By Bethany (Ury) Tonglamun, OMS Thailand Missionary
Since moving to Thailand to serve with OMS in 2013, my ministry focus has been
on ministering to those affected by the sex industry in Bangkok. Through my ministry
with H ope 61, I primarily worked in human trafficking prevention, educating the most
vulnerable to ensure they did not end up in the red-light district. As I spent time there,
listening to their tragic stories, I discovered that many of these people have come
from the outer regions and villages of Thailand. They come to Bangkok in search
of jobs, but often, they end up making ends meet in ways they never imagined. My
heart grows increasingly burdened for those who are vulnerable,
particularly children, whose futures could be so different,
if only … if only we could help prevent these situations
from happening in the first place. We recognized that
this kind of prevention could best be done by reach-
ing those outside the big cities, before they moved
in search of jobs.
Cue … our move to Chiang Rai.
Chiang Rai is a rural province at the northern-
most tip of Thailand, sharing borders with Laos
and Myanmar. This area has been on my husband,
Golf’s, heart for more than seven years, ever since he
visited the area and met with a local pastor who has
been ministering to the hill tribes for more than 15 years.
The hill tribes are minority groups who have emigrated from
neighboring countries such as Laos, Myanmar, and China to settle
in the mountains of northern Thailand. Most have emigrated due to hardship in their
home countries and do not have full rights as Thai citizens. Living deep in the moun-
tains, many are far removed from mainstream culture and Thai influence, although
most do speak Thai.
Many of the hill tribe families live in poverty and are isolated from the resources
they need. They live on land that could be used for farming, but they often lack the
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