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WHAT WE DO
In a nut shell, we teach English, Music, and the Jesus way, because we want to help the youth of Thailand, and the global youth living in Thailand, realize their value and ability to transform this world. And, as we serve as vessels of Christ's Perfect Love, God continues to open doors for us to disciple youth!
Ever since 2010, we worked with a Thai foundation that teaches English in rural villages in the northeast region of the country and shares the love of Christ through everything we do. We served under the visionary leadership of Drs. Nantachai and Ubolwan Mejudhon, both former Buddhists who encountered the love of Christ in powerful ways, and who have done significant research in the country on ministering to the Thai people in a Thai way, that focuses on the meekness of the culture. They believe that the benefit of the gospel must be felt in tangible ways, with no-strings-attached, by the Thai in order for them to come to a point of desiring to know more about the Gospel on their own terms. By no strings attached, the Mejudhons simply mean: not teaching as a cover for presenting the Gospel, but really giving our best in education, seeking to make life-change, and praying all the while that the students will be drawn to the light in our lives. The doctors’ model leans heavily on the belief that the Holy Spirit is always stirring hearts and drawing people close to Him, and, therefore, we have a chance to serve and be the catalyst to His action in their lives.
In May 2024, we moved the whole Barbee family to Chiang Rai, the northernmost province of Thailand, in order to better meet the educational and social needs of our children (and, to be honest, Chris & Dora's social/communital needs as well!) We have brought this powerful model of ministry that we received from the Mejudhons with us to Chiang Rai, a province that is a unique melting pot of Northern Thai people, hilltribes people (many of which have no official nationality), immigrants, refugees, aid-workers, and tourists.
We believe that God led us here to Chiang Rai to be in partnership with Chiang Rai International Christian School. It is a truly unique, deeply Christ-centric and wholistic school, serving a beautiful cultural mosaic of the communities mentioned above. Chris is serving full-time as a volunteer teacher of Bands, General Music, Orchestra, Choir and 8th grade Language Arts at CRICS, and has the strategic opportunity to connect with nearly all of CRICS's student body (almost 200 students), in one music class or another, while driving deep into the lives of the 8th graders in daily interaction! In a few weeks, Chris has the opportunity to lead these 8th grade boys during a weekend-long youth retreat, so pray for those deepening relationships, and for Christ to move in powerful ways!!!!
Dora is walking a balance of ministry to our children and helping to a new home school co-op that is serving families in Chiang Rai, some of which are fostering/adopting stateless children. She is teaching music and doing preschool at the co-op while continuing to homeschool Natalie and do preschool with Lanaia. The boys, Foster and John, are both going to CRICS full-time and thriving!!!!