Bangkok Holidays
Hello All! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Alyssa and I are arriving at the end of our first holiday season in Thailand! It was a big adjustment from what the season looks like in the US, and in some ways, it was a reminder of how far away we are from our friends and family. November and December look quite different in Thailand- aside from being hot and humid, Thanksgiving is only celebrated by American ex-pats, and Christmas is not a national holiday. While the malls do have a significant amount of Disney themed Christmas decorations, starting as early as November 1st (when they replace the Disney themed Halloween decorations), and there are lots of parties, we have been missing some of the reflection, emotion, and tradition of our community in San Francisco. God has a way of answering even the prayers that we don’t even know how to ask, and has really shown Himself to be very faithful and good in the plans that He has for us here.
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For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Alyssa and I have reflected on the fact that we haven’t shared as much as we wanted to with you all about the work we are doing and the work IJM is doing. So, I want to start this update off with a note to everyone who is supporting and praying for us. You may be wondering about why haven’t we shared more about the specific work that IJM is doing in Thailand. While we also want to share more about specifically what we are doing, and will certainly be devoting more updates in the future to us, there are 2 reasons why we have not shared much yet about the work.
The first is our inexperience- We are still only 3 months in, and really just starting to have a full understanding of everything the office is doing, why it is important, and how it fits into IJM’s strategy. We don’t want to miscommunicate any of the impactful work that is going on, through either understatement or overstatement, so we decided that waiting to get a fuller picture of the office workings was prudent.
The second is the field office setting- IJM’s mission is to change justice systems, which often involves working hand in hand with Thai officials, which requires a measure of strategy and discernment around communications. They also do a large amount of casework against perpetrators of trafficking, who are typically business owners, with varying amounts of power and influence, and who abuse their power to take advantage of the vulnerable. Because of these two factors, IJM has to be very careful and confidential in the messaging that they, and by extension we, send out.
In the coming months, we will be working on putting together more details on the work, and working with the leaders in the office to make sure we are not oversharing or compromising the security of the office. For now though, we would love to share a few of the things we have been working on.
I have been very privileged to be able to help the team working on a project aimed at improving awareness of rights and available law enforcement help to those who are vulnerable to trafficking. As a part of this, the IJM Thailand team worked with a media consultant, who brought in a film crew to film a short informational video, which is available to see on the IJM Thailand page- https://www.facebook.com/ijmthailand/?locale=th_TH. The video is in Burmese, and is part of IJMs long term strategy to reach the Burmese migrant worker community in Thailand, as IJM’s research indicates that a large portion of those being trafficked in Thailand come from Myanmar.
During the months of November and December, Alyssa worked hand in hand with the IJM global team and the IJM country director, to coordinate interviews, provide briefings and quotes, and help prepare for several news articles for some of the work our teams are participating in with forced scamming. Some of the articles she helped with are linked below.
A bit more on our holidays!
Depending on where the demographics come from, Thailand is between 1-2% Christian. This makes the work of the churches and missionaries here vital (as well as the work that IJM does), but also means that we really had not anticipated meeting other Christians outside of work and church. It was an amazing answer to prayer, then, when we met a Christian couple in our Thai language class, Josh and Dimarya. Their friendship has become super meaningful to us, and they have become some of our closest friends in Thailand. For Thanksgiving, they found a small venue that had a kitchen and an outdoor table, where we had a potluck thanksgiving dinner, with Thai and American dishes alike, joined a group of expats and visitors from all around the world. It was a very sweet time to meet new people, and get a taste of home in the form of turkey, green bean casserole, and pumpkin pie.
For Christmas, Alyssa and I had a taste of a large spectrum of celebrations. We started the month out with an obligatory trip to one of the largest malls in Bangkok, which hosts several Christmas themed exhibits (also Disney themed), where we got our 18” Christmas tree, as well as a nutcracker and a small animatronic Santa as a bundle deal for about 20$. We also had a Christmas party with our IJM office, which was incredibly fun, and introduced us to several new office party ideas, such as everyone wearing monochromatic outfits, and bringing snacks that match their outfit color. Matching outfit colors had to compare snack selections, and those with the same snack as someone in their color group had to do the chicken dance together on stage.
