Meet two families who are preparing to serve with SIM Australia.  

Meet the Meenks 

Mark and Nyomie, along with their four children, are preparing to serve in Chiang Mai, Thailand. They will be serving with Hope for Life Thailand (HFLT), reaching families and students connected to the ministry. 

HFLT, one of SIM’s Hope for Life HIV ministries, outworks the compassion of Christ to those affected by or living with HIV. Areas of focus include prevention amongst Thai youth, provision of care and support to families impacted by HIV and equipping the church to respond to issues of brokenness within communities.   

Mark will be supporting the team with his counselling skills and Nyomie will focus on home-schooling. She hopes to be able to also teach English to youth and students once the family is settled in the country. 

Mark first felt called to missions at the age of 16 at a Boys’ Brigade camp. Nyomie also felt called to serve in missions at the same age, however, her desire increased after a trip around Australia in 2018.  

The Meenks shared, “When we first learned the statistics on Christianity in Thailand, we were astonished. There are 44 million Thai people who live in regions with no church. Thailand is a place where the overwhelming majority of people have not had the opportunity to hear and respond to the Good News of Jesus Christ.” 

“For us, getting to Thailand is about doing whatever small part we can, so that the Good News we received can be passed on to those who have never heard, so that they can make their own decision about Jesus. We see our partnership with Hope for Life Thailand as a way that we can use the gifts God has given us to serve alongside the team in the work that is being done.” 

Meet the Wilkins  

Benjamin and Antonia, and their two boys, are preparing to serve in West Africa to work amongst least reached desert tribes. Benjamin hopes to work in discipleship and church planting, and Antonia has a passion for teacher education. 

Ben was first interested in missions at the age of 7 after being exposed to visiting mission workers at his church and reading their letters. West Africa was first highlighted to Ben during Bible college. He shared, “I saw a map of the world at Bible College with the reached people groups as green dots and unreached as red. It looked like a bushfire was burning right through the middle of Africa, and I thought God could use me to equip the firefighters on the front line.”  

Antonia served in South Asia at a mission school for several years. When she returned, she met Ben at a beach mission at the end of 2012. “In our early marriage, we visited both South Asia and West Africa and although South Asia will always have a special place in my heart, I was encouraged by the opportunities for ministry in West Africa,” she shared.    

As they continue to build their support team before leaving for the field, the couple are looking forward to sharing the Gospel with those who have never heard it. Ben shared, “I think I'm excited to see unique perspectives on the scriptures, seeing people hear the Bible and having something resonate that wouldn’t for me. Also watching people trying to work out how to make a faith community from scratch, one that is an expression of the culture they come from, redeemed by the Spirit of God.”  
 

PRAY: Join us in praying for the Meenks and Wilkins as they prepare to serve overseas.  

GIVE: Do you want to financially support mission workers who are preparing to leave for the field? Give to the ‘Mission Go’ Fund (509301) by visiting sim.org.au/missiongo.