I’ve had a number of people ask me, “What is it like being a missionary in Thailand?”  Here is something I wrote to one person who asked that; I thought I’d post it here for other people who are curious.

What is it like to be a missionary in Thailand…  There are definitely some perks about serving here.  Learning the language and culture is an ongoing adventure of discovery, even though Thai is said to be one of the most difficult languages in the world, and there are so many layers to the culture that I’ll always have more to learn.  One main aspect of the culture is FOOD—which is delicious, in abundance, and cheap.  The Thais love their food and take pride in it, and every activity involves eating.  A common greeting (like our “how are you?”) is “have you eaten yet?”  So much of missionary life is sitting with people and sharing meals, developing a higher spice tolerance and learning to eat parts of animals that would never get cooked in the States.  J  There are beautiful beaches here and jungle areas to explore during retreats and time off, the streets are always teeming with open-air markets, and it is sunny for at least part of every day.  I’m glad God called me to this place.

But it’s not all easy.  It is extremely hot here, and serving the poor incarnationally means I suffer from the heat, humidity, mosquitoes right along with my neighbors.  This and other physical stressors, as well as culture shock (feeling like you have to relearn everything that once came naturally) often bring out the worst in missionaries.  This is actually a good thing—it keeps us humble, helps us to remember we need Jesus just as much as those we came to share the Gospel to.  Almost everyone here believes in Buddhism, as well as everyone they admire, from the king and prime minister down to the public school teachers.  It is infused in everything, and every other religion feels foreign.  It is difficult for Thais to believe that they can become a Christian and still remain Thai, that they will not be a traitor to their culture and upbringing.  So while we don’t face persecution or danger as missionaries, we face very stubborn walls of resistance in most Thais’ hearts.  The Gospel has made slow progress here.

But it has also been exciting to learn about Buddhism and Thai culture and see ways that God’s fingerprints are all over them.  For instance, the Buddha prophesied a man who would come to save people from their wrongdoing, who would be injured in the hands and the feet.  Thai culture has many values that God has placed there, like the high value of doing good and sacrificing for others, honoring one’s elders and showing hospitality.  It is beautiful when Thais become believers and we get to see God work at redeeming their culture, using practices that previously were part of Buddhism now used to honor Jesus.  And worship using traditional Thai forms is especially powerful.  In many ways being a missionary is about getting a bigger picture of who God is, seeing a side of Him that you miss if you stay in one culture.  I have hope that as more and more Thais express their worship and the Gospel in their heart language and their native forms, more and more Thais will understand that being a Christian is what being fully Thai means—being the Thai that God created them to be, following Him.