A couple and their two young children from Steinbach are packing up their bags and home, and moving to Thailand to be missionaries.
"I originally didn't want to do anything mission-related," says Abigail Loewen. "That's what we're going for. To be long-term missionaries and to do church planting."
Brody Loewen, Abigail's husband, has had a dream in his heart to do long-term mission work since he was a teenager. The week he spoke to his pastor to let the dream go, Abigail felt led strongly to move their lives in this direction.
"It was only when missionaries came to our church and shared about the unreached people groups in the world, and how there's this desire to know more, but not many people willing to go. That's when I felt the word 'go.' So then we started on this."
Leaving Canada to share the gospel
In December 2025, the couple and their son and then eight-week-old daughter flew to Thailand for the first time. They immediately fell in love with the people and culture.
"That's when we got to experience Thailand, and the hope that they need. Eastern Mennonite Missions have a church planting opportunity there. We prayed about it and applied, and God's continually opening doors."
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Through Eastern Mennonite Missions, the couple is hoping to leave Canada for good in November of this year, moving to Ubon Ratchathani in Isaan, Thailand. They have currently raised 38 per cent of their funding to date, and they have to raise a hundred per cent before they're able to book tickets.
Creating spaces for connection through faith
"We know that God changes hearts," says Brody. "When God reaches the household, it changes everything about that household. We want them to see freedom. We want to see a hope that they can really have in Christ."
In the area the Loewens are moving to in Thailand, there is 0.3 per cent of the population that are professing Christians.
"Thailand in it's entirity is an unreached people group. What we are wanting to do is, through meaningful connection through people, through church internship, through a project called Bovine Banking Project, build relationships to share the faith and the hope we have."
People interested in following along their journey, or support them in prayer or finances, can do so on the Loewens' Instagram.
"It's been a long journey of continually trusting the Lord and having Him open the doors for us." says Abigail. "There's lots of work to be done there."
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