We had known about the need for Gospel witnesses in the 10/40 window for many years. Still, it wasn’t until the summer of 2022, when some missionary friends visited us and suggested that we could live in Thailand, that we seriously considered the possibility. 

Rachel grew up overseas and, for years, had quietly prayed that if the Lord wanted us in foreign missions, He would give that conviction to Matthew. The weeks following our friends’ visit were full of prayer, fasting, and study of Bible and Spirit of Prophecy counsel. As we researched the state of missionary efforts around the world and read books about missionaries of the past, the conviction that God’s people are needed in the darkest places grew in our hearts.

But the knowledge that missionaries were needed wasn’t our most significant conviction. The greatest change in our thinking was the realization that although we weren’t doctors, nurses, teachers, or any other missionary stereotypes, we were willing. And that was something God could use.

By God’s grace, we accepted His call. Since then, God has confirmed His calling in many ways, large and small. In January 2023, our family moved to Northern Thailand to study the Thai language. They moved to the unreached city of Nakhon Sawan in April 2024 to share the good news of Christ’s soon return with the beautiful Thai people.