Leaving everything behind to go on mission in Thailand

Leaving everything behind to go on mission in Thailand

Joshua Boulet, Features and Entertainment Editor

Todd and Pam Attaway taught English in a school in Thailand for four years. Teaching wasn’t the only priority. They hoped to minister to the children they taught during their stay.

“We did not know what God was calling us to do or at what point, but we knew he was calling us,” Todd said.

Todd spent several years going on short term mission trips to Panama. He and his group would return to the same groups each trip.  They worked in the same communities as they learned about their culture and preached Christianity. Todd felt God calling him to do more and his wife Pam also wished to get involved.

They contacted TMS Global, a non-denominational missions organization, and got to work finding a plan for a longer mission trip. Because of Todd’s experience in Panama, he and Pam hoped for a country similar to one he already had experience in.

“They said, ‘well we’ve talked to you about Thailand, right?’ and we were like ‘no, but talk to us.’” Todd said.

TMS Global then sent them to Thailand for a short trip to see how they felt about going there.

“I felt a burden. A lot of the people there have never had the chance to even hear about Jesus and hear about his grace.” Pam said.

Thus, they began their missionary work in Thailand. TMS Global highlights being incarnational in mission work, so Pam and Todd spent one year adapting to living in Thailand and learning the language.

“Going as a learner was very important to us in the first year.” Pam said.

Pam and Todd also brought their two younger children with them who were 8 and 15-years-old at the start of the trip.

After they started teaching, they found difficulty connecting to their students. They only spent a small part of their day with the students. They started an English club at their house once a week where they would feed their students while also working on their English skills.

The students were averse to English because teachers would punish them if they did poorly. Keeping English fun was pivotal to their goal of connecting with students.

“We tried to be loving, we tried to be authentic.” Pam said.

They found the Thai people to be kind, with an emphasis on being kind to others. Pam told the story of one of their students. The student came to their house and asked if they could meet at the park as opposed to their house for English club. She also asked if their older son could come because she had noticed how out of place he felt. They got to the park and she started playing basketball with him.

“Noah was struggling and didn’t have any friends. This one thing changed his whole experience.” Pam said.

Peaching Christianity in Thailand was difficult because of the attitude towards it.

“To be born Thai is to be born Thai is to be born Buddhist. They’ll hear what you say and even agree with it, but it won’t penetrate their heart. It’s apathy, they don’t have a reason to care.” Pam said.

“It’s very cultural. If something’s working, why change it?” Todd said.

Four years passed. Pam and Todd felt God calling them back to the US and sure enough they were needed back at their original home.

Tod and Pam were very satisfied with the work they did and with their trip as a whole. The trip to Thailand gave them a perspective they never would have gotten otherwise. They started to work with TMS Global to help send out missionaries to give others the great experience they had.

“We are so much more alike than we are different. And until you get out of your context you don’t know that. That’s why these trips are so important. At least befriend someone from another culture. Learn from them.  I think in America we’re kind of scared of that. We’re not really embracing people who look different from us.” Pam said.