On another day, as I was reflecting on this process, I noted that all of my ideas had people in them, which is a good thing, I suppose, but there are also significant places we've visited along the way. So maybe I'll do one set with people and one without.
Since we've moved to Thailand in 2011 we've lived in six provinces in three regions. But there is a significant "almost"—where we planned on moving to but ended up not moving to. I felt a need to include this because there was significant time and energy devoted to this during our second year in Thailand.
The breakdown, then, is like this:
| Where | Region | When | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bangkok | Central | April 2011-May 2012 |
| 2 | "Almost" Sisaket | Northeast | February 2012-August 2012 |
| 3 | Chonburi | Central | May 2012-December 2012 |
| 4 | Chachoengsao | Central | December 2012-August 2013 |
| North American Ministry | September 2013-December 2013 | ||
| 5 | Wiang Kaen, Chiang Rai | Northern | January 2014-October 2016 |
| North American Ministry | November 2016-February 2017 | ||
| 6 | Phon Phisai, Nong Khai | Northeast | February 2017-December 2019 |
| North American Ministry | January 2020-January 2021-extended due to COVID | ||
| 7 | Kamalasai, Kalasin | Northeast | February 2021-September 2023 (planned) |
Bangkok
Shortly after we arrived in Thailand, we moved to Bangkok. We're small town people, and moving to a mega-city was a bit of a challenge for us. (See more about that here). Even a person who is good at navigation like myself had a hard time finding my way around at first. Often we couldn't see the sun to navigate by because of the buildings. And there were no mountains to look up at to give directional clues. I had to learn to use different kinds of landmarks to find my way around.We had moved to Bangkok to attend Union Language School. We found an affordable apartment about 2 kilometers from the school on the 22nd floor of Rachaprarop Tower Mansion. We started making some friends among the transient students at the language school—some of who we studied together with for most of the year that we were there. But we also developed some more relationships at the International Church of Bangkok. We became part of a small group there that would meet once a week for prayer Bible study. Our group had members from the USA, Australia, Japan, Thailand and probably some other places I can't remember. We would occasionally go on outings together as well. One time we ended up a a karaoke restaurant. Karaoke places are quite common here in Thailand (sometimes doubling as brothels), but for us it was a novelty. Our group got its own room and even Ingrid was brave enough to join with Rebecca for a song. This is an unusual picture because she is actually smiling while singing with a microphone.
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| Karaoke Night |
One advantage of living on the 22nd floor was that we were above some of the pollution. We had a huge patio on one side with lots of potted plants including some small trees. We were close by the Baiyoke tower, the tallest building in Bangkok at the time, and it figured prominently in the skyscape visible from our apartment. We also got to see the sunrises and sunsets when the smog would permit. But what was really fun was when the storms came through. While we're not big fans of the concrete jungle, there was something awesome about watching the clouds and lightning over the city.
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| View of Baiyoke Tower on a Stormy Day From Our Apartment |
"Almost" Sisaket
Our original plan was to work in Northern Thailand after we finished language school. In December 2011, we took a trip to the town where we eventually hoped to work in order to begin planning. But while we were there, the director of the work in our Thailand called us and told us to think about doing something else. He didn't have any other ideas, just that we weren't to pursue our original plan.
We had no idea what to do next. We explored some options but didn't feel God leading us in those directions. Eventually someone came up with an idea to join with another couple whose current ministry was coming to an end and pursue forming a team to work in Northeast Thailand, known as Isaan. Isaan is the poorest region of Thailand. It is the largest region, by area, and has the most people. But it also has the fewest number of churches and the least percentage of Christians.
We liked the idea, so we began meeting with Rob and Judy Griffeon to do team building. We made three trips to the Isaan region in March, April and July, visiting most of the provinces in the region and trying to decide where to work. We eventually decided we would work in the province of Sisaket. We made a fourth trip to that province in August to finalize plans. We decided that the Griffeons would settle in Sisaket City and we would move to the District of Utumphon Phisai, northwest of that.
