enjoys making things grow and watching people grow. He loves being a father to his children and a husband to his wife. Her enthusiasm for life does not overwhelm him. In fact, he enjoys it. He believes that God places the right people together for a reason.
And God places people in the right jobs where they can serve people and make a difference.
Tony’s smile, calm manner, and quiet confidence inspire confidence in the rest of the FIRM staff that everything is getting done to support their work and that everything is going to be OK no matter how hectic the world gets.
