If families would locate in the dark places of the earth, places where the people are enshrouded in spiritual gloom, and let the light of Christ’s life shine out through them, a great work might be accomplished.” AH 488
Challenged by this quote, the Rawlings family decided to find out what “great work” could be accomplished if their family made the move.
Thinking that $3,000.00 (their comfort zone) would be enough to establish a home in Thailand, the Rawlings began sharing their plan with friends and family.
As they stepped forward in faith, God began to work.
Leading to the Light, a U.S. 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization, was founded and friends began to respond. One friend said, “We will pay for your family’s one-year visas.”
Another friend said, “We will rent you a car to take you from your home in Idaho to the airport in Seattle, Washington.”
This was a very exciting and amazing time for the family. God seemed to be confirming their conviction.
Then a friend said, “We will pay for one-way tickets.”
“One-way tickets!” exclaimed Lynette. “Aren’t we only going to be there for a year? How will we get back?”
Believing that God must have it all worked out, the family continued to move forward.
A few weeks before departure, Steve was praying one morning.
“Lord, You have opened the way for this experiment to happen. I just want to remind You that we are leaving in one month and there is only $400.00 in our bank account. Remember that we were thinking it would take $3,000.00 to establish a home in Thailand?”
As Steve continued telling God how to solve his financial problem, a strong thought interrupted his instructions:
“Read Matthew 10.”
Still kneeling, Steve opened his Bible to Matthew 10. Verse 9 seemed to glow:
“Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses…” (Matthew 10:9)
“Lord? Are You telling me to go to Thailand with only $400.00? What will my family think? They are already way out of their comfort zone with the one-way tickets! This is too much and far beyond anything You have ever asked me to do!”
Steve knelt there for several minutes wrestling with this new concept. Thinking about all the times God had led Lynette and him in the past, he realized that he only had two choices.
“Okay, Lord. How can I turn back now? We will go with whatever amount of money You decide to send us with.” On November 27, 2010, with $900.00 and one-way tickets, the Rawlings family left their home in Idaho and moved to Thailand.
At Chiang Mai International Airport, the hotel shuttle driver was their sole welcoming committee. They were jobless, homeless, and far outside their comfort zone.
God had their full attention.
Fifteen years later, the experiment continues. What began as a simple act of faith became a ministry, lifelong friendships, and a front-row seat to what God can do through ordinary people willing to say yes.
Looking back, we are reminded that God rarely calls the qualified. More often, He calls willing people and equips them along the way. Over the years, our role in the ministry has changed.
When we first moved to Thailand, much of our time was spent building relationships, learning the culture, and partnering with local pastors and gospel workers who already carried a deep burden for reaching their communities. Many of these leaders had spent years faithfully serving with very limited resources. Together, we began looking for ways to strengthen and expand the work through education, health ministry, children’s programs, missionary training, evangelism, and community outreach.
Through many years of faithful ministry, God has allowed those partnerships and relationships to grow into a strong foundation for ongoing ministry across Thailand and Myanmar.
Today, while we still spend time in Thailand, a significant part of our work now happens here in the United States. At first glance, that may not seem as visible as ministry happening on the ground. But in many ways, it has become one of the most important ways we can support and expand the work.
Our role now includes:
- Building awareness and developing partnerships
- Communicating ministry needs and impact
- Coordinating projects and caring for supporters
- Overseeing finances and reporting
- Helping provide the resources local gospel workers need to remain active in the field
We have come to realize something important:
The gospel work often grows farther and faster when local workers remain in their communities while we help strengthen the support structure behind them.
Rather than replacing local leadership, our desire has always been to come alongside faithful workers already committed to the mission and help provide encouragement, connection, and support so the ministry can continue growing long term.
We still deeply love being in Thailand and would gladly spend more of our time there. But in this season, we believe one of the most effective ways we can serve the mission is by helping connect people here with what God is doing there.
In many ways, every conversation, meeting, report, and relationship built here helps make possible the ongoing ministry happening across Thailand and Myanmar every day.
And the need continues to grow.
Across Thailand and Myanmar, there are still countless communities where the name of Jesus is rarely heard, where children grow up without knowing the hope of the gospel, and where faithful local workers continue serving with very limited support.
Yet we have seen again and again how even simple acts of partnership can:
- Change the direction of an entire village
- Strengthen a struggling gospel worker
- Protect vulnerable children
- Open hearts to Jesus in places once thought unreachable
That is why we invite you to share in this mission with us.
When you partner with Leading to the Light, you become part of something far bigger than a donation.
You step into the stories of:
- Children hearing about Jesus for the first time
- Families finding hope in difficult circumstances
- Faithful local gospel workers continuing to serve where the gospel is still rarely heard
Your support helps provide encouragement, stability, and practical resources that allow indigenous ministry leaders to remain active in their communities, build lasting relationships, care for those in need, and continue sharing the light of Jesus.
But beyond the impact itself, many of our partners tell us they experience something deeply meaningful through this journey — a greater connection to God’s mission, a deeper awareness of how He is working around the world, and the joy of knowing their lives are helping bring hope to others.
You are not simply funding projects.
You are joining God in a work that is changing lives across Thailand and Myanmar.
The light of Jesus is spreading.
And we would love for you to be part of the story God is continuing to write.
