IJM’s Work (Part 2)

Hello Friends and Family!

Alyssa and I have been have been making our way through the hottest part of the year here in Thailand and I have to say, we were not ready for the summer heat. Temps are regularly in the high 90s, with super high humidity, and there is something about the sun here that hits you hard. Nevertheless, we have had a fun and productive month, and wanted to share a bit more about some of the fun things going on in our lives, as well as more about the work we are doing with IJM.

Lunch with Jonnel

Some of you may remember how a missionary from Philippines helped us out of a tight spot with our visa run in December by going into the consulate for us to finalize our visas. Jonnel was a huge answer to prayer, but we never even got to meet him in person at the time, as he lived several hours away. Late in March, however, he came back through Bangkok after going to a missions conference called History Makers in Indonesia, and we got to meet up with him! It was so great to connect in-person, and meet his fellow missionary Maryana. We took him to our church in Bangkok, and had a meal with him before he departed for Laos. We got to talk more about his mission- to help Lao children through education, and teaching them the gospel. It was amazing to hear more about the work he is faithfully serving in! 

Tour of Koh Kret

One of our friends from the office is a history/cultural buff, and took us to a small man-made island in the north part of Bangkok where a thriving Mon community has lived for roughly 300 years. We got to visit the home of a prominent Thai artist, as well as tour a pottery factory which is a speciality of the Mon community. Our office friend also introduced us to a dish called Khao Che, a dish which started as with the Mon people, but later became a Thai Royal Family food. Very fun to try- it is made up of softened rice soaked in ice water, which is eaten with a variety of savory sides. Our friend told us that the ice is meant to cool you down during the hottest part of the year, and it was definitely needed!

Visit to Chiang Mai

During April, Thailand celebrates its Ney Year festival, Songkhran. We took advantage of the office closure for a few days to travel to Chiang Mai, and visit with some friends there. If you have not heard of Songkhran- it is widely celebrated in Thailand, and, similar to the U.S. new years, it’s a time of new beginnings. The origins of the festival use washing with water to symbolize a clean slate, however, things have gotten escalated- in many parts of the country, the washing takes the form of a city wide water fight, where everyone you see has a water gun, and hundreds of trucks are roving around the street with big barrels of ice water to throw on passersby. It was an extremely memorable experience walking the city streets completely drenched and getting into small skirmishes with groups of kids and their families. On Saturday, a friend from work showed us some of her favorite spots around the city, and she surprised is by taking us to an old temple where they rent out clothes for photo shoots and taking some fun photos of us!

Alyssa’s Mom Visiting

We were also thankful to host Alyssa’s mom for a visit this month. She traveled here with a group of her friends which were traveling in the area. We got to spend some fun time getting to know them over the weekend- we went to a Thai cooking class, and visited a fun floating market outside of Bangkok. Alyssa got to spend some quality time with her mom as well for a few days! Having family come see our life and work here was deeply encouraging and refreshing.

More on our work with IJM

This is a longer form explanation of some of the work we are doing with IJM. Fair warning- it can get a bit dense. Alyssa and I both think its important though, to give you all more insight into all the hard work that the IJM team here in Thailand is doing, and that we are privileged to help with.

As I mentioned in a previous update, in 2022 IJM partnered with the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago to study the prevalence of forced labor among migrant workers in Thailand. IJM had already identified migrant workers as a particularly vulnerable group. Many lack access to basic rights and government services, are hesitant to return to their home countries due to limited opportunity, and often have visa status that is tied directly to their employer. Together, these factors create an unbalanced power dynamic that can leave workers open to exploitation.

This study served as the “baseline” for IJM’s impact assessment and now informs many of the projects the team is actively working on.

One of the most significant findings from the study had to do with how migrant workers view—and use—the justice system. Survey respondents were first given a series of hypothetical scenarios that included clear indicators of forced labor and asked whether they would report the situation to authorities. In these scenarios, 64% of respondents said they would report the abuse, and nearly all of those indicated they would be willing to participate as a witness in legal action.

However, the survey also asked migrant workers about forced labor indicators they had actually seen in real life. Among those who had witnessed fellow migrant workers in exploitative situations, only 18% reported the issue to authorities. In other words, while many migrant workers can recognize abuse and want to report it, far fewer are able to do so in practice.

