A Journey... Panta ta ethne: Latest and Greatest News from Thailand!

Mission Statement: To share the love of Christ with the people of Thailand.

Vision Statement: To enrich the lives of Thai children, youth, and young adults with English language skills to improve their way of life, increase their chances at better jobs in the future, and introduce them to the love of Christ through relationship, teaching, and acts of service.

Introduction:

I’ve been serving in Thailand for the past 3 1/2 years, with my support organization being Modern Day Missions. My main field of service and ministry is teaching English as a second language to enrich the education of children, youth and young adults. I’ve found that learning English gives them hope of a better future while sharing the love of Christ through relationships. Because I’ve chosen to provide these lessons free of charge, it enables the lower-class and at-risk population to participate. This means providing English lessons to those who would most likely never be able to receive such teaching. I also serve in other areas of Bangkok such as delivering and handing out donations and meals to communities in need. I have a heart for the people of Thailand through acts of service, teaching, and loving well. I work to build relationships with everyone I meet here and share the kindness of Christ.

Qualifications:

For the last three years I’ve taken Thai language classes through Rak Thai Language School in Bangkok. This has enabled me to pass the Thai Competency Test, where I received a certificate for Competency in Thai Language. I also have a certification in Teaching English as a Second Language. These qualifications will allow me to be a viable and trusted teacher.

The Problem:

In Thailand, just like the United States, COVID-19 has caused frequent lockdowns and school closures. Unfortunately, I’m having to explore other outlets for helping and have recently been re-evaluating my long-term plans for serving here. These lockdowns and shutdowns have closed most volunteer teaching outlets for me. When we’re not in lockdown, I serve at a small English Center connected to Our Home Chapel, a church I was serving under before they cancelled its English teaching ministry due to COVID-19 and lack of students. At the English Center I help my ministry partner, Lena Lehualani (a Cross Cultural Worker from Hawaii), in her classes with Thai translations. Currently there are not enough students for me to have my own class as participation has decreased everywhere. I also serve with a second English Center for once a month English testing and special events. With the issue of COVID-19, I started to re-vision my goal and dream for serving in Thailand.

Vision:

While living in Ranong, Thailand, the vision of a long-term ministry was placed in me. After relocating to Bangkok and finishing my Thai studies, the pandemic hit. This had me re-evaluating how I could better serve the people of Thailand, and that vision was prompted to the forefront of my mind once again.

This vision starts small, teaching from my home, ideally a larger space to live in, where I can also welcome children, youth and young adults to study English for free. I will call this ministry and center the Love English Learning Center because every lesson and activity will be based on God's love for all.

I would be able to teach English by:

Incorporating activities and games
Practicing English language skills through cooking, cleaning, community outings, serving others in the community, learning teamwork, and how to make presentations to others
And after building trusting relationships with families or individuals, incorporating Bible stories and songs into the lessons

When the ministry grows, I would be able to invite other trusted teachers to join me. As it grows further, I would hope to build partnerships with Thai partners to create a foundation. A foundation would open doors for inviting others to come and serve under a visa.

I have a heart to teach the Thai people. I have a heart to love the Thai people. I have a heart to serve the Thai people. I feel a calling to share the love of Christ through teaching English to the Thai people, which will not only give them hope for a better future for jobs, but hope in Christ as well.

Seeing the joy on students' faces during lessons and special
activities is the biggest blessing one could ask for.

What is needed?

Prayer Partners. Scripture tells us the harvest is great and the workers are few. My heart’s desire is to work with God in His Thailand fields. In this time of uncertainty and the chaos and instability COVID-19 has our world in, I would love to offer and be that consistent, stable presence so many of the children need. I believe with all my heart that Christ has placed me here in Thailand for such a time as this. Through prayer and seeking God’s direction, I have been reassured that my time here is not yet finished. It is God that placed a vision and dream in my heart, and I have faith that He will help me carry that out. Please join me in prayer for my ministry and outreach here in Thailand.

Financial support partners. A huge part of this ministry is the backing of faithful supporters. I can see the end of my money looming and I still sense I am called to serve the people of Thailand. By July, all previous support and funding raised will have been used up and I need to find new supporters in order to stay and serve in Thailand. I also need to increase my monthly budget to meet the vision for ministry growth. This includes:

increase in housing cost in order to find a space large enough where I can both teach and live
Teaching supplies such as paper, notebooks, dry erase markers, pencils, and other small classroom necessities
Classroom supplies such as tables/chairs or desks, whiteboards, printer, etc
Teaching curriculum teacher/student/workbook books and audio/DVD. (A list of these things can be provided to those interested in purchasing and shipping directly to me)

To fulfill the vision of sharing Christ’s love with the Thai people, the Love English Learning Center would have a need of $2,250 per month. For startup, the Love English Learning Center would need about $2,500-$3,500 up front in order to begin renting a new place (move in cost is usually first and last months’ payments) as well as buy necessary teaching supplies and curriculum. It is my goal to find housing that is already furnished to avoid having to buy furniture necessities such as a bed and kitchen appliances.

Conclusion:

This vision for ministry and service allows me to:

build deeper relationships within a Thai community
offer English lessons to different levels and age groups throughout the week and not be limited in service, hours of operation, travel time, or staff to student ratio
serve more freely and more often than I am able to serve through my current English Center volunteering.

This is my heart: To serve daily by loving others well and sharing the love of Christ through service and relationships.
Please prayerfully consider financially supporting me on this journey through a monthly donation or a one-time gift. You can CLICK HERE to choose a donation option that fits you best or use the following link: https://www.modernday.org/field-workers/clmoye77/

Thank you in advance for your prayers and financial support!

My current areas of ministry and service are: