How much of a difference can a couple of families make in a city with a population of over 100,000? Ever since arriving in Thailand, Kyle and I have been confronted with this question. Pastors and church leaders in Thailand have told us repeatedly that the best way to reach Thai Buddhists is by drawing close to them and allowing them to see Christianity in action. They need to see the love of Christ worked out in our lives and manifested to those in our circle of influence. A Thai pastor recently told us that we need to become friends with Buddhists and be willing to walk by their sides for years, if need be, as they progress in their spiritual journey toward Jesus Christ.
So, again, we are faced with the question: how can a handful of missionaries make a difference in a large city among so many people? Obviously, each person on our team is limited in the number of people they can mentor in this time-intensive manner. If it were just up to us, progress would be painfully slow. That is, unless we can widen our spheres of influence.
As our Central Thai missionary team discussed the challenges and difficulties of the work here, an exciting idea began to emerge. Was God leading our team (the Palacios family, Daniëlle K. and us) and the Northern Khmer Team (the Sorensen and Doss families) to join forces and share the work in the city of Khon Kaen? As we have discussed and prayed about this matter over this past year, the Lord has been confirming this idea to merge our two teams in order extend our influence and accomplish a more comprehensive work in this diverse, growing city. By faith we are moving forward in this merger, seeking God’s continued guidance.
At this point, we are prayerfully seeking methods for developing relationships with middle and upper-class Thais, since it is much easier for the Gospel to move down the Thai social ladder than up it. Our team has founded a music school, Peace Music Academy, as a means of accomplishing this objective. We are also prayerfully seeking other ways to build friendships with people. Together, we will be preparing worship and outreach materials that we hope will benefit the Adventist work all over Thailand.
Please join us in prayer as we seek God’s continued guidance in this merger. By His grace we believe that our newly merged team can radically impact the city of Khon Kaen Thailand!
