It takes a village to plant a church, say Quintin and Kim Ratliff, IMB missionaries in Thailand since 2001.

For 10 years they and short-term volunteers (some stayed up to two years) ministered in villages with no known Christians. Finally, one woman and a few children expressed interest, and a small church was planted. When COVID swirled through Thailand and travel stopped, Baptist Global Relief provided masks and other supplies that opened doors.

“Now our missionary partners and local Thai pastor go in weekly,” Kim Ratliff said. “They now have four new adult baptized believers plus other adults and children. So a little bitty thing we’ve been working on all these years is blossoming and growing!”

The Ratliffs remain in Oklahoma, unable to acquire a Visa to return to Thailand. They arrived in December 2019 for a short home leave to visit family in Louisiana and Oklahoma, and to lead training in California for missions teams.

“We’ve also been a part of (the IMB’s) Kairos project, to reach out to pastors across the denomination,” Ratliff said. “Writing letters to 60 pastors, mainly in Oklahoma and Kansas.”

Quintin and Kim Ratliff suffered with COVID for three weeks each in November, shortly after her brother died from the virus. “It was very scary,” Kim Ratliff said.

The Ratliffs anticipate moving soon from northern Thailand to Bangkok, where they will liaison between Thai Baptist churches and pastors connecting to IMB personnel and resources. Both also are trained in Trauma Healing, a focused program to help people from grow into true disciples of Jesus with healthy emotional hearts.

The Ratliffs enjoy nature, hiking and bike-riding. They love to eat food from many cultures, and to share His love with all people.

Because of the generous giving of Oklahoma Baptists through the Cooperative Program, an amazing array of ministries are supported. This unified giving encourages fellowship with other believers all over the world. Collectively, Oklahoma Baptists are advancing the Gospel together. Learn more at oklahomabaptists.org/cp

Quintin and Kim Ratliff were featured in the 2021 Missionary Prayer Guide for Oklahoma Baptists. To see the Ratliff’s prayer requests, visit www.oklahomabaptists.org/cp