On our third trip, we had met a hairdresser named Nat who worked in a small mall in Utumphon Phisai. As far as she knew, she was the only believer in the town. (You can read more about that here.) On our 4th trip to Isaan, we attended a church in the city of Sisaket. There we met a woman named Ying who was from Utumphon Phisai. God had called her from Bangkok to help bring the good news of Jesus to the Isaan people. This in itself was a great story, as typically people leave Isaan to go live elsewhere rather than the other way around. It was a joy to connect Ying with Nat while we were there.
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| Ingrid with Nat and Ying in Utumphon Phisai |
A month after our fourth visit to Isaan, the Griffeons had health issues while back in Canada, and they ended up leaving our organization. (The currently lead an organization that helps the poor and oppressed in SE Asia, GNI Ministries.) This left us without a team. And while we were okay with the idea of moving to Sisaket and partnering with another organization, our country director wouldn't let us. (More on that later.) But the good news is that even though we did not end up moving to Utumphon Phisai, Ying was able to help start a church in that town. (Nat, however, moved somewhere else.)
While we were exploring Sisaket, we decided to take a day to enjoy one of the parks in the area. The province of Sisaket borders Cambodia to the south. The border follows the crest of a mountain range. There is a famous historic temple site on the border, the ownership of which has been disputed in the past. Current international court rulings place it in Cambodia, but at the time we were there, there was still some tension in the air about it. (The name of the site is often transliterated Phreah Vihear, but I write it as Phra Wihan as it better captures the pronunciation for English speakers.) We visited the park, and while we were not able to get to the temple due to border tensions, we were still able to enjoy the mountains and scenic views. There was a nice relaxed feel when we got there—one soldier even let Judy hold his unloaded assault rifle.
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| Khao Phra Wihan National Park |
Chonburi
While we were in the process of exploring Isaan, we finished up our language studies in Bangkok. We along with the Griffeons were asked to look after affairs in Chonburi for a few months while two of the missionary families who would normally do this were back in North America. Chonburi is located southeast of Bangkok on the Gulf of Thailand. The work included helping at the Abundant Life Homes orphanage and with the administration of the foundation.At one point, we were enlisted to help chaperone a trip to Siam City Park—a water park and amusement park located north of Bangkok. Ingrid and I looked after some of the younger kids from the orphange, which meant going on some of the lower key rides, which was fine with us.
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| Trip to Siam City Park with Kids from Abundant Life Homes |
We really didn't like living in Chonburi. It was a crowded city with lots of traffic, which made traveling anywhere a chore. Fortunately, the apartment we rented was almost across the street from our foundation office and a short walk to a mall where we could get groceries. During our time here, we bought our first vehicle from a used car dealer located halfway between our apartment and the mall.
We enjoy nature more than urban life. One nice thing about Chonburi was that there were still a few patches of mangrove forests left that had not been filled in and "developed" yet. There was actually a small area where they were trying to reestablish the mangroves that even had a boardwalk through it. We enjoyed our walks there and watching the mudskippers—amphibious fish that would use their fins to climb out of the water. While we would watch these creatures, there would be a constant popping noise coming from a type of shrimp that lived in the mangroves.
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| Mudskipper in the Mangrove Swamp |
Chachoengsao
After the Griffeons decided to leave our organization, we had to figure out what to do with the rest of our term. About that time we received word that Guy and Kaeo, a couple from Bethel Church in Chachoengsao, had gotten to the point in their lives where they could buy a house. So they purchased a townhouse in a subdivision called Ban Phrueksa. Now they were looking for someone to help them start a church in their subdivision. The work would be under the leadership of Ajan Nat, an emerging Thai leader in Bethel Church.The idea of partnering with Thai nationals appealed to us, so we prayed and scouted and then moved in just before Christmas, 2012. Our job was to do things to help make connections with the locals while Guy and Kaeo did more of the evangelistic outreach, as they knew the language better than us. We had kids clubs in the park where we played games, taught English and shared Bible stories. Ingrid invited some of the neighbors to do baking. I taught guitar to some of the young people. The picture below is from one of the local children who raced down the street to welcome us home after we were away for two weeks. You can read more about that here.
