Why Thailand?
“Bangkok, Thailand.” It wasn’t loud in the natural sense, but it was unmistakable.
During a university church camp in mid-2023, I experienced what I can only describe as a clear prompting: a vision of various idols accompanied by those two words, spoken so distinctly it felt almost audible beside my ear.
That moment marked the beginning of something I didn’t yet fully understand, but it set me on the path of learning Thai and being involved with Bangkok across different areas of my life.
Why go to the extent of learning the Thai language?
Part of the answer is simple: I’ve always loved languages. At thirteen, I tried learning Japanese. In Polytechnic, I studied French and even received an award for it. In my early twenties, I dabbled in Hebrew. I learned Korean in university and during my exchange in Vietnam, I learned Vietnamese. Looking back, it feels less random than I once thought. God had been cultivating in me an interest in language long before I recognised it.
But beneath the academic curiosity or cultural interest, there has always been something deeper: a desire to connect.
There is something really precious about watching someone’s eyes light up when they feel understood, or when they suddenly understand you. Humans are relational creatures. Language does more than transfer information, it lowers walls and bridges distance.
Additionally, it was a reassuring confirmation that I was on the right path when, in early 2024, I attended a friend’s event and his prophetic friend prophesied over me, saying that I’d be a “bridge”. This deeply moved me since I was just starting to get more involved with missions.
2025: The year God sent me
Now that I look back on 2025, I’m in awe of how much I’ve learned. Not only with regards to the Thai language, but about the people there and God’s heart for the Thai nation as well.
This post will be split into two parts. The first half reflects on my journey learning Thai (the systems, experiments, and small breakthroughs). The second half shares some of the most precious memories from the ~10 mission trips I took to Thailand in 2025.
Developing my own language-learning system
The first thing I did was invest in good stationery. It may sound trivial, but beautiful tools make the process inviting. I discovered that A5 ring-binder notebooks work best for me. The size feels approachable, not intimidating, but still spacious enough to think clearly. The ring binding makes writing comfortable and flexible.
Secondly, I made time to study in the morning before work started. I’d normally come to work early and sit in the cafe on the ground floor of my office building to spend about 30 minutes learning before heading upstairs.
Lastly, I made it a point to keep track of the dates when I studied. Writing the date in my notebook helped me see progress tangibly.
The game changer: my notebook
At the start of the year, I couldn’t read or write Thai script at all.
Within about two months, I stopped relying on transliteration entirely. I was writing directly in Thai script. That shift felt monumental. The ability to read and write Thai became the catalyst for deeper language acquisition.
My notebook became an archive of whatever I was immersing myself in at the time. The pages were filled with song lyrics, Bible verses, sentence examples from my Thai-English dictionary app, and paragraphs generated by ChatGPT that I wanted to internalise and hoped to use one day (e.g. prayers for healing, the sinner’s prayer, etc.).
Physical Flashcards
Early in the year, I was determined to master reading and writing Thai script. One major struggle was recognising Thai characters across different typefaces.
This lead me down the rabbit hole of creating flashcards for the vowels and consonants, including the numeral characters. I also made sure to have the same character in different typography so that I could get used to looking at the different typefaces.
Was this helpful? Yes and no. I think it was fun when I was initially putting the flashcards together, and it did help when it came to memorising the transliteration of the characters. But it wasn’t really useful in helping me memorise the characters in different typefaces since I just kept looking at only one of the typefaces most of the time. The bulk of the memorisation work came with writing rather than through the physical flashcards.
Digital Flashcards using AnkiApp
I set up a Thai folder in Anki in early 2025. Unfortunately things started getting busier in the middle of the year so I haven’t practiced with the flashcards in a while. (If you want to check out my flashcard decks, you can join my Thai Bridgies Study Group in Anki!)
Learning Through Context: The Thai Bible
Memorising words started feeling easier when I learned them through examples. For instance, I had trouble recalling the Thai word “ขึ้น”, which means “up.” The definition alone didn’t stick, but when I used it in a sentence, “เธอเหนื่อยแล้ว พาเธอขึ้นไปชั้นบน” (“She is tired, bring her upstairs”), the meaning became much clearer. Plus, I ended up learning other words along the way!
Reading the Thai Bible became especially meaningful. It wasn’t just vocabulary practice, it was language learning with a purpose.
Thai Basic 1-2 Lessons
I initially signed up for NUS CLA Thai Level 2 online classes using my SkillsFuture credits. Unfortunately, I struggled to stay engaged in an online format and never completed the course.
So I switched to in-person classes with Stanford Language Center, and the difference was significant.
I enrolled in Thai Basic 1 but quickly realised it was too elementary for my level, so I added Thai Basic 2. Both classes were held on Saturdays, one in the early afternoon and the other later in the day. It was mentally stimulating and structured, which I appreciated.
