Ridgleys Overseas
Love God, Love People, Build His Kingdom.
“Turn to me and be saved
All the ends of the earth!
For I am God, and there is no other.”
– Isaiah 45:22 ESV
About us
Hi! We (Elijah & Jessica Ridgley and our three kids: Paige, Asher, and Reese) have been serving in Thailand since 2007 with a desire to be a reflection of Jesus through all that we do while we are humbly aware of this fact:
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” – John 15:5 ESV
Currently we are working in a couple capacities, Jessica as a teacher in a Christian school that builds up students and also supports and enables missionary families to be able to stay on the mission field, and Elijah as an entrepreneur building a business that enables him to share the light of Christ in an organic way as he comes into contact with both expats and locals in the community. Come get to know us and our hearts.
Where We Serve
Chiang Mai, Thailand? Yes, that’s right. Chiang Mai, “The jewel of the North” is in Thailand, “The land of a million elephants” and “The land of smiles” in South-East Asia, also part of the 10-40 window.
Population and Geography
Do we live in grass huts and ride elephants to school? Well not in recent years, but Chiang Mai does have a long cultural heritage that involves those things. In fact, when we had the restaurant, a local elephant would come visit and patrons could feed it bananas! Chiang Mai is the second largest city in Thailand after the capital of Bangkok. With a population of more than 1.2M people, it’s not small, but is still a dwarf compared to Bangkok’s 11.2M. Chiang Mai is a fast growing urban area that sits in a valley surrounded by beautiful mountains.
Religion
Buddhism (92.5%) is the official religion of the country, though many strong animistic beliefs are intertwined in Thai belief systems. Islam comes in second with about 5.4%, and still only about 1.2% are Christians with a majority of these being non-Thai nationals from various other tribal groups.
Chiang Mai - Base Camp South-East Asia
Thailand has long-time been a haven for religious freedom and God has opened many opportunities for missionaries to minister in Thailand freely as well as use cities like Bangkok and Chiang Mai as bases for ministries to surrounding closed countries.
Unfortunately with the lack of educational support for missionary families in many surrounding countries as well as the high cost of most international schools, it has led to a high number of missionaries having to leave the field in previous years. Grace International School in Chiang Mai has been on a mission to serve missionary families and offer them the educational support they need while also offering financial aid through the help of direct donors to the school. The volunteer foreign admin and teacher workforce that raises their own support provide that support as well. Within this Thai and international context, Jessica and Elijah will be serving as a support to missionary families and will continue to reach out to non-believing Thai and foreign communities through both the international school and the business context.
What We’re Up To
Elijah & Jessica have been working in education and the marketplace in Chiang Mai, Thailand since 2007. Starting in Aug 2024 Jessica will be teaching at Grace International School, a school that serves to support Christian missionary families that serve in Thailand and surrounding countries in South-East Asia. Elijah, growing up as a missionary kid in Thailand and Laos, has been venturing to serve the foreign and national community through several business ventures since they came back to Thailand as a couple.
What We’re Up To
Elijah & Jessica have been working in education and the marketplace in Chiang Mai, Thailand since 2007. Starting in Aug 2024 Jessica will be teaching at Grace International School, a school that serves to support Christian missionary families that serve in Thailand and surrounding countries in South-East Asia. Elijah, growing up as a missionary kid in Thailand and Laos, has been venturing to serve the foreign and national community through several business ventures since they came back to Thailand as a couple.
Missionary family support through education
Missionary family support through service businesses
Being salt and light through education and business to national and foreign non-believers.
“We want to see every avenue of society filled with the light of God’s Kingdom”
Recent Updates
2024 Holiday Season
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year We spent Christmas Eve evening at church with fellow believers focusing on the greatest gift ever given, Jesus. As we reflect on this year, we have many gifts to be thankful for. Family has been a huge gift to us this year. Both...
Partner With Us
As Jessica begins this new venture of teaching at GIS, foreign staff are required to raise their own support. Your faithful support ensures that our family can continue to pursue the ministry God has given us.