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| Neighborhood Child Welcomes us Home |
In the end, Guy and Kaeo ended up being too busy to help with the ministry. They were burdened with huge amounts of debt and worked long hours, six days a week, to make money. This is a common problem throughout Thailand. It is often too easy to borrow money and people have to work really hard to service their debt. (Read more about the debt problem here.)
In the meantime, we enjoyed the rural life surrounding our subdivision. The tract had once been a rice paddy and was still surrounded by rice paddies. And though we were only a fifteen minute drive away from Lat Krabang—that busy city that serves Bangkok's main airport—where we lived it was more of a rural agricultural area. We liked riding bikes or driving around the rice paddies. When the farmers would plough up the paddies, all kinds of wading birds would come hunting for creatures stirred up by the tillage. Typically, these would be Asian Openbill Storks or Egrets. But occasionally something more exotic would show up like pelicans or, pictured below, painted storks.
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| Painted Storks Hanging Out With the Egrets in the Rice Paddies |
Wiang Kaen, Chiang Rai
While we were living in Chachoengsao, we heard rumor that some people among the Khmu churches we worked with in Northern Thailand were interested in helping start churches in Isaan. So we came up with a plan to move to northern Thailand for a while to see if we could help make that happen. So for our second term, we relocated to the Wiang Kaen District of Chiang Rai, where our organization has a training center on the banks of the Mekong River. The move happened on Valentine's Day, 2014. I remember because I was away from Ingrid that night, having flown to Bangkok to help the movers the next day while Ingrid waited in Wiang Kaen.Our organization's ministry in the north was primarily with the Khmu people, one of the people groups that lives in the mountainous areas of Southeast Asia. The dominant ethnic group in Wiang Kaen District, however was Hmong. Also well represented were the North Thai, Haw Chinese and Lue people groups.
When we arrived in the north, we discovered that the Khmu churches weren't even to the point where they were supporting themselves, let alone being to able to send missionaries elsewhere. The person who had expressed interest in helping start churches in Isaan was just looking for a job—but he really wasn't even doing the job he was currently paid to do. So we figured that we would would stay and see if there was anything we could do to help improve their economic situation of the Khmu people. In the meantime, the person who was administering the training center left, and I ended up taking on that role, which I really didn't want to do. There were also other issues that came up along with that, which led to a lot of stress and, eventually, burnout.
There was one event that happened during this time which was to play a role in our future ministry in Thailand. One day I get a phone call from a person who identified himself as Somdy, who was visiting from Canada. He said he got my phone number from one of the other missionaries. He wanted me to pick him up later that day in Chiang Khong (the next district over from us) and take him to see the training center. So I make arrangements where to meet him. In the meantime, I called that other missionary to ask what he knew about that person, which wasn't very much. Somdy stayed a couple of days and then left, but I didn't think much more about it at the time.
What helped keep us going during this challenging time was our Saturday morning activities with youth and children. We taught English, played games, did crafts and shared Bible Stories. There was a core group of three teen girls who came to these activities. This picture was taken when they all came to visit after graduation from high school. You can read more about that here.
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| Visit From Our Girls |
In the time since we left Wiang Kaen, Ching (left) went on to become a school teacher like she planned. Lai (center), whom we helped in her scholarship application, ended up getting a degree in hospitality management. Unfortunately, she graduated in the midst of the COVID crisis when the tourist industry collapsed here in Thailand. So she went on to join the police academy to become a teacher with the border police (the border police run many schools in remote border areas where regular teachers don't want to work). June (right) had planed to study law, but ended up switching to economics and now works at the stock exchange of Thailand. What a joy it was to play a role in these young women's lives.