When Level 3’s schedule didn’t align with mine, I began exploring other options, which led me to Preply.
Preply with Kru Jay
Moving to Preply has been one of my best decisions. The flexibility to reschedule lessons when work gets busy has been invaluable. I’ve been learning with Kru Jay for the past few months and she’s been wonderful. She’s warm, engaging, and very intentional about getting me to speak.
Some lessons focus on conversation, others involve listening exercises, but every session will have a segment that covers a specific topic such as food, classifiers, adjectives, family, numbers, etc. There’s always something new to learn or improve.
(If you’d like to get 70% off a trial lesson on Preply, use my referral link!)
Thai Books
During one of my Bangkok trips, I bought several Thai books, including one titled “คิดถึง” which means “miss” (as in “I miss you”).
Progress has been slower than I hoped due to busyness, but even sporadic reading has strengthened my recognition and comfort with Thai script.
Interestingly, while my reading and writing have improved significantly, my speaking hasn’t progressed at the same rate which worries me slightly, since speaking will matter most in missions 555.
Some Core Mission Trip Memories
Speaking of missions, 2025 was filled with mission trips.
Many were hybrid trips; work during the day, missions after. Those were the most hectic, yet I give God all the glory for how He sustained me. Meetings would go smoothly despite exhaustion. I also grew closer to colleagues through these shared journeys.
After work concluded, I often extended my stay for outreach – sometimes alone, sometimes with church teams.
One early trip unexpectedly became a solo mission trip due to unforeseen circumstances. There was a temptation to simply enjoy Bangkok as a tourist. But I had already prepared Singapore snacks and Gospel mini-zines for outreach.
So I went.
My Thai wasn’t strong enough to verbally share the Gospel yet, so I designed mini zines in Thai and included them in blessing packs for university students during exam season.
In the nights leading up to outreach, I packed snacks in my accommodation. Due to logistical complications, I ended up booking a hostel, which surprisingly became one of the highlights of the trip. Cozy, affordable, and unexpectedly comforting.
On outreach day, I relied heavily on the Holy Spirit.
I asked students their names in Thai. I explained that I brought Singapore snacks to encourage them during exams. I collected Instagram handles for follow-up.
It wasn’t perfect Thai. But it was enough.
Meeting a Fellow Brother in Christ
On another trip with sisters from church, two moments stood out.
First, our Grab driver’s name was David. I felt prompted to tell him how meaningful that name is biblically. My Thai wasn’t sufficient for a full explanation, so I wrote him a note in Thai (with the help of Google Translate & ChatGPT) while on the ride.
My friend bravely initiated conversation with the driver as well. I contributed what little Thai I could, chatting about Songkran, work, life, and the infamous Bangkok traffic jams. At the end, we gave him the note, water, and snacks.
Second, we asked a woman near our hostel if we could pray for her. She responded, “Jesus?” in Thai, and we excitedly said yes.
A stranger photographed the moment and later ran after us across the street. He asked if we were Christian. He turned out to be Indonesian, with missionary parents.
God is so kind with encouragement.
Chiang Rai with Travel with a Cause (TWAC)
This mission trip was different. It was in a rural part of the country, unlike the university outreach in Bangkok that I was getting used to.
Over a few days on this trip, we taught children Chinese. My broken Thai became incredibly useful during these lessons. Words like “cry”, “sleep”, “listen”, “angry” helped us guide the children during songs and activities.
There were also road signs in the country side – and I could understand them. For instance, in the image below, the yellow sign translates to “In Jesus we have eternal life”.
Cooking ผัดกะเพรา
This was definitely a precious memory. I got to meet this Thai friend back in late 2023 and it’s wild that we’re still friends till this day. We cooked Pad Kra Pao together while listening to some Bee Gees on her cassette player.
We then had a really great chat about Thai culture and traditions, internship, and some of our future hopes and plans. I’m so thankful for her as a friend and I’m still praying for her salvation.
Making Friends
I’ve realised something this year. Missions is not only for those who have yet to know Christ. It is also for the one who chooses to go.
There is a deepening of faith that happens in the field, when you’re out of your comfort zone. I’m grateful for every friendship formed along the way.
Where I’m at now in 2026
Toward the end of 2025, I became burnt out. Strangely, I grew tired of Bangkok, which felt alarming given how passionately I began the year.
I realised I hadn’t paused to rest or realign my heart with God’s.
I’m thankful that the start of 2026 has been a season of rest and recuperation. I find my heart for Thailand stirring again and I feel a bit of that hope to return to Bangkok come back.
I thank God for His faithfulness when it comes to everything that has transpired across all the Bangkok mission trips. Unless He builds the house, the labourers labour in vain.
All glory goes to Him.