In early December, we also had our first visa renewal trip. Since the positions we are serving in are unpaid, there are quite a few limitations around our visas to be in Thailand. The biggest of these is that we can only stay in the country for 90 days at a time, before having to leave and apply for a new 90-day visa. For our first trip, we went to Laos, which we had heard from several people was an inexpensive and nice travel location, with a decent amount to do, and good access to infrastructure so that we could work remotely while we were away. We took a flight from Bangkok to Luang Prabang, where we stayed and worked for a week while our visa was processed. For those of you that have not had to get an international visa before, the process can be…..stressful, to say the least. Most travel websites recommend you book 2-3 week long trips to ensure that your visa is processed in time, which can get incredibly expensive. We booked a 7 day trip, and right away got to praying for expedited processing. The day we got there, the Thai visa website went down for 2 days for maintenance, and things got ratcheted up to the next level when we found out that the visa application fees had to be paid in person, in the Lao capital, which would have required a 2-day last-minute trip. God again answered our prayers though and connected us with an amazing Filipino missionary in Vientiane who was able to go into the Thai embassy there and pay our fees for us. After that, our visa was processed in just 3 days! It was an amazing answer to prayer, and a lesson in relying on God to take good care of us.
A few days before Christmas, my parents arrived in Bangkok! We spent a few very fun days with them in Bangkok, showing them the sights in the city, our church, our work, and introducing them to our favorite foods. On Christmas Eve, we rented a car (my first time driving in Bangkok), and headed to the nearby province of Kanchanaburi, which is east of Bangkok on the Thai border with Myanmar. We spent Christmas there, staying in very relaxing (but rustic) accommodations along the Mae Nam Kwae (a.k.a. The River Kwai). If you have seen the classic 50’s film, the town of Kanchanaburi is where the famous, now rebuilt railway bridge is, and we got to learn more about it as well as more about the WWII events which took place in Thailand. Aside from this, we also got to see some beautiful waterfalls, lakes, rivers, and views, and eat some truly amazing Thai food. It was a very restful and relaxing time. We also got some care packages from the US from Alyssa’s family, which were a very warm reminder of home.
For New Year, we had more visitors! Two friends from San Francisco came to Bangkok, and we spent the evening with them, and with our friends Josh and Dimarya. We were a bit wary of going out for NYE in Bangkok, as we had heard that the city was packed with people so much that it would be difficult to move around or get home afterwards. We had to experience it for ourselves, however, and it ended up being an incredible experience! Another friend from our language classes is the general manager for a hotel in downtown Bangkok, and he was able to get us seats at the rooftop restaurant, where we got to ring in the New Year watching simultaneous fireworks and drone shows all across the city. It was very fun and special!
Altogether, we are very grateful to be here, and are looking forward to starting this year being more adjusted to living here, more reliant on God to take care of us, and more intentional in our faith and our work. We are so thankful for all of our supporters- without your prayers and financial support, we would not be able to be here, would not be able to see what God is doing, and would not be able to participate in such incredible work. You are all partners with us in this work, and we are so excited to continue to share in it this upcoming year. You can continue to pray for us in the following ways:
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We are getting more and more of a sense of how large the scope of the task is here. We know that there is only so much we can do- in the end, God has to be the one who changes the hearts and minds of those in power. Pray for those in authority and positions of influence here in Thailand to be motivated to be positives influences and leaders in the anti-trafficking space.
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We have run into a variety of small health issues, and could really use your prayers for healing.
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Our co-worker who is very sick recently underwent a surgery, and prayers for his recovery would be appreciated.
P.S. - Alyssa’s birthday is this week, if you have a chance to send her a message she would love it :)
