Simon and Karin Schoettler
From:
Germany
Joined GLOBE:
2019
Field:
In preparation for Thailand
Project Number
Please always include with your donation!
From:
Germany
Joined GLOBE:
2019
Field:
In preparation for Thailand
Please always include with your donation!
Known as the „Land of Smiles“ Thailand is located in the heart of Southeast Asia, a subcontinent with a lot of history and culture. Different religions, customs and peoples left their imprint in this region and various influences were united in the former kingdom of Siam. Until now you find a writing that emerged form the Indian Sanskrit, Chinese elements in food-culture and a most common spirituality that combines Buddhism and Animism (worshipping spirits and ghosts). Because of the constitutional monarchy the royal families highly respected in Thailand and finally it was the fifths king of the current dynasty, who in the end of 19th century initiated various reforms to open the nation to the Western world. This gave Thailand a huge advantage compared to its neighbours in matters of infrastructure, economy and education.
But a opening towards Christian faith didn’t really take place widely. Since more than 200 years there are missionaries in the country and there is a church, but the percentage of christians among the almost 70 million Thais is below 1%. Together with its different people groups this makes Thailand one of the biggest harvest fields for the Gospel of the unreached people groups in Asia.
We really got to know each other in 2015 in the FCJG (Free Christian Youth Fellowship) in Lüdenscheid/Germany. This is where Simon grew up and in his early years he heard the reports and testimonies of missionaries. „At the age of eleven my dad took me to a short-term-outreach to Mongolia – what an adventure to hand our emergency relief goods and to share about the power and love of the Gospel of Jesus in a foreign culture. Later on I continued going for several short-term outreaches to Asia.“ This was followed by finishing school, doing civil-service and graduating from university with a Bachelors degree first, and while working in child-protective-services, also with a masters degree in Social Works.
Karin grew up in the YWCA Germany – while living four years in Lima/Peru with her parents – and became a clerk and youth-educator in Stuttgart. 2008 she moved to Lüdenscheid to do an apprenticeship in the drug-rehab centre „Haus Wiedenhof“ for one year. When this one year was stretched to seven years Karin refocussed on children in need and became a certified trauma counsellor while working again with heavily traumatised children.
In the time when Simon was employed God spoke very clearly about several nations in Southeast-Asia, but his first thought was that he could go there for an outreach, like he had done it before. God shared His different perspective on that matter and Simon quit his job to enrol for a missions-training-school to get prepared to being send abroad.
Since ending of 2017 Simon is in the staff-team of HELP International Thailand ministries and also Karin followed in 2019 for an internship and language-studies to Bangkok. Since end of 2020 we are happily married! In Beginning of 2021 we startet working in a christian drug-rehab center in Luedenscheid to gain experience in the field of helping drug-addicts as preparation to return to Thailand.
Since 1995 there is a drug-rehabilitation center of HELP International in Bangkok. This ministry also works with families and children in nearby slums and hosts events and outreaches for Thai christians to neighbouring countries.
But our hearts are beating for a whole new branch of the ministry:
„Gods salvation is near to those who fear Him, that Glory might dwell in our land.“ – Psalm 85:9
To bring God’s salvation near we are building three branches of our ministry:
We do this because we believe that when people open up for the Gospel of Christ it also means a city is opening up. With Worship and prayer we are preparing the spiritual ground of Pattaya alongside with other missionaries and churches.
But it is in this very environment of sin, hopelessness and death (the numbers of fatal traffic-accidents or suicide are disproportionate high) we train the missions-students to fix their eyes on Jesus and to be a light to that city.
In the Revival School on the Move we will prepare Thai and international students to take their place in Gods harvest fields. We are already building relationships into the neighbouring countries and I’m excited to sent out the first students coming from Thailand, Myanmar, Laos or Cambodia into the nations!
What powerful display of Gods’ power when from the city known for sex-tourism and excess comes forth a launching-pad for missionaries. The Bible is full of stories of reconciliation and restoration – that gives me hope that God is pleased and willing to restore Pattaya to become a place of glory and righteousness again.
With Jesus Christ everything becomes possible in Pattaya!