The Omnibus

Issue date: 3/2/07 Section: In the Spotlight

Media Credit: Megan Ross Senior Megan Ross and Southwest Baptist graduate Melissa Tincker pose wtih Thailand natives. Ross and Tincker spent six months in Nan, Thailand teaching English at a village school and helping farmers learn new techniques for mountain farming.

Senior Megan Ross and Southwest Baptist University graduate Melissa Tinker worked in the mountain farms of Thailand for six months last semester. Ross and Tinker left for Thailand June 10 and returned to the United States Dec. 12.
Ross, a double major in Intercultural Studies and Sociology, and Tinker, an Intercultural Studies major with a Nursing concentration, spent their six months abroad in Nan, Thailand. They helped teach farmers better mountain farming techniques and how to raise goats and helped farming families during the harvest season.
Ross and Tinker also helped teach English at a local village school. Many of the children at the school had never seen a foreigner or heard English spoken by a native speaker.
"Neither of us were into teaching English," said Ross. "But we were able to get to know the kids."
Teaching English also opened the door to a Christmas program, allowing Ross and Tinker to teach the children about God and Christ. This would not have been possible without the relationship they built with the school and students.
Ross and Tinker lived in the town with two Thai women. This allowed Ross and Tinker to interact and build relationships with the women's friends and other families nearby.
"It was really good because it helped us learn the language and develop relationships," said Ross. "But it was also hard because there was no place to get away and be an American if you needed to."
Learning Central Thai, the national language of Thailand, was the pair's biggest challenge because the language was so different from English, yet so important in their service projects. There was also the constant fear of doing something culturally inappropriate.
Despite these fears and the difficulty of the language, Ross and Tinker were able to form relationships with their roommates and neighbors. At night, they would visit their friends, eating dinner and hanging out. About a week before leaving, Ross and Tinker were able to go on a camping trip in the mountains with the friends they had made during the six-month stay.
"It was a great time for being together and saying goodbye," said Ross.
During an average week, Ross and Tinker would have language class one day, teach English during the afternoons and go to the farms one or two days out of the week with their roommates. By being involved in the farming families and children's lives, Ross and Tinker were able to see God change the people's hearts towards Christianity.
"They were intrigued by genuine Christianity," said Ross.
In fact, a few weeks after Ross and Tinker left Thailand, one of their friends made the decision to follow Christ.
At the end of the six-month stay, Ross was excited to return to the United States, family and friends. Ross does not currently have permanent plans for the future, but she would love the opportunity to return to Thailand.

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