Ajaan was proposing I take on a role I had absolutely no interest in—but I had to admit, her reasoning was convincing and harmonized with my sense of calling: “You need to get involved in a community where people can see how you live; otherwise how will they know what you have to offer?” Every day, Ricardo and I pray that, in spite of our limitations communicating in Thai, we will reveal Jesus through our lives. We pray that our testimony as a Christian family will have an irresistible drawing power to Him.

Smiling, I marveled at how my friend, a practicing Buddhist, once again showed her concern for our well-being and a conscious effort to help us succeed as missionaries. But we had been warned that teaching English during this phase of mission service was a sure way to derail our own language study. And teaching large numbers of children at a Municipal school certainly did not match what I had seen on any of the spiritual gifts inventories I had taken over the years!

I expressed my concern to Ajaan, but she dismissed it. “Of course you can teach children. You teach Gabriel and Daniel. And you’ll be team teaching with a Thai teacher, so you’ll have to speak Thai.” She added that her friend, the coordinator for English studies and the first-grade teacher, could let the boys sit in on her class. Once again, Ajaan had my full attention. Homeschooling was going well, but our sons had limited time with other children, and I had been praying about how to change that without sending them to school. “Just go and talk to them,” Ajaan urged. “You can say no if you don’t want to do it.”

We went as a family, and while I spoke with Ajaan’s friend and was introduced to the principal, the boys were surrounded by children their age who plied them with questions in Thai. Before long, Gabriel was playing tekraw with one group, and Daniel had joined a recess soccer game. Ricardo, who has always had a heart for youth, soon had a group of students laughing as they tried to communicate. We learned that I would be teaching part-time and that Ricardo could help out as he was able. I would be teaching with a Thai teacher, so I would not have to worry about preparing lesson plans, and the boys could sit in on first grade and join the recess games while we were there.

Ajaan was right on all counts. Our sphere of influence has expanded beyond belief as we participate in the life of the school. While Ricardo’s full-time focus is language study with a few pastoral responsibilities with Pastor Wanlop, he has been able to join us enough that it feels like we have a family mission project. We have the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of students who, we have been told, mostly come from broken homes and underprivileged circumstances. Communicating with fellow teachers and the students has given us a practical venue for speaking Thai, and the boys have had fun joining in games with the students. They aren’t quite as thrilled about joining the first graders for class, but they acknowledge that it’s helpful for learning Thai, and they couldn’t complain when Ricardo attended with them!

Another added blessing has been the wealth of cultural knowledge we are gaining from a wide variety of experiences that include joining other teachers for lunch at the street-side restaurant a block from the school, joining the 10 other municipal schools for a parade through town on sports day, and shopping for the perfect birthday present for our principal with two fellow teachers. You would be surprised how much one’s worldview and beliefs play out in these types of daily experiences.

We know that many prayers go up on behalf of Thai Buddhists and this project. We are witnesses to the power of these prayers, and we pray for the day when we can introduce our friends to you as fellow believers in Jesus.

• Twitter