When Christians first came to ChiangMai they met with persecution and immediately the gospel flourished. Since then, everything has moved slowly. After over 100 years of valiant efforts, less than 2% of the Thai people have accepted Jesus into their lives. Some missionaries have given up on the Thai people as being too difficult to evangelize. What many people do not fully understand about the Thai people is that they are very thoughtful and prudent. It may take a long time before a Thai person becomes convinced that they need Jesus in their life. But once they commit, they commit with intensity and with their lives. I believe God has put many wonderful things into the heart of the Thai people that will someday be a blessing to the whole world. When you meet a Thai person they already have so many wonderful qualities. They are humble and kind and caring and gracious. They will give you the shirts off their backs. Then when they become Christian it is with a committed fervent passion.
Most of the missionaries have done humanitarian work to supplement their evangelism because in many other nations humanitarian efforts helped the gospel. But it hasn’t worked well in Thailand. The Thai’s just look at those efforts as merit-making to enhance personal karma. Thai people say to me “Wow I sure wish I had such an enlightened spiritual view as you do. But for now I must wait and live out my current Karma.”
Bless ChiangMai
In 1999 in ChiangMai there was much disunity and competition in the local church and also between missionaries. Then a monthly interdenominational prayer meeting was established. The pastors, church leaders, and missionaries come together for a time of worship, fasting, repentance, and intercession. We also have regular retreats together where plans are made in unity. Since these leaders have been consulting God in unity the church has begun to grow dramatically. Out of this has come an annual event called Bless ChiangMai in which all the Christians from the entire region come together for prayer and worship. Out of this has formed an organization called Bless Thailand. No longer are pastors making plans on their own but are working in unity. The Thai pastors have a plan to establish by 2010:
One cell group in every neighborhood or village
One church in every suburb.
Mission Sending
Finally the Thai church is finally coming into their own. For a long time the Thai church relied on the generosity of Christians in other nations. Many Thai churches received little tithes and few leaders raised up. Things are changing now. For the first time in history, the Thai church is beginning to disciple leaders and send them out as missionaries. Many young Thai’s are committing their lives into ministry even though they barely have enough money to survive on. As they step out in faith God is meeting their needs in miraculous ways. Please keep these young pioneers in your prayers.
Currently it is estimated that there are only 150,000 Thai Christians and 150,000 Tribal Christians in Thailand but the numbers are increasing each day. Prophecies tell of a wave of the gospel that will flow from out of the mountains in the North and down into the cities. Great revival is already breaking out amongst the villagers that we are working with. Thailand can be reached and with your prayers and the help of the Holy Spirit they expectantly await the day that Thailand is going to bless the world.
Over the last 10 years we have watched as the number of Christians in Thailand doubled and I believe that over the next 10 years that this number will exponentially increase.
I believe that a wave of Godly disciples will spread across the rest of the nation. Within 15 years I predict that thousands of passionate Thai missionaries will leave Thailand to bless other countries with a zeal for Jesus of which the world has never seen.
ChiangMai
ChiangMai is a very unique hub that can be used to bless the nations. Within a 100 mile radius we have access to one of the most varied ministry opportunities in the world. Within an hours drive you could visit numerous of tribal groups, each with a distinct culture and language. Around us are hundreds of opportunities to be a blessing. There are orphanages, aids-babies homes, drug rehab centers, wheelchair distribution, bible-schools. There are people reaching out to the ethnic minorities, to prostitutes, to the Muslims, to the homeless, to the handicapped. People are going out and using any means they can to share the love of Jesus with the diverse people around them.
If you were to draw a circle of 1,000 miles around CM, then you would find within that circle countries that contain the worlds biggest saturation of un-reached peoples and people groups. We believe that ChiangMai is a very strategic city for reaching out to these unreached peoples. Nearly every major mission sending agency has an operating center based out of Chiangmai.
YWAM ChiangMai
The History of YWAM Chiang Mai. Over 40 years. YWAM teams from around the world have chosen Chaingmai and it would be safe to say that at least 400 teams have come in the last 40 years significantly impacting this nation.
From 1968 until 1975 many YWAM outreach teams visitd ChiangMai.