IJM concluded that significant barriers were preventing workers from reporting forced labor, even when the desire to seek justice was present. To better understand these barriers, the team conducted in-depth interviews with migrant workers who had sought help through IJM’s largest local NGO partner, the Labor Protection Network (LPN).

These interviews revealed several common challenges:

• Many migrant workers don’t know what reporting options are available to them

• Reporting centers are often closed on Sundays, which is frequently the worker’s only day off

• Traveling to a reporting center can be too time-consuming or costly

• Language barriers often prevent workers from understanding next steps, even when they do reach a reporting office

At the same time as IJM was conducting this investigation, God was working powerfully to move this work forward! The Thai government’s Department of Employment (DOE) approached IJM for support in improving the reach and effectiveness of their services. One of their existing programs was 30 Migrant Worker Assistance Centers around the country. Originally created to assist with work visa applications, these centers had expanded to address labor rights violations. IJM recognized this as a key opportunity. The MWACs already had infrastructure, government authority, phone hotlines, and access to translators- many of the very elements needed to reduce the reporting barriers identified in the study.

Out of this partnership, the Safe Reporting Channel project was born. This project, now the primary focus of my work, aims to make reporting labor exploitation more accessible through three main components: an awareness campaign, government capacity development, and ongoing discovery.

The awareness campaign grew directly out of the in-depth interviews, which showed that Facebook is the primary source of news and communication for many migrant workers. Beginning in December, IJM worked with a film crew to produce a series of short informational videos highlighting government services available to migrant workers, particularly related to protection from labor exploitation. These videos were shared on Facebook and included information on how to contact the MWACs, with the goal that workers who saw them would be more likely to report abuse.

The government capacity development component focused on strengthening the MWACs’ ability to identify and respond to forced labor cases. IJM hosted multiple training sessions with MWAC staff to help them recognize indicators of forced labor and understand appropriate escalation pathways to law enforcement. The team also worked to improve the centers’ operating manual by making sure that these services are not only for documented migrant workers, but also for undocumented ones too. This is a little but very important step to protect these vulnerable people. In addition, IJM partnered with MWAC offices in two provinces near Bangkok to analyze case data and identify trends that could inform future improvements.

Threaded throughout this work is an ongoing process of discovery. IJM uses an approach called human-centered design, which prioritizes understanding the real experiences and constraints of the people a program is meant to serve. Rather than launching a large-scale solution all at once, the team works iteratively, testing ideas, reviewing data, making adjustments, and testing again. This approach takes more time, but it helps avoid the common pitfall of implementing solutions that look good in theory but don’t function well in practice.

After about six months, the project has completed an initial pilot phase and is now in the process of analyzing results, refining the design, and preparing for another pilot. This cycle of evaluation and redesign will likely be my primary focus for the remainder of our time here. While the scope of the project is large, the careful, data-driven pace has been both challenging and encouraging. In a few months, I’ll be able to share more about how the design is evolving—but for now, this feels like a good place to pause.

 In a few months, I will share more about the project design, but for now I will leave it here. Thank you for being part of this journey with us. Your support allows us to contribute to efforts that seek justice with care and wisdom. We’re grateful, and we look forward to sharing how God continues to move in the months ahead.

Prayer Requests

• Visa Renewal

  Alyssa and I are asking for prayer for our Thai visas. We have been able to get our visas renewed every 90 days, but on our last trip, we had some pushback from the Thai consulate. We were told that we may not be able to renew our visa again. We are exploring options with IJM, and we are committed to continuing to work with them, but it may look different if we cannot get our Thailand visa renewed. Please pray for our next renewal, that God would show us what He wants us to do and helps give us peace about it.

• Growth in Faith

  Alyssa and I have both been going through our own journeys with of growth dealing with the heaviness of the job, the differences in culture, and the things God is showing us. Pray for us to navigate our remaining time here with wisdom, and that we can learn what God is trying to teach us with grace.

• Prayers for Our Office

  IJM is rapidly growing the scope of their programs in Thailand, and the growth means many new and difficult challenges to overcome. Please pray for the office as they go through this time- for wisdom, strength, and perseverance in their mission and work.