The Kingdom of Thailand is a land of many smiles. It is a beautiful country and one of the world’s top tourist destinations. You may have thought about coming to enjoy the beach, eat fresh mangoes, or ride an elephant.
However, have you ever considered coming to this exotic country to share the Gospel with unreached peoples? Have you ever wondered if maybe God is calling you to move to Thailand?
Here are 7 reasons why you should purchase a plane ticket and make the adventurous move to the amazing Southeast Asian country of Thailand.
1. THAILAND IS BEAUTIFUL
The first thing everyone notices upon arriving in Thailand is the country’s incredible beauty. Flowers pour over parks, islands, gardens, trees, and can be spotted growing and blooming year-round. Waterfalls cascade down luscious mountains, crashing over ginormous rocks in the forests and jungles, and rush along the rivers into cool ponds. Elaborate, architectural temples stand on nearly every street. Night markets are filled with lights, handicrafts, and vibrant colors. Thailand is a beautiful country! There are elephant tours to take through the jungle, mountains to hike, rivers to raft, sunsets to watch, and islands to discover. If you love exploring God’s beautiful creation, listen for Thailand calling your name!
2. THE THAI PEOPLE ARE KIND
Thai people are some of the kindest and most hospitable people in the world. Being rude, loud, and visibly angry is a no-no in this culture. They greet people with a smile and a bow with their palms pressed together called the “wai.” They open doors for people and are quick to offer a helping hand. Honor and respect are deeply rooted in their culture, and they openly give honor where it is due—sometimes even when it is not deserved. The Thai language is soft and gentle and makes anyone who learns it sound the same! If you enjoy cross-cultural interactions with people, the Thai welcome you with arms wide open and broad smiles!
3. THAI FOOD IS DELICIOUS
Whether it be a plate of mango sticky rice, spicy Thai curry, fried noodles, or fried chicken with Thai herbs, your tastebuds will rejoice when landing in Thailand! There is a perfect combination of spicy, sour, sweet, and salty in nearly every dish. The products they use are generally fresh and organic, not processed like those typically found in Western countries. Cities offer plentiful vegan and gluten-free restaurants as well as incredible international cuisine. If you love to eat pizza, you’ll find an Italian or American pizzeria just around the corner! Ocean and island resorts offer freshly cooked seafood at good prices. Fruit is literally falling off the trees everywhere in Thailand and there are some fruits only found in Thailand! The options for dining are vast and tasty in the country. There is no need to have the food phobia that some foreign countries (like China) can give to its international visitors. In fact, you may find that Thai food is better than anything you have ever eaten!
4. THAILAND IS ONLY 0.75% REACHED
According to the eSTAR Foundation, the percentage of Christians in Thailand is only 0.75%. Just check out this article from Christianity Today. 0.75% is a tragic number, meaning most Thai people spend their entire lives and their eternities separated from God. 95% of Thailand is Buddhist and filled with an abundance of temples, idols, and spirit houses. Monks walk the streets in the mornings collecting alms from people trying to earn merit. Most Thai have never had a chance to hear the Gospel or to choose Jesus. Maybe God is calling you to Thailand for such a time is this to sow Gospel seeds into the hearts of these lovely people. The harvest is plentiful but the workers are so few. There are grandmas, orphans, students, businessmen, monks, and people from all walks of life here who are looking for a friend to show them what real Hope is. Maybe YOU are that friend.
5. THAI PEOPLE NEED RESCUE AND HOPE
Thailand is a hub for human trafficking, has an abundance of orphans, is filled with AIDS-ridden, homeless drug addicts, refugees, and a terribly high suicide rate. If you feel called to social justice causes and Christian missions, Thailand is the place to come! There are villages in need of good medical treatment, orphans needing arms and hearts to love them, women needing rescue from human trafficking, and homeless people needing someone to show them they have value and purpose. Universities are also filled with students who are under immense pressure—so much pressure, in fact, that the stress often leads to suicide. They need someone to show them hope and help them find their purpose in life. There are millions of disadvantaged people needing someone to teach them a trade and hire them for work. Refugees flood into Thailand, displaced and needing a new beginning. Maybe God is calling you to Thailand to help heal the sick, care for the dying, bind up the brokenhearted, see captives set free, bring hope to the hopeless, love the unloveable, and meet practical needs. In the midst of doing this, He will work miracles, the Gospel will be taught, and many people will enter His eternal kingdom. Are you willing to be His vessel of rescue and hope?
6. THAI CHRISTIANS NEED BIBLICAL TRAINING
Maybe you are reading this blog thinking, “I am not really an evangelist. I am more of a Bible teacher.” Well, that’s perfect! The nearly 1% of Christians in Thailand desperately need good Bible training and discipleship. They need people to come and live amongst them and train them in Biblical literacy, prayer, the work of the Holy Spirit, and methods and techniques in leadership, evangelism, and discipleship. A major dilemma in Thailand is that the Bible is translated using the Thai Royal Language, which is harder for a Thai to read than for English speakers to read the King James Version. They need trustworthy and solid Bible teachers to train them, give them resources, and encourage them to be spiritual leaders in Thailand. It is a lot easier for a Thai to reach other Thai than for a Westerner to reach Thai. Maybe God is calling YOU here to help raise up Christian Thais to reach their own nation for Christ.
7. THAILAND IS AN EASY ACCESS POINT TO OTHER NATIONS
Thailand is strategically located right in the middle of South Asia and is within a 4-hour flight to China, Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and Burma. All of these countries are also filled with Gospel-deprived people. Thailand is a place of religious freedom offering an excellent base for many missions organizations and ministries that not only can reach out to Thailand but also the surrounding nations. Another wonderful fact about Thailand is that it is often a tourist destination for people from these nations to come, which gives the opportunity to reach them without even having to leave the country. Maybe you feel God has called you to China or to Burma, but you cannot live there right now. Come to Thailand and reach the Burmese refugees or Chinese exchange students, and then fly in and out of those countries on short but strategic mission trips. The options of reaching the 10/40 Window and unreached peoples in and around Thailand are limitless. All you have to do is obey God’s call and buy the plane ticket.
After reading these 7 reasons why you should move to Thailand for missions, you may be wondering how to get involved. Within Reach Global has many opportunities for you to get connected. You can take part in our mission trip opportunities or move here as a staff member. We pray that after reading this blog, God will speak to your heart about getting involved missionally in this amazing country!