In a dream in the early 2000s, Sue and Frank Chowattanakul, experienced the call of God to come to Canada to establish a Thai community where none had existed... ever.
Little did they know that a little over a decade later, the faithful gathering of their community would be picked up by CTV news.
This past Sunday, the Thai Alliance Church of Canada held a special prayer service for their Thai family across the globe in light of the extraordinary rescue mission for the Thai soccer team caught in a cave.
Though Sue and Frank have since returned to their home country, their community has grown to form a small gathering of about 20 believers who meet weekly, a remarkable testimony to the slow but faithful work of God: it remains the only Thai-speaking church established on Canadian soil.
In 2016, Statistics Canada indicated that there are 10,000 people of Thai origin who make Canada their home, and that most of them reside in the Greater Toronto area. This does not include an annual count of about 1,200 temporary Thai workers, a hidden population who toil in mushroom and egg farms, feed pigs and cattle, and maintain fish farms under deplorable conditions.
Since most Thai people are of Buddhist origin (“to be Thai is to be Buddhist”), many have not heard the name of Christ declared.
The work of missionaries in Thailand has borne fruit over the years, and immigration to Canada has brought some of these Christians here, but the Christian witness is extremely small.
Yet, God is at work among the Thai people in Canada, forming a small but faithful community reminding us of the body of Christ around the world. As they are praying for others, they remind us to pray for them!
Writes consulting pastor Timothy Quek: “Understanding what is happening with the Thai Church gives you fuel for prayer. And prayer will ignite your passion for God’s work among the Thai. Thai people are culturally marked by their politeness, but the gospel has encountered unusual resistance. Christian leaders need to be trained; young Christians need to grow; new Christians need to be retained. The leadership of the Thai Church comprises five young men and women who love the Lord, but are inexperienced in ministry. So pray fervently, and pray intelligently, so that you can spread the news that the Good News is for the Thai people, and we are part of that movement!”
Learn more about Canadian Thai Alliance through their website and contact them to see how you can be a part of what they are doing in Toronto.