Longterm Missionaries…

I have served as a missionary in Thailand for over 16 years.  My youngest two children graduated from GIS.  Both of them turned out to be wonderful people with high moral standards and a passion for God, and married spouses of the same high caliber.  We couldn’t be more proud of them.  GIS played an important role in shaping their lives and provided an ideal atmosphere in which to learn and grow socially, intellectually and spiritually.  We are ever so grateful for GIS!

Mark & Janie Durene

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From a First-Year GIS Parent…

“If it weren’t for Grace, we’d have moved back to the US, because our children could no longer live safely where we were ministering,” Melissa said, as a first year parent at GIS. “Beginning this year we’ll live in Chiang Mai, until our kids are grown. We can serve from here in a different ministry and still be closest to our work. But mainly, it was a good move for us, because we can be with our kids, rather than boarding them

“GIS provides an appropriate environment for children of believers. It’s more conservative than other schools we’ve been around and has also been here longer. The strong Christian values make a huge difference to us. And if Grace someday moves and grows, it wouldn’t make a difference, because this school is not about only the building.

“Without GIS, we’d have to try home education for 11th and 12 grade subjects, which would be hard to do. Besides, my kids are really happy to be here. They have relationships with other Americans and with many other cultures, too.”

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“There is so much I love about Grace International School…”

“I can’t imagine any place I would rather my kids grow up than here — or what we’d do without the School…”

“Though there is so much we appreciate, what I have come to value the most is the way their hearts have been transformed through the various ministry activities they have been exposed to. You can talk to your child about orphan children with AIDS, but until they hold an orphan in their lap and get to know that child, its just another topic of conversation. You can share with your children tragic tales of refugees and all they go through, but until they visit a refugee camp and see the individual faces of these people and hear their stories, until then they are just a group of unfortunate people.

“My children are becoming people of compassion; they are learning to love the way Jesus loves and are experiencing the kind of deep joy that only comes from seeing Him use them in the lives of others. What more could a parent possibly want?”

Becky Smith

Becky and her husband, Greg, work with Campus Crusade for Christ in Thailand. Their daughter, Audrey, is in the GIS class of 2010.