We really liked the environment in northern Thailand. Wian Kaen district is comprised of the watershed of the Ngao River, which flows north into the Mekong River. The Ngao River flows down a narrow valley surrounded by mountains. The crest of the mountains to the east forms the border with Laos. There are two national parks on this mountain border, the one closest to us was called Doi Pha Tang. The Haw Chinese live in the villages near the park. From the summit, you can look down to the Mekong River. It's really stunning when the clouds blow up the valley to the crest of the mountains. For more pictures from Doi Pha Tang, see here.
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| View Into Laos and Mekong River from Doi Pha Tang National Park |
Phon Phisai, Nong Khai
When our term was finished in Wiang Kaen, we went back to North America for a few months, not knowing what would be next. While we were in Canada, we found out that Somdy had joined our organization and was currently in training with his wife Jan and daughter Sarah. We happened to be in Abbotsford during their last week there so we visited with him to find out about his plans.Somdy was planning on going to Isaan to start a church in the province of Nong Khai. We talked about the possibility of assisting him there then made a plan to join him after we returned to Thailand. Finally, we were going to make it to Isaan! Somdy and his family arrived in Phon Phisai in January, 2017. We moved there about 3 months after that.
Sarah attracted a lot of young people, so we ended up doing lots of activities with them. We taught English and did crafts with them. Ingrid was popular with the kids because she would invite them to our house to make cookies and other baked goods. I taught guitar. Kung Nang and Pla were cousins who lived close to the house that Somdy had rented. Both of them who would come to learn guitar. Of the two, Kung Nang was a more dedicated at coming to practice, but Pla had a more innate sense of music, though she was shy to perform in front of others. I wrote about Kung Nang's story here.
Also during this time, we would go to visit people to tell about the love of Jesus and to pray for healing of the sick. One woman we prayed for was Wari, who had a condition that made it difficult for her to walk. (More about her story here). God transformed Wari's life tremendously. I noticed that Wari had a very good voice, so I invited her to help lead worship.
What a joy it was to see these three people: Pla, Wari, and Kung Nang help lead Christmas songs together during our last Christmas in Phon Phisai.
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| Pla, Wari and Kung Nang Helping Lead Worship |
On some of our days off, we like to go exploring new places. There were several places that we found where we could make day trips from Phon Phisai. Phu Tawk was a great place to go for a serious stair climbing workout as wall as a test of one's nerves. Red Lotus Lake was a beautiful spot for a relaxing boat ride. But I think my favorite place was Phu Phrabat Historic Park. Phu Phrabat is the location of some interesting sandstone features that had been turned into places to live and worship several hundred years ago. Because of the historical features, the location was turned into a park operated by the Arts and History Ministry, rather than by the Department of Forestry. Folks in the arts deparment have a different perspective than those in the forestry department. The park has one of the fanciest restrooms I have seen in Thailand. And the trails are meticuously groomed, unlike the more rustic paths of most parks. There are lots of different trails, so one can plan as long or short a route as one wants to when visiting. Just bring lots of water to keep hydrated. We have been there in wet season and dry season, and the character of the place changes throughout the year.
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| Well Maintained Trails in Phu Phrabat Park-But Watch Your Head |
Kamalasi, Kalasin
In January 2020, after that term in Phon Phisai, we went back to North America for a few months, but that few months turned into a year because of COVID. Somdy was still there for part of that time, but then he ended up having to leave as well. However, the church we started continued on even without us there. We were wondering what we should do when we went back, since it didn't seem the church in Phon Phisai needed us any more.During one of my rumunations, probably in about September, I considered the possibility of going to Kalasin Province. There was a family we knew there that we had met when we were in Phon Phisai. Yai had a coffee shop and his wife, Rung Arun, was a high ranking police officer. Their daugther would sometimes come to our English classes. They eventually moved to Kalasin to Rung Arun's hometown. That was while we were still living in Phon Phisai. We even went to Kalasin to visit them at one point. But the challenge was that we had no other connections in the province and no one to join with us if we went there.
