Give to Missions in Thailand
Discover what Khon Kaen, Thailand, teaches us about developing strong spiritual heartwood, foundational faith, and freedom in Christ.
38-minute video captures highlights of our mission trip to Khon Kaen, Thailand, including the wonderful people we met, the relationships we built, and the opportunities we had to serve.
Cultural Challenge - In Thailand, approximately 1.2% of the population is Christian, while 92.5% is Buddhist. Choosing to follow Jesus often means embracing a faith that differs from deeply rooted family and cultural traditions. For many, college is their first experience living independently, away from their families' expectations and influences. It is a time of newfound freedom to explore different ideas, question long-held traditions, develop their own beliefs, and make life-changing decisions about who they are, what they believe, and whom they will follow. Introducing students to Jesus Christ during this pivotal season can influence not only the direction of their lives but also the lives of future generations. That is why equipping missionaries to reach the 40,000+ students who come to Khon Kaen University (KKU) every year is such an extraordinary opportunity to introduce young adults to Jesus Christ during this formative season.
Financial Challenge - College ministry presents a unique challenge: Students are there for only a few years before graduating and often moving away. While this creates an extraordinary opportunity to spread the gospel throughout Thailand as graduates carry their faith into new communities, it also makes building a financially self-sustaining ministry especially difficult. Most college students have limited financial resources and cannot meaningfully support the ministries serving them. Their parents may also lack the means or willingness to contribute, particularly if they oppose Christianity. This creates a remarkable opportunity for outside financial partners to sustain local missionaries and college ministries, enabling them to continually reach, disciple, and equip new generations of students who can carry the gospel far beyond the university campus.
Extraordinary Eternal Rate of Return - Your financial support can go significantly further in Thailand while potentially influencing generations for Christ. The estimated annual cost of living for one missionary is approximately $48,000 in Charleston, South Carolina, compared with just $7,500 in Khon Kaen, Thailand. That means the same financial resources may support substantially more ministry activity in Thailand. Reaching a college student at age 20 could influence the next 50 years of that person's life. That influence may extend to their future spouse, children, friends, coworkers, community, and generations yet to come. By supporting Christian college ministry in Khon Kaen, we are investing in the future of Asian families, Christian leaders, churches, and communities. We also have an opportunity to build lasting friendships and goodwill, demonstrating the love and generosity of American Christians and positively influencing how future generations view the people of the United States.
This is more than funding a ministry today. It is planting seeds of faith, building bridges between cultures, and investing in lives that may bear spiritual fruit for decades—and potentially for eternity.
Below are some of the remarkable people and ministries we had the privilege of meeting and serving alongside during our mission trip to Thailand, and whose ongoing work we are honored to support through LaPorte Private Wealth Management.
