Locals spend two weeks in Thailand assisting missionaries
By:Laura Toto
Over the summer while some people vacationed in places like Florida and London, the Rev. Boyd Hannold of Belle Mead and Bill Evans of Manville went to Thailand.
The two men were part of a 24-member missionary team from Princeton Alliance Church in Plainsboro that went to minister to Christians living in Bangkok and to build a seminary among the Hmong people in the village of Chiang Mai. The team left Aug. 9 and returned Aug. 22.
"A lot of people were affected because it was the first time they saw the real have-nots. But they were such happy people. It gave them a new perspective to see how rich they are and how they can use that wealth," said the Rev. Hannold, who lived in Thailand for 12 years and now is a pastor at Princeton Alliance Church. "We ended up leaving our work clothes there for them because most people only have one pair of clothes."
The team, which had members from 16 to 62 years old, had three objectives for their trip: to encourage Christian missionaries in Thailand, to complete work on the seminary and to get a taste of missionary life.
Thailand has a population of about 60 million people. It has three seasons, the cool, rainy and hot seasons. It is between 90 to 95 degrees there daily with a thick humidity factor.
Thailand is primarily a Buddhist country, with .002 percent Christian.
The missionaries in Thailand decided to have the team build the seminary for the Hmong tribal group in the village of Chiang Mai. The Hmong are mountain people, farmers and mostly are uneducated.
"The idea is to is to make the Hmong churches and start them for the Hmong to take over," the Rev. Hannold said. "They didn’t have the facilities but had the land."
On the first evening in Thailand, the team led a worship service at two Christian missionary churches in Bangkok. The team then took a 12-hour train ride from Bangkok to Chaing Mai, where they were to build the seminary.
The team had five days to build the seminary in "archaic-type conditions."Missionaries in Thailand had to prepare before the team arrived. They had to level the ground and lay the concrete foundation for the school, as well as put up support posts and frames for the roof.
The team did not know what the site or conditions were before their arrival. They brought work clothes and gloves, but did not know for certain what tools they would need to complete the school.
Mr. Evans had gone to the Home Depot before the trip and picked up a 300-yard spool cord.
"We would need it to keep a straight line, and it was a godsend because they didn’t have cord there," Mr. Evans said.
Mr. Evans, who acted as the building coordinator, found on the first day they could only lay block for a limited amount before they needed a scaffold. On the third day the Hmong Christians went into the woods and cut logs to create one.
A lot had to be done on the spot and missionaries and Hmong people were sent into local towns to get the needed supplies.
"The people were helping us do the job and we were helping them," said Mr. Evans.
Mr. Evans heard about the missions trip a year ago.
| ‘We went as students to learn about their culture to befriend and know them better. It was a sense of uniting with them.’
— Bill Evans |
"I wanted to see what the mission field was like for 20 to 25 years and what another culture is like," Mr. Evans said. "I wanted to see what was happening with other cultures and have the opportunity to help and experience another country."
Mr. Evans went to Thailand recognizing they were guests in another country.
"We went as students to learn about their culture to befriend and know them better," he said. "It was a sense of uniting with them."
Princeton Alliance Church has been sending missionaries to places such as Israel and the Dominican Republic for the past seven years.
The Christian and Missionary Alliance Theological Seminary in Thailand is of the same denomination as the Princeton Alliance Church. It has 50 missionaries in Thailand from more than nine countries.
"This experience helped me to understand myself better. It allowed me to have insight into these people," said Mr. Evans. "I felt like I loved these people for their needs and concern for them. I’m usually very objective and not too emotional, but I got very emotional in Thailand."
Mr. Evans bought a hard hat before traveling to Thailand. He bought it not only for protection but also so the people there would know where to find him.
"I left it there. It was symbolic in giving it to them because it was their building there," Mr. Evans said.
The Rev. Hannold worked as a translator, and through the language barrier a spiritual language was achieved, he said. "We both love God, and it was very moving. They sang in their language and we sang in ours," he said.