Brian and Katie Crabtree have returned to the United States to visit family and churches, and to talk about their ministry in Thailand on the other side of the Globe.
Brian and Katie, with their three children in tow, visited three churches this week, College First in Findlay, OH, Trier Ridge Community in Fort Wayne, IN, and Oak Grove in Columbia City, IN. The Crabtrees shared at all three services for over an hour about how they were called into missions work, their on-the-ground experience in Thailand, and how they are still, 3 years on, transitioning into the Thai culture.
The presentation is brought to life with nearly 200 pictures of their experiences, as well as charts and infographics from Thailand’s demography, geography, religious tendencies, wildlife, and more. The entire presentation, from start to finish, not only illuminates Thailand to someone who hasn’t ever experienced the country before, but also helps us vicariously experience the challenges of leaving family and home country to follow God’s call. As someone who’s been reading a fair amount about missionaries over the last 150 years it’s still bewildering to think about giving up my rooted life to live in a foreign country, raising a family, finding work, and doing it with so much enthusiasm and so little grumbling.
The Crabtrees live and work in the Issan Region, which is the poorest, least urbanized region in the country. Outside of the city of Udon Thani, where they live, you’re likely to see as many dirt roads as paved, and water buffalo are a common sight hanging out in the ditches and fields. In Udon Thani, Katie teaches first grade for the local ICS, or International Community School. ICS is an explicitly Christian school, where the Bible is read and taught alongside the other subjects, and the school is run in English. Many foreign nationals attend schools like this so it’s a good opportunity for Brian and Katie to meet people who are also getting immersed into the Thai culture. Katie’s classes have had kids from all over the world, including the Netherlands, Brazil, China, Australia, South Korea, the USA, and more! Meanwhile, Brian is completing his studies at university online while also working with a local congregation that is preparing to plant a church right now.
The missionary couple spoke at length about how they’re constantly being challenged by the Thai Buddhist culture. Buddhist statues, spiritual practices, and cultural holidays keep the Crabtrees on their toes as they do their best to integrate into the society and, as Paul says, “I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings” 1 Corinthians 9:22-23. By learning from other missionaries and Thai Christians, Brian and Katie are navigating how to participate in Thai holidays while maintaining their distinctive Christian beliefs. Likewise, they are learning how to talk to and care for Thai people who feel the tension of wanting to be Christian, but who are afraid to lose all of their social and cultural heritage that comes with leaving the Buddhist faith.
One of my favorite stories that Brian and Katie tell is about when they first arrived in Thailand. Covid was just getting started there, and due to that, Katie ended up teaching her first school year almost entirely online. As you can probably imagine, it was immensely frustrating to travel across the entire globe to teach kids, and not be able to meet them face to face. Katie recalls that, in her frustration, she asked the Lord, “Why did you call us here?” Her response came not from the voice of God, but from the mother of one of her students. The unforeseen benefit of teaching online meant that Katie’s voice didn’t just reach the children, but everyone in her students’ houses. One mother told Katie that she had heard her teaching the Bible in her home, and that’s how she came to know Christ.
As the Crabtrees tell it, being invited into people’s homes is a challenge in Thailand. You have to know someone really well to step foot in their front door. The circumstances of Covid brought the message of Christ into people’s homes in a way that most evangelists couldn’t achieve. It’s an example, one of many, of God turning the evils of this world for His own gain.
We’ll have another update on the Crabtrees soon in our next issue of The Global Advocate which will be all about our international fields and Global Reach. But if you don’t want to wait until September to hear more about what’s going on in Thailand, you can follow the Crabtree’s newsletter here: Spring 2024 Newsletter
And you’ll get frequent updates directly from them. You can also follow the Crabtrees on Facebook, and watch a video we made a while ago about their experience in Bangladesh.
If you’re moved by Brian and Katie’s conviction to follow the Lord’s call, you can support their ministry tangibly here: Support the Crabtrees
Please keep Brian, Katie, Ellie, Ava, and baby Theo in your prayers as they soon return to Thailand to continue running the race the Lord has set out for them.
CGGC eNews—Vol. 18, No. 28
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