Surrounded by temple complexes and Buddha statues, you feel that as a Christian in Thailand you belong to an absolute minority. Arjan Witzier (mission consultant) and Harry Lukens (mission representative) experienced first-hand what it is like to live and work in this country as Dutch missionaries during a working visit at the end of September. Among others, we visited Rik and Dineke van den Bogerd, Mika and Ab, and Clarine Mol. In between conversations, we did not shy away from getting acquainted with the Thai language and (eating) customs. We will take you through the highlights.
Arrival in Chiang Mai
After arriving in Bangkok from Schiphol Airport, we decide to immerse ourselves in the culture right away: we have an Asian-style brunch at the airport. From there, we travel to Chiang Mai, where we attend church on Sunday morning. For the full experience, we choose a fried grasshopper as a snack.
In Chiang Mai, we begin with many conversations. We visit several workers and missionaries who have been sent out on behalf of other denominations. All their personal stories teach us a great deal about missionary work and the challenges in the region. In just one day, we gain a wealth of insights.
Rik and Dineke van den Bogerd
During these first few days, we also visit Rik and Dineke van den Bogerd. In January, they were sent out by the CGK of Drachten in collaboration with OMF, together with their children Liza (13), Luke (11) and Tim (8). They work in Chiang Mai as missionary diaconal workers. Arjan only spoke to them briefly at the sending service, so today feels like an introduction.
Questions about the future
Rik and Dineke tell us that applying for visas has been and continues to be somewhat problematic. Since this year, it has been difficult to apply for a ‘religious affairs visa’ in the province. These visas are issued at the request of an umbrella organisation of churches. This organisation believes that there are enough churches in the north to take on the missionary work themselves. It is therefore still unclear where Rik and Dineke will ultimately be working.
Learn Thai
Fortunately, the family is doing well. They enjoy contact with people in their neighbourhood, which is improving all the time. Rik and Dineke attend language school every day. The children are home-schooled in English every day and attend Thai language lessons once a week.
For the occasion, we are allowed to join one of Rik's language lessons. Such a lesson turns out to be quite challenging!
To integrate well, we do our utmost to use chopsticks at mealtimes. It's a challenge, but we keep trying. The next day, we discover that you can also get nice Western food here. Nice for a change.
It's not very sunny these days: to put it in Dutch terms, it's raining cats and dogs. Fortunately, there are no floods, although there is a lot of talk about them.
Mika
The next day, we meet Mika (since she cannot openly discuss her work, we refer to her by her pseudonym). Mika also works as a missionary deacon. She was sent by the church in Amsterdam-Noord.
She gives us a tour of her workplace and we eat together. Mika tells us that she mentors young people who work for communities that are not yet familiar with the Bible. She also conducts research into translation work for various minority groups who do not yet have the Bible in their own language. Many language groups do not even have their own writing system! We are impressed by the amount of work that Mika and the young people put into this.
Ab and Clarine Mol
From Chiang Mai, we take a plane to Udon Thani in Isaan in north-eastern Thailand. When we arrive, we visit the market. What a feast, with all those delicacies! We also need to withdraw money. That requires some patience if you don't know the language.
Found the twist
Then Ab Mol picks us up. We are allowed to stay at Ab and Clarine's home for a few days. The family was sent out in 2018 on behalf of CGK Ede (for OMF) and so we have known them for some time. Ab and Clarine tell us that they are doing well. They feel at home and are getting better and better at the language and culture. Their children Loïs, Boaz and Jesse are also doing well. They are enjoying themselves at the international school in Udon Thani and feel at home in the group. They attend the morning services in NoonSung and also visit the afternoon services of an international church where most of their friends go. Loïs is now in her final year of secondary school. After her exams, she wants to come to the Netherlands. She is still considering exactly what she wants to study.
A noodle restaurant and bamboo furniture
Once we have caught up, we go with Ab to the village of SiiOo. On the way, we stop at a number of small businesses that have been started with the microfinance project. Through this project, Christians receive an interest-free loan with which they can set up a small business. These are often agricultural projects or food stalls. We pass a noodle restaurant, a stall selling fried bananas, a bamboo furniture maker and a grasshopper production company. We also look at a motorbike with a sidecar for a future project. It is remarkable to see these mini-businesses. They are a real blessing for many local people and are doing better than expected. Fifty-two projects have already been launched. The expectation was that 15% of this would now have been repaid, but 40% has already been repaid. If the repayments continue at this rate, the money can be used several times.
Young congregation in SiiOo
In SiiOo, we attend the church service with a meal. With twenty adults and seventeen children, the congregation is still small and young, but no less hopeful. We listen to a beautiful testimony from the church worker in this congregation.
Exploring the surroundings
The next day, Ab and Clarine show us more of the region. We visit a temple complex and browse the market for souvenirs. At the International Community School, we watch the volleyball tournament in which their children are participating.
The church in NoonSung is growing
We are allowed to visit the church in NoonSung the next day. Rev. Arm and his wife Nina lead this congregation. They work together with Ab and Clarine. Today, Arjan gives the sermon. He is also allowed to administer the Lord's Supper. Here too, we eat together after the service. The church in NoonSung was started about four and a half years ago and now has a hundred members. The congregation is growing so fast that a church building project has been started. The congregation has its eye on a plot of land and has paid the first instalment for it. In addition, they are looking into whether a daughter congregation can be established somewhere else besides SiiOo.
Bible study in the neighbourhood
’In the afternoon, we attend the Bible study group that Clarine started in Udon Thani, the neighbourhood where the family lives. We hear that the group of ten neighbours meets every Sunday afternoon. Some of them have already been baptised. We read a passage from the Bible and discuss it together so that the participants can understand the text. Today we also celebrate Holy Communion. Clarine is assisted in leading the group by Sijmen and Annelies den Hartog, a missionary couple sent out by PKN Rotterdam-Delfshaven.
Here too, there is something tasty after the service. It turns out to be sago, a sweet treat from the sago palm.
On our last day in Udon Thani, we speak to the team leader at the OMF Isaan office. He tells us about his vision and strategy for reaching the people of Isaan with the gospel. Of the 22 million inhabitants, no more than 66,000 are Christians. So there is still a lot of work to be done! In the afternoon, we go to the airport to travel back to Bangkok.
Other visits
From Bangkok, we visit other OMF workers in the region. We also get a glimpse of OMF Thailand's language and culture school. Here we speak to missionaries who are receiving language lessons, self-study and practical lessons. By now, it is clear to us how necessary these lessons are and how difficult they are.
All in all, we have an exciting journey with many encounters and conversations. We gain interesting insights into how missionary work finds its way in a cultural and religious context that is so different from ours. We are encouraged by the workers' commitment and dedication to the Gospel. In turn, we encourage them to continue their good work in dependence on the Lord.
Arjan Witzier and Harry Lukens
