Pastor Ko Saelee of Madison Community Seventh-day Adventist Church moved to the Midwest from California in late 2005 to coordinate the Hmong ministries of the Adventist Church in Wisconsin and Minnesota, states where nearly 30% (75,000) of the Hmong in the U.S. live. Saelee and his family divide their time between these two states, and he preaches on the Northside twice a month.
Saelee was born in 1970 in a small mountain village in the Lampang Province of northern Thailand. Along with his parents, nine brothers and two sisters, he worked very hard farming rice and corn. His Hmong family and village were very poor. A major village problem was opium addiction. Soon, the village took advantage of educational opportunities, and now Meekamae is a prominent village with many college graduates. In 1970, his entire village practiced the traditional Hmong religion of Animism, or spirit/ancestor worship. Saelee’s older sister was the first in the family to attend church, and gradually his entire family became Christian. Today, his village is 90% Adventist.
Meanwhile, in the early 1970s, Laos persecuted the Hmong who had helped U.S. troops. Those that could escape fled to refugee camps in Thailand. In 1975, the U.S. began the refugee resettlement program. So, in 1990, at age 20, Saelee left his homeland to become the first ever Adventist missionary from Thailand to America to help these new immigrants.
When working with a Lao group in Sacramento, Calif., he met Terri West, who had previously lived in Thailand for four years. Saelee earned his theology degree, and West a degree in Health Education/Missions, at Weimar College near Sacramento. Saelee and West married in 1995, the day after his graduation.
The Saelees now live with their three children, ages 3-9, in rural areas of Isanti, Minnesota, (north of Minneapolis) and Rio, Wisconsin. His wife homeschools their children. They offer free garden plots at their farm in Rio because fresh food is so important to the Hmong. A major concern is the chronic disease striking their population due to the dietary changes adopted since coming to the U.S.
Saelee initiated an international gathering of Hmong Adventists scheduled this March in Thailand for adults and 700 youth from China, Laos, Thailand, U.S. and France. Local youth, including Madison East High sophomore Panhia Thao and senior Chinou Vang, have made hundreds of eggrolls as a fundraiser for the trip.
Pastor Saelee shares, “In my short time here in Madison, I have worked with very nice people. My goal is to volunteer more in this community, especially in the areas of education and health, with possible free tutoring and cooking classes.”
The Hmong congregation at Madison Community Seventh-day Adventist Church, 1926 Elka Lane, holds services in the Hmong language every Saturday. The church service starts at 2:30 pm, preceded by Adult Bible study and Youth Group meetings at 1:30 pm. Visitors are invited. For more information, call 246-0974 or 443-6575.
