Church members who will be assisting English teachers in Bangkok schools were enthusiastically received by the governor of the city upon their arrival recently.
Gov. Bhichit Rattakul told the 20 missionary couples and sisters: "This is the first time in our history that any of our 429 Bangkok schools will have foreign teachers. It will not be an easy task. You who will be teaching our teachers how to teach English and will have to communicate and initiate, you are pioneers."The senior missionaries come from Utah, California, Idaho, Washington and Arizona. Gov. Rattakul, who attended BYU but is not a member of the Church, welcomed them at a luncheon ceremony at the Royal Princess Hotel. He presented each missionary with a colorful corsage and gave them his telephone number and FAX number, saying, "I pledge you my service 24 hours a day."
The missionaries will be teaching about 3,300 English teachers from eight public school zones.
The Bangkok project, organized in just eight months, was the answer to Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin's question to the governor: "What can we do to help?"
While Thailand Bangkok Mission Pres. Troy L. Corriveau was orienting the missionaries during the luncheon, his second counselor, Sonny Uscharawadi, remarked: "Just look at all these people with a wealth of teaching experience. The effect they will have is immeasurable."
