Before they can believe in Him, someone must tell them.

The Cook Family

We are Josh and Joanna Cook! We’ve served overseas with Cru since 2015 and in Southeast Asia since 2022 where we are passionate about seeing God change lives and building student led movements.

Our Journey Overseas

During our undergraduate at Texas A&M we had the opportunity to go on short term mission trips to East Asia. Through those trips and a 1 year internship the Lord put a burden on our hearts to bring the Gospel to students in East Asia. So, after 3 years of engineering we returned to East Asia long term where we served for 5 years.


Due to security and other factors the Lord relocated us from East Asia to Thailand in 2022.

Evangelism

We get to meet students and share the Gospel in ways they can understand.

Discipleship

Seeing students grow in their faith through discipleship is always a highlight!

Mobilization

When students graduate most join workplaces as one of the only believers where they are.

Temple in Thailand
Thailand flag check-in icon.

Why Thailand?

God is at work in Thailand! Here are some things that both burden us and give us vision for this beautiful country and people.


Unreached but Open: Thailand combines the almost totally unique combination of being an unreached place where we are also free to share the Gospel openly. This combination of need and a missionary's ability to engage that need is a remarkable stewardship.


A Heart to Send: Part of Thailand Cru’s vision is to send to the rest of the Buddhist and Muslim world of Southeast Asia! Thailand is strategically poised to do this because of cultural and geographic proximity, but many Thai believers are also becoming spiritually ready. Believers are acquainted with hardship--in following Christ, most have borne heavy personal costs with their families and communities, and have also not grown up in affluence. They are building so many of the important faith-muscles needed to go!


Finally and simply: students don't know Christ, very few know anyone who could tell them about Him, and we can be a part of entering into that missional gap.


Here, ministry sometimes feels like we are planting the smallest of mustard seeds, but these things help us picture the future--the huge, fruitful tree that God is growing! (Luke 13:19)


Quick Facts

  • Total Population: 67 Million
  • Student Population: 2.5 Million
  • Percent Christian: < 1%
  • Most national staff are first-generation Christians who trusted Jesus from Buddhist backgrounds

Thailand is Unreached

But what does "unreached" really mean? Talking about a place being "unreached" means talking about

people's access to the Gospel.


“What are the chances that someone living here will hear the Gospel in their lifetime?” The answer for an unreached people group or country is: extremely low.


In other words, the majority of people in an Unreached People Group, like the Thai people, will not have the opportunity to hear the Gospel in a way they might understand, even if they wanted to.

Our Roles

We have the privilege of serving on the Expat Leadership Team for Thailand Cru. Among other ministry activities, I (Josh) serve as the National Partnership Director. I oversee the coordination of all short-term trips from the U.S. to Thailand. My role involves ensuring these students contribute meaningfully to our national goals, understand the urgent need for cross cultural workers, and return home inspired to serve as lifelong laborers—all while having an enjoyable and impactful experience!


We also are regularly coaching and training new staff and interns in ministry and cross-cultural life skills so they can thrive in work and life overseas!

Praying over interns we had the privilege to coach and train during their time here before they returned to the States to join staff!

Casting vision and giving direction for the receiving of summer mission trips!

Taking a new intern to campus for the first time training her how to meet new students!

How you can join us!

We are looking to add to our team of ministry partners who will pray for us and support our ministry financially. We make four promises to our partners:


  • To work diligently to reach people for Jesus
  • To be good stewards of the financial support we receive
  • To be in regular contact through our monthly newsletters
  • To be praying for our partners and sharing our own prayer requests

Would you consider joining our team at $100/month or another amount that is significant to you?

*Due to our time in a closed country our names do not appear. However, international staff #0644098 is us!

Phone

Josh: 832-422-5319

Email

Joshua.cook@cru.org

Joanna.cook@cru.org

Signal App

Josh: +1 832-422-5319

Joanna: +66 61 174 8173

More about our family!

Josh & Joanna

14 Years!

Joanna and I both graduated from Texas A&M and were married in 2010. Joanna studied biomedical science and I studied electrical engineering. We use our knowledge regularly dealing with sick kids and dead batteries.

We have been blessed with 4 sons:

Josiah - 11 years old, entering 6th grade​

Luca - 9 years old, entering 4th grade​

Matias - 6 years old, entering 1st grade​

Jasper - 3 years old, entering school of life​