KNOXVILLE (WVLT) – Even the most seasoned travelers admit that International travel can be stressful. That was especially true for a Christian mission group from East Tennessee who found themselves stuck in the middle of a large scale government protest this week in Thailand.
The group was trapped in the city of Bangkok after protesters seized Suvarnabhumi International Airport on November 25th.
“I'm just excited to finally be home,” said Renee Bennette, a missionary from the First Baptist Church of Jacksboro. “I just couldn't wait for it to finally be done."
Renee Bennette was one of six others from the Campbell County church who ventured to Thailand to spread the message of Christianity among tourists.
“It went great,” said Pastor Bill Morris of First Baptist. “We gave several hundred bibles to the Chinese who were very excited to get them. Now they're probably in China"
The group’s ordeal began 35 hours before touching down at McGhee Tyson Airport. They were just days into the mission when things started to heat up among the protesters who started vocally demanding Thailand’s prime minister step down.
“We began to hear troubles on about our fourth day there,” said Pastor Morris. “Then it began to get worse and worse"
Thousand of protesters marched two year old airport, considered one of the 20 busiest in the world, just two days before Thanksgiving. Within hours they were successfully able to close down the massive complex, canceling hundreds of flights and stranding departing travelers in the Capital city.
“It was a little uneasy thinking, ‘oh, what's going to happen,’” said Renee Bennette, “but just knowing God was there with you made you know it was going to be okay."
Instead of waiting around for the airport to reopen, Pastor Morris came up with an alternative way to get home. He had lived in the neighboring country of Cambodia several years, so he convinced the group that they could make it home by taking a 90 mile bus trip into the formerly war torn nation. When all was said and done, the trip east took six hours.
“Going into Cambodia scared me,” said Renee Bennette. “The bus was just bouncing you to the ceiling"
Once they reached Cambodia, the missionaries were able to book a flight to Malaysia. From Malaysia they flew to Amsterdam in the Netherlands, then to Detroit and finally back to Knoxville.
“Everybody had a great attitude,” said Pastor Morris. “We'd do it again, no doubt about it."
First Baptist Church of Jacksboro has another trip mission trip planned in February. This time they will travel to the South American nation of Guyana.
In Bangkok, the protesters began leaving the airport late Tuesday when the prime minister stepped down. Thai aviation officials expect Suvarnabhumi International Airport to be fully back up and running on Friday.
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