.Contact Us in Khao Lak

John Quinley is the Director of the Step Ahead Training Center and Cafe Khao Lak.. Originally from Virginia in the US, he and his wife Kim have been working in Thailand for about 17 years with YWAM, spending 6 of those working down in the South. John had the vision for the center after coming down to Khao Lak with his family the first week after the Tsunami to help. He is also the Director of Step Ahead Micro Enterprise Development in Bangkok www.stepaheadmed.org

Jariyaporn Panthong (Taan) joined us in October 2006 as our office manager.  She worked at an export company in Bangkok for nearly two years.  She has been a Christian for six years and loves the Lord.  She is from Chantaburi province.  She studied at Ramkhamhaeng University. .

Isariya Arngee ( Benz ) joined the team in October 2005  . Since arriving at Step Ahead, Benz has not only done an excellent job with the administration, but has also put to use her English skills by running the Absolute Beginners English courses.  She studied at Ramkhamhaeng University. . She left the end of November to pursue other ministry opportunities in northern Thailand and Bangkok.   But then returned the end of December to work in micro enterprise development with soap manufacturing and growing mushrooms.

Former Staff

Joanne Tomblin (Jo T) coordinated the project from the start. Alongside Nok, she led a number of volunteer teams in renovating the Step Ahead building, which was badly damaged by the Tsunami. With the help of Kim, John's wife, she made excellent choices in paint color, pictures, curtains, big wood tables and chairs. She then did a brilliant job in starting up the different courses at the training center, making links with the community, teaching English and sports at one of the local schools. Before she came out to work in Thailand Jo was a PE teacher in Leicester in England- and had the privilege of sharing a house with Mozza!

Joanne Butcher (Jo B) joined the Step Ahead team with severely mosquito eaten feet after living in one of the temporary housing camps for two months! During this time she was working with an organization called Phantasanja working in the mother and baby centre. Since joining Step Ahead she was leading the Beginners English course and heading up the hotel teaching.

Helen Morris (Mozza) was teaching sports in Loughborough, in England, before coming out to Thailand to teach English with Step Ahead.  She sings, she plays the guitar.  She is a real go getter, and has done much to develop the hospitality English teaching materials.  Helen served with us until April 2007 when she returned to England.  We are very grateful for her years of service.

Ketsara Rammasoon (Gade)  worked as the administrator for Step Ahead and did a brilliant job in administration and translation. She left October 2005 to go and work on the staff team for the Chaing Rai DTS.

Mark and Sharon Biddell  come from the U.K they joined Step Ahead with their four children in March and worked with us through September 2006.  Previously they served on the Mercy Ships giving aid to projects in Afriica.  Now they provide relief and development for the Khao Lak and Nam Ken areas. They are led a soap production venture. As of October 2006 they started a new ministry in Phuket an outreach to the prostitutes, called SHE. 

Dana and Cindy Bratton joined us in August 2006 as long term volunteer EFL English teachers. They are from Riverside California. Dana had been a hospital chaplain for 16 years and Cindy had been a middle school science teacher the last 4 years, They also had years of experience in children's ministry and Dana does our web design.  Also see www.wdbydana.com/newsletter.html Dana managed the Khao Lak base, overseeing the English classes, the Cafe, and the internet cafe.  They left in January 2007 for a Crossroads DTS training in Perth and now serve with YWAM Thailand.

Nok worked with Step Ahead from the beginning. He was very involved in the renovation of the center (being the hands and work coordinator behind Jo T's brain) and since then was our maintenance man and driver. He also demonstrated a talent for making fruit shakes! Nok is from a place called Nam Kem, which was the area most badly affected by the Tsunami   Nok left Step Ahead to join his brother in construction work in October 2006. 

Id started working at Step Ahead a year ago last September and did a brilliant job in keeping the center looking so nice. Before the Tsunami she worked at the Sofatel Hotel, which was sadly one of the many hotels destroyed.  She worked with us through October 2006.

Rung initially came into contact with Step Ahead through joining the Basic English course, and then applied for a job at the cafe when we advertised . We are delighted that she was able to come and work with us, and she very quickly learned how to make excellent coffees, shakes and smoothies and worked alongside Nong to learn more about baking.  She worked with us through October 2006.

Lakana was involved in the project from the opening of the centre in May. Initially she led a weeks course on stepping ahead into the future for all of the students who had registered for the various courses. After that she led a number of Beginners Computer classes. Many of the students attending the Beginners classes had never tried to use a computer before and was brilliant to see them grow in confidence through Pi Lak's patient instruction and encouragement. She has now moved back to her home town in Esaan to be close to her family and we congratulate her and her husband on the recent birth of their first child, a baby girl! 

We are very grateful for the work of Kwan in working with Step Ahead to help co-ordinate the opening of the cafe. We have been very privileged to also have Nong working with us in the cafe. Nong is an excellent baker and, as well as working for Step Ahead, also works at Le Meridien Hotel in Khao Lak. She has been training the other staff at Step Ahead in baking cakes, biscuits, pies and creme caramel and has also been training the staff at the local We Love Thailand bakery, who will be providing our cafe with bread and croissants.

For a 5 week period starting in the middle of October 05, Matthias joined us every Thursday and Friday to take the German course here at Step Ahead. He is an OMF missionary working in Bangkok, where he lives with his family, and we are very grateful to him for his time in coming down to Khao Lak and taking this course.

Pla	Ren

Step Ahead is  supported by Operation Blessing.

Our Address: 31/16-17 Soi Bang Niang
Khao Lak, Phang Nga 82190