Derington Family

- Ministering in Thailand -

Our hearts are for every person in Thailand to know someone who passionately follows Christ.

Thailand

Thailand sits at the center of Southeast Asia, surrounded by Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, and Malaysia, with China just to the north. Millions of people cross its borders each year.

Though a spiritually open country, roughly 85% of Thais still hold to Buddhist teachings, while less than 1% are evangelical.

Missions work has taken place in Thailand for over 200 years with slow growth. Over the last one to two decades, there has been a shift in the culture and greater disillusionment in the majority religion, paving the way for more consistent expansion of the gospel.

However, of the 114 known people groups in Thailand, 79 are still considered unreached, leaving the majority of the Thai population with little-to-no chance of hearing the gospel.

But…because of the foundation God has laid through faithful workers, we are now beginning to see second and third-generation Thai believers step into full-time ministry, and the gospel is beginning to spread into these “unreached” parts of Thailand and SE Asia.

We joined staff with Cru (formerly Campus Crusade for Christ) in 2019 and are serving in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Cru is now the world’s largest mission organization-active in over 190 countries worldwide.

Our Ministry

The Derington family serves in Chiang Mai, Thailand. With a population exceeding 200,000, Chiang Mai is considered the largest city in the mountainous north. It is a major hub for travelers—both tourists and those seeking a better way of life outside of nearby countries. This makes Chiang Mai not only a strategic choice but a crucial location for ministry.

Cru’s ministry focus in Thailand is four-fold: campus ministry, church planting, leader discipleship, and digital strategies.

In addition to outreach and discipleship, Nick serves as the Director of Communications at Grace International School, leading a team of Thais and foreigners. He is grateful to be leveraging his fifteen-plus years of corporate experience in project management, marketing, software development, and finance for the Kingdom.

Born to American parents in Mae Hong Son, Thailand, Traci holds a Thai birth certificate. She is in the process of working toward establishing dual citizenship. Having dual citizenship gives us permanency in Thailand and will open further doors for us to serve in the country in the long term. Traci is also involved in ongoing language acquisition and relational ministry through outreach and discipleship of new and growing believers.

Our children—Elam (13), Grey (11), Moriah (9), and Wren (7)—have all made the long journey to and from Southeast Asia several times now and have become quite adept at our family’s unique lifestyle. All four children attend Grace International School, where Nick serves. We see them as key players in the ministry the Lord has called our family to.

Support Our Ministry

We are excited to partner with Grace Fellowship Church in Northern Kentucky as our home sending church.

Prayer Requests

As a family, we value prayer. As we serve in Thailand, we have found that having more individuals involved in praying for us and the ministry is crucial. Please consider partnering with us in prayer in the following ways:

Provision

That God would continue to provide the right ministry partners—both prayer and financial

Endurance

Serving on the field comes with constant demands on time. Pray for healthy time management and endurance

Family

That we would have a “same team” mentality within our marriage and with our children

Connection

That new relationships would continue to form within the local Thai community

Latest From Our Ministry

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