Why do we at Grace International School believe in the importance of having a biblically-integrated education? This month’s newsletter features one of our Grace parents, Jacob Smith, whose testimony epitomizes why Grace exists with the mission of providing quality and affordable Christ-centered education for over twenty years.
Jacob’s involvement in ministry has spanned the past 25 years. He had lived in South Africa for eight years and has now been in Thailand for three years. He is currently the president of Within Reach Global, one of Grace’s partner organizations working with unreached people groups in the 10/40 window. Jacob shares that people being reached by WRG have said, “I want to know where you are sending your kids to school. I want to send my kids there too.” Many of the Chinese families that WRG is ministering to have become a part of the Grace community and many of these family members are on the brink of giving their life to Christ or already have.
Jacob says, “Grace offers top, quality, Christian education—one of the best schools in the entire country and even the entire region. There are so many people who seek out Grace International School because they are drawn to that quality education and many of them are non-believers. Imagine all of these families encountering the Gospel for the first time at Grace. Students are raised with a Christian worldview and Christian values, and they are going to make an impact on the world when they bring Jesus back to their family and then back to their nations.” This is the impact Grace and our ministry partners such as WRG are having in Chiang Mai and beyond. Not only does Grace exist to keep international Christian workers aboard long-term, but through education, Grace aims to be a light to the community living in Southeast Asia.
“So many families don’t have access to quality Christian schools abroad,” Jacob adds. “We were worried about the quality of our children’s education back in South Africa. When my four kids came to Grace, they had to do a lot of catching up to be on the same level as their peers. The teachers were really friendly and most importantly, the threat of us having to leave the field because of our children’s education is gone. Because of Grace, parents can double the ministry work that they are doing. Grace isn’t making an impact just in Thailand but all around the world.”
