This is the letter I began sending out at the end of April to let friends and family know about God’s new call on my life.

Dear Friends and Family,
This past school year I interned on staff with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, the student group that nurtured and challenged my relationship with God during college. As I served students at the University of Oregon I also prayed about what God might have in store for my future. And I have felt led to join a church-planting team reaching out to the slums of Bangkok, Thailand.

My most exciting times of serving Jesus have been on the mission field. High school trips to Mexico and a two-week outreach in Guatemala during college left me passionate about justice for the poor. At the end of each trip I was sad that I could not stay longer, learn the language, and find out what would happen to the families I had met.

This year the college campus has been my mission field, and also my training ground. But I have felt a tugging from God away from the world’s elite (which is the college student in America), to some of the world’s poorest. This is not an entirely new call, as I have for years imagined myself as a lawyer serving the poor someday. While that may eventually be where I end up, my next step is to live among the poor. I expect God wants to grow me in my compassion and understanding, as well as work through me to bless the people who come into my life.

I will be joining a Servant Partners team in Thailand in September. Initially I will be learning to speak Thai and adjusting to Thai culture. I will live in a slum community, building relationships with my neighbors. As I become better able to communicate, I will be helping with ministries such as cell groups, discipling believers, and friendship evangelism. I may also be a part of ministries that promote small business development or practical services to children and parents. I plan to commit about 5 years to this outreach.

Bangkok is known both as the city of angels and the city of sin. It is one of Asia’s most influential cities, and also one of the most corrupt. The government and police protect the city’s infamous prostitution “industry,” which contributes 14% to the GDP of the country. Many young girls, mostly poor, are forced or sold into prostitution. Drugs, alcohol, gambling and debts to loan sharks also plague the city.

Thailand is 92% Buddhist, with less than 2% of the population Christian. The Christian outreach that is present is to the middle and upper classes. Yet 1 million of Bangkok’s 8 million live in the slums and are unlikely to ever hear the Gospel.

The mission field in Bangkok appeals to my passion both for justice and for evangelism, and I am excited to see what God does through me there. Please consider praying for this ministry and for me regularly. I will be sending out newsletters and prayer requests to keep you updated. I look forward to sharing more with you about this new journey!

In Him,
Sara