Our house in Phrom Khiri is near the district office, and recently they held an installation service for a new Buddha statue/idol placed in the front (it is the black statue in the photo). Caleb, our oldest son, was out playing soccer with the other Thai kids in the neighborhood that night, and they wandered […]

“I am interested in Jesus. I will become a believer as soon as I am healed.” That was what she said to us the last time we visited her. She and her husband had come to our Sunday services for a couple of months. When we left their house that day, we were obviously disappointed […]

There is a peculiar village outside of Chiang Mai called “House of Two gods”. At first I wondered if there had been some kind of mythical battle in the past between two rival gods … a kind of Buddhist version of the “Battle of the Titans”. But it turns out there is a temple in […]

I have been involved with the process of building the new Lopburi Learning Center for the Thai field over the past two and a half years. In April, three months into the contract it was disappointing to encounter a mistake in the construction of some of the cantilever beams. In order to strengthen the beams, […]

One of the topics that comes up in conversation as we prepare for adventure ministry is “risk”. One of the goals of Adventure Camp is to get the kids to do activities that they perceive as risky. While we always strive to make these activities as safe as possible, we want the campers to feel […]

During the last month I have had quite deep conversations with 2 different ladies who live in my area. Both of theses ladies are mums to young children and both have been considering working away from home. Maki, the mum of a 2 yr old little girl, shares with me that she is thinking of […]

Thai culture is unique and wonderful, very different from my own warm South African upbringing. We first noticed this in 2014, when we first arrived in Thailand, and quickly learned about appropriate ways to behave in public using gestures which are considered acceptable and normal. However, after arriving from our first home assignment it felt […]

For the past six or so years, adventure camps have been a core part of the OMF South Thailand ministry. My first one was as a short-termer 5 ½ years ago, with Jeff, and another short-termer and 4 or 5 Thai guys. It was exciting to come back as a long-termer last year and see […]

I just read a fascinating article called, “In Thailand, blood sacrifice is out, Strawberry Fanta is in. (https://www.pri.org/stories/2017-04-06/thailand-blood-sacrifice-out-strawberry-fanta) Most all Thai homes have a “spirit house” in which resident ghosts reside in order to protect a person’s property and in exchange for this service are served a variety of fruits, sweet meats, rice, coconuts, but especially […]

God told the Israelites, “Do not oppress a foreigner; you yourselves know how it feels to be foreigners, because you were foreigners in Egypt” (Exodus 23:9). In the same spirit, Jesus tells us, “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt. 22:39). Speaking for Western Christians, I don’t think most of us fully grasp the implications of […]