ISAAN, Thailand — Noei was a housekeeper for an International Mission Board (IMB) worker in Bangkok, Thailand, for many years when she accepted Christ as her Savior. 

She became a trusted assistant in ministry, not just a housekeeper, but when she retired and moved back to her home in rural Isaan, she lost touch with Christianity. 

Less than 1% of Isaan is Christian, and Noei and her husband, Seri, prayed for God to send a shepherd to look after them. That was 10 years ago. They forgot about the prayer and became entrenched in Buddhist culture again. 

God didn’t forget the prayer, though. He arranged for a Korean-born man to meet a Korean born woman in the U.S. and travel to Isaan as IMB workers in 2021. When Joshua and Sarah Jung found Noei and Seri, they had Buddhist statues in their home and were wearing Buddhist necklaces.

“We told her, ‘God still loves you. God is still waiting for you. He wants you to come back,’” Joshua recounted. Noei wasn’t ready to live for Jesus again, but she was willing to attend Bible study with the young missionaries. 

One day, she was in a motorcycle accident but was unharmed. That was enough to convince her God still had plans for her, and soon both Noei and Seri were serving the Lord again, now with a shepherd in Isaan. 

The Jungs were sent to serve through the IMB in Thailand by Hanmaum International Baptist Church, a Korean congregation in Fort Worth. The church prays for them at weekly prayer gatherings and individual members provide financial support and encouragement. 

Joshua was himself involved in a motorcycle accident in Korea when he was 5 years old, and he was seriously injured. His mother, a nominal Christian at the time, prayed God would spare her son. If He would, she would offer him as a missionary someday. She didn’t share that prayer with Joshua until he was preparing for ministry at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

“She hid that prayer from me for many years,” Joshua said. “Also, she probably forgot about it. After that day, she told God she wanted me to become a rich person who could support missionaries. That was her second prayer. I guess God listened to the first prayer. God called me to the mission field.”

Isaan, where the Jungs serve, covers about one-third of Thailand — about 21 million people. The population is largely uneducated and very poor. 

“There is a saying that to be a Thai is to be a Buddhist,” Joshua said. 

Missionaries can freely share the gospel there, he said, but hearts are hard toward Jesus. 

“They turn their backs and get very harsh with their family who want to become a Christian,” he said. “We teach children English and Bible stories, and some of the kids want to become a Christian. Once they become a Christian, their grandparents stop sending the children. That happened to us many times.”

It’s the grandparents who are in charge of the children, he said, because the parents often have left for Bangkok, Chiang Mai or another country in search of work. That makes the population of Isaan very old and very young.

One way the IMB team makes inroads in the unreached, unengaged people group there is through a sewing ministry founded many years ago in Bangkok. Now in the rural regions, the missionaries teach women to sew dolls at home to earn a small income. Each person who is taught to sew also is taught the Bible. 

Another way of gaining access is through an eyeglasses ministry. The missionaries travel to villages handing out eyeglasses, and each person who receives glasses hears the gospel. “Through that we make connections,” Joshua said. 

Because Buddhism is so prevalent in Thailand, holidays are Buddhist holidays, funerals are held at Buddhist temples and ceremonies are Buddhist ceremonies, he said. Helping people leave that culture and follow Christ is a monumental task, and churches are key in grouping believers together for support. 

The Jungs focus on church planting, and on Sundays Joshua preaches in a small group in Isaan. Sarah, who recently underwent radiation therapy in Bangkok for early-stage breast cancer, takes turns with other members of their team leading Bible study with the sewing ministry. 

“Isaan is a very, very hard place,” Joshua said. “When we share the gospel and ask if they’ve heard about Jesus Christ, they’ve never heard the name of Jesus. A lot of missionaries who come here have a very hard time. Pray for the Isaan people so whenever they hear the gospel their hearts will be open.

“Pray for our team. It’s a large area, the largest in Thailand, and we only have [a small number of workers]. Pray that God will send workers and raise up local leaders.”

(EDITOR’S NOTE — This article originally appeared in the Southern Baptist TEXAN.)