August 1st marked 2 years since I came to serve in Nakhon Si Thammarat province with the OMF team. It has been a time in which have learned many things. I have learned about cultures of different missionaries through the experience of working with them. I have even learned about Thai culture, seeing things I had never noticed about my own culture before. But how did I actually get here?
I grew up in church and began serving in my church as I got into my teens, and really enjoyed helping out in various ways, including leadership roles in youth group and leading worship. When I went to university, studying engineering business, my goal was to do my best in my studies and then enter the workforce and make lots of money. But God had His own plan for my life. I happened to get involved with Campus Crusade at my university, and I and friends had free time, we would go out two by two, sharing the Gospel with fellow students. One day, I had the joy of seeing a student come to Christ after I had shared the Gospel. It was such a thrill as I entered into the joy of the angels seeing one sinner repent. After this, I began to have a burden to share the Gospel with other Thai people still in the dark. Coming towards the end of my last year, I felt God leading me to put aside 1 year after graduation to do some kind of mission service, like giving the first fruits to God. I still had the plan of pursuing some kind of lucrative career after the year was complete. The next question was where to serve. Option one was student work at my university and option 2 was serving with the OMF team in Nakhon Si Thammarat. As I prayed, I felt God leading me to the latter.
I began working in 4 main locations in Nakhon Si Thammarat, Hua Thanon, Maila, Phrom Khiri and Bang Jak,
helping the missionary families in the church planting work. The work ranged from helping teach English, going out visiting and evangelizing, worship leading, being MC at English Camps, doing children’s clubs, looking after missionary children, discipling youth, doing administrative tasks as well as doing almost everything imaginable at adventure camps. During this year, my desire for a lucrative career began to fade, being replaced with the desire to work to spread the good news of Jesus to more Thai people, so as I approached the end of one year, I decided to extend my time just a little more.
During the course of this work, I ended up working together a fair amount with a missionary from Canada named Steve, who happened to be single, as was I. Fast forward two years, he’s not single anymore, nor am I. And I am in the process of becoming a long-term missionary with OMF.