MEET THE DERINGTONSCHIANG MAI
We are Nick and Traci Derington. Along with Elam, Grey, Moriah, and Wren, we share life and ministry in northern Thailand.
01OUR STORY
DIFFERENT BEGINNINGS. A SHARED CALLING.
2008Two beginnings meet
2009A life together begins
2013—17Clarity, then waiting
2018—todayThe way opens again
Nick was born in Detroit, Michigan, then moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he grew up and came to know the Lord at sixteen. His work has taken him from the culinary world and investment banking to digital media. Today, he serves as Director of Communications and Marketing at Grace International School, is involved in soccer ministry, and loves digging into Scripture, getting lost in a good book, and spending time in the kitchen.
Born in Thailand, Traci lived there until moving to the U.S. at nine and came to know the Lord at four. Her background spans barista work and sales, and she has a gift for making connections, whether meeting a stranger or speaking to a crowd. She runs their home and cares for their four children, and loves hospitality, cooking, baking, reading and learning Thai. Cold weather is considerably further down her list.
Nick and Traci both love to travel and have visited about 65 countries between them. Each completed the World Race at a different time, and both have led mission trips.
02WHY THAILAND
MORE THAN A DESTINATION
Thailand sits in the heart of Southeast Asia, with a rich cultural heritage shaped by generations of Buddhist tradition. Christians make up a small minority of the population.
In the mountainous north, Chiang Mai brings together historic neighborhoods, universities, and communities from across the region.
REACHING THE LEAST-REACHED
For our family and our sending church, following Jesus includes helping make him known among people with the least access to a local Christian community. That conviction helped shape our call to Thailand and continues to guide how we listen, serve, and come alongside Thai believers.
of 110people groups in Thailand are currently classified as unreached by Joshua Project. These are estimates, not a statement about every person’s experience.
Thailand stretches from the forested mountains of the north through the central plain to the Malay Peninsula. Chiang Mai sits in the northern highlands, connected to communities across a varied country.
Buddhism has shaped Thailand’s history, traditions, and public life for generations. Christians are a small minority, so patient friendship, listening, and respect matter deeply in the way we live and serve.
Chiang Mai brings together historic neighborhoods, universities, churches, international families, and people from across northern Thailand—a place where everyday work and long-term relationships naturally overlap.
Cru Thailand serves through student-led movements, leadership development, local churches, church planting, and digital ministry—connected ministries across the country, not roles our family claims to perform alone.
Joshua Project currently classifies 73 of Thailand’s 110 people groups as unreached. The estimate describes access to a local Christian community—not the worth, beliefs, or experience of any individual person.
Traci was born in Mae Hong Son. Returning to northern Thailand with Nick and their children carried a sense of homecoming. Our ministry grows through the ordinary rhythms of work, hospitality, discipleship, and friendship.
03MINISTRY
GENERATIONAL VISION
Traci’s parents first served among the Karen people in remote mountain villages in Thailand in the 1980s and early 1990s. Years later, they returned with a different organization to care for and encourage other ministry workers. Today, three generations of our family share life in Thailand, while Elam, Grey, Moriah, and Wren grow up inside a story that began long before them.
WHO WE SERVE WITH
Sending ChurchGrace Fellowship Church in Northern Kentucky commissioned and sent our family in 2020. Their heart for reaching the least-reached continues to shape and sustain the work we share.
Our Ministry OrganizationWe joined Cru staff in 2019 and now serve on the Teach with Cru team. It is a caring community passionate about connecting people to Jesus, and we are grateful to serve alongside them.
Grace International SchoolNick serves as Director of Communications and Marketing, leading a team of Thai staff. He also coaches, teaches a high school advisory class that mentors and disciples young men, and separately serves on leadership committees that help steer the school’s direction.
In the Midst CafeTraci consults with the cafe’s owners and staff, helping build community through relationships and a welcoming place. Directly across from Grace International School, the cafe serves the local Thai community as well as students, teachers, and parents throughout the week.
Relationships and HospitalityDiscipleship, parenting connections, and friendship grow through the ordinary rhythms we share with people around us. Welcoming others into our family home gives those relationships room to deepen over time.
PARTNER WITH US
Your partnership helps our family keep showing up, building relationships, and serving alongside the people and ministries God has placed around us.
Support our ministry04OUR BLOG
FOLLOW THE STORY: LETTERS FROM THAILAND
05CONNECT
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