In 1971 David and Linda Cowie moved to Bangkok and focused on reaching university students.
In 1975 the Cowies moved the YWAM base to from Bangkok to ChiangMai.
1976: Joe and Coleen Harbison arrive and within months the Cowies turn the positions of National Director and of Thai Ministries over to them. The Harbisons reached out to back packers, travelers, and university students. They hosted YWAM outreach teams and helped administrate the start of the Refugee Ministry.
1981: The Sanborn’s arrived and started the first Int’l Preschool in ChiangMai. They continued to do student ministry at CMU and hosted dozens YWAM outreach teams.
1981-1984: Focus moves away from backpackers and onto unreached people primarily in North Thailand. Team continues to minister at the Univ. and also through English speaking club and classes. Preschool continues. (Most of this time the entire YWAM ChiangMai team all lived in community in a single house.) Scores of teams help to evangelize among Thais and tribal groups throughout the region among schools and villages. Churches began as house churches then become different denominations as they grow.
Fourteen village church plants
• The very first “cell group” started was in September, 1981
• Worship, Jesus film and other films, dramas, mime, puppets, prayer for the sick, issuing vitamins, administering simple First aid, helping villages grow fruit trees instead of opium, smuggling Bibles
• Ongoing discipleship and Bible studies.
1984: First DTS in Thailand with 9 students (in ChiangMai) This is an international DTS in Thai and English. At this point YWAM ChiangMai has 4 houses and 35 people sitting down together for dinner each night.
1984: YWAM ChiangMai staff moves to BKK to establish a Thai Ministries base there. (Up until that time there was only Mercy Ministries in BKK.) Focus remained on running DTS’s and with taking teams into the villages, especially villages where YWAM ChiangMai had started churches.
1984-1987: Scores of teams including 2 Thai iDTS teams/year, continued to minister in ChiangMai and North Thailand. Churches continue to be planted.
1984-1987: Sanborns start a Kings Kids ministry. Team of 24 kids went on various mission trips.
1987-1990: Continued YWAM presence in ChiangMai thru teams and individuals called there – focus to continually serve the church plants, and maintain the strong relationship with between YWAM & the local church. ChiangMai has no actual base but a continued presence through the years until The Centre is established by Steve Gumaer.
1993: Bruce and Nit Geske come to ChiangMai with the vision for International DTS and a Base.
1994: 2003: The Centre: (Director: Steve Gumaer & Noel Hutcheson) YWAM and Asian Outreach join forces to reach Univ. students @ CMU, also the YWAM ChiangMai offices are set up at this outreach centre.
1995: SOFM with 18 students, lead by David & Sue DePew, Bruce Geske & Steve Gumaer. Held at the YWAM Base (Jerry Crows house: Base and Offices).
1996: Phil & Yvette Anderson come to ChiangMai; their home becomes the YWAM Base.
1996: Other YWAMers eventually join them to minister in ChiangMai with focus is still mostly on CMU Univ. Students.
1998 – 2003: COM: Training & Support for YWAMers in “The Big Country”. Leader: Johnny Buckner. Note: 2004 became NEI, training and support for nationals called to the nations.
1998– Present: Partners formed: Leaders: Steve & Oddney Gumaer: Reaching the persecuted Karen in Burma and Thailand.
2000: Bi-monthly YWAM ChiangMai meetings begin at Sanborn’s house. YWAM Team grows though many are still completing their Internship, so YWAM ChiangMai is still looked at synonymously with The Centre. About 8 families and quite a few singles are part of YWAM ChiangMai.
2002: Kathleen DeMaso opens The Home of Joy Orphanage.
2002 Aug- 2004 Nov: Base Facility at Wang Tan Villa is established for offices, meetings and teams/staff hospitality.
2002: September: The 1st International DTS in ChiangMai since 1984: Bruce and Nit Geske lead the school
2004: Local Church and Mission Association (LCMA) formed through YWAM. President: Gampon Kumdee, Secretary: John Hall
2004: Indo China Frontier Missions Regional Leadership team (FM-RLT).
2004: Dec: Move into Current Base Facility on Super Highway. – for offices and meetings.
2005: Birth of WonGeneration (Ministry to University Students): Micah and Morgan Wood.