I think it was November when our supervisor had a zoom call with us and some others to discuss or remobilizing to Thailand. He said he wanted to talk about what was happening in Phon Phisai but that he also had another possibility for us. As soon as he said that, in my mind, I said to myself, "I hope it's Kalasin." So after chatting about the work in Phon Phisai for a while, he said, "Ajan Nat is wondering if you would want to help start a church in her home village in Kalasin."
By this time Ajan Nat had become one of the key leaders of the Mennonite Brethren in Thailand. She was still living in Chachoengsao, but had had a house built in her home village in the Kamalasai district of Kalasin. She eventually hoped to move back to her home village, in the meantime she wanted her house to be used for aministry center.
Long story short, in March, 2021, 10 years almost to the day from when we first moved to Thailand, we moved to the Kamalasai District of Kalasin Province. The district is adjacent to the one where Yai and Rung Arun live.
Working in Kamalasai has been quite challenging. There are a lot of people struggling with alcohol and drug addictions. Families are broken. Children are raised by grandparents or other relatives while their parents work in other parts of the country. There was an intern, Kung, who moved there a couple months before us to begin praying for and sharing the gospel with people in Ajan Nat's home village. Several people expressed an interest in following Jesus, but most ended up losing interest after a while. Kung ended up moving to the USA that July to marry and American.
But we persevered, doing outreach events, teaching English to children, baking things to give away, and teaching guitar, among other things. There was a group of three older people we met with on Sunday evenings who had expressed faith in Jesus, but who were still mostly Buddhist. This included Ta Ban, his wife Yai Thong, and his sister Yai Urai. After a year of mostly working on our own, with occasional visits from ministry teams from Chachoengsao (where Ajan Nat was still living), we were joined by another intern, Moe, a great-niece of Ajan Nat.
One of our routines was to visit people to pray for them and share Bible stories with them. Yai Urai developed a special fondness for Moe and looked forward to having her come and share Bible stories. Sometimes Yai Thong would join us as well. Yai Urai sits in front of her house every day making Dok Mai Chan or other things to sell for some income. Dok Mai Chan are flowers made from paper, bamboo or other things that are flammable that are thown onto the coffins of deceased people before they are cremated. Yai Urai has a great sense of humor and a beautiful smile, which makes it a joy to go visit her. In the photo below Moe is sharing a story with Yai Urai while Yai Thong listens in in the background. Ingrid is helping put together Dok Mai Chan.
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| Story Telling with Yai Urai |
For us, Kamalasai has been a very pleasant place to live. It is on a broad flood plain and terrace system intersected by the Pao River and bordered by the Chi River. With all the water from the rivers and associated canals and all the flat land, it is an ideal area for rice growing. We enjoy biking or driving the windy roads of the area. And in rainy season, for entertainment, we like to go out storm cloud watching. One day, after we had gone on a storm chasing journey, we were talking with Moe. She had driven her motorcycle into the city to watch a movie the day before, just missing the big storm we had been following. I told her that instead of watching a movie, we had gone out watching a different kind of show—the storm—it's cheaper than going to the movies.😁)
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| Storm Clouds and Rice Paddies |
In relating these snapshots of our journey, I have intentionally left out some of the negative experiences we have had. It has not been easy living in Thailand and I have passed through some of the darkest valleys of my life, one of which I alluded to here. But even these experiences are part of my story that God has used to form me.
Now we are coming to the end of our ministry in Thailand. Just a few more months and we will be moving back to California—at least that's the plan at this point. We don't know what's next up in our lives. As we look back at the convoluted path God used to get us to where we are in Isaan, I see how God was preparing us all along the way. But even all this time in we have spent in Thailand is still but preparation for what is to come next. What has God been preparing us for during our time here in Thailand?
Stay tuned!
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