I once heard someone say they asked,
“God, why aren’t you doing something about all this sin and junk that goes on!?”
The Lord replied to them,
“You are my hands and feet, why aren’t you doing something about it!?”
Human trafficking, prostitution, sex slaves...it’s an ugly part of the world that many of us are either oblivious to or chose to ignore. I had NO idea it was so prevalent before watching a video called “Human Trafficking” (which if you have not seen, you need to view- yet with the warning that it made me angry, gripped my heart, intercede in prayer, shed tears, aware, and responsible to take action)!
Here’s a news site with a recent update about trafficking in Cambodia (it’s worldwide!) – http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20186675/
“But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of Him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.”
– 2 Corinthians 2:14-15
Sitting outside a coffee shop just around the corner from the heart of Patong’s redlight district (town in Phuket where we are staying- largest redlight district in southern Thailand), we prayed for the Lord’s direction, protection (of mind, body and spirit), the Holy Spirit to rest on us and for discernment before entering the nightlife scene. Baptist, Christian school girl who has maybe set foot in a bar 3 times prior, I felt way out of my element and kept praying for the Lord to give me understanding, love and wisdom.
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Despite my senses being overloaded, I felt a stillness and peace as we walked through the chaos surrounding us. Women and young girls skimpily dressed (that’s a big understatement) and enticing anyone passing by to enter their bar, transvestites, a shocking and heartbreaking number of middle aged men holding on to young Thai girls (most look like they just stepped out of an office in America, not creepy looking like I would’ve expected – midlife crisis? thinking they can hide from their emptiness? ego boost?), pole dancing, neon lights flashing, bar girls grabbing every man (and woman) that walked by, loud music, men giving invitations to come to a “free ping pong” show (thankfully the missionaries we are with warned us this was definitely NOT something we would want to go watch, otherwise my naive self could’ve fell for that one), and gawking, lustful eyes (of all ages- parents with young children all the way to elderly couples!). The girls put on a good appearance with smiles and flirtations, but as I observed them when they had a break between customers, there was a deep aching and emptiness evident in their downward glances and lonely looks.
This kind of lifestyle is honestly very hard for me to understand because of the environment I grew up in, none of this ever appealed to me. As I was standing and watching it all, the Lord spoke to me that if I had been brought up not knowing Him and in a different environment, I could easily have been in the same situation as these girls are. Doesn’t every girl desire to be thought of as beautiful? Who doesn’t like attention? But because they probably have never experienced the real thing, the enemy counterfeits true beauty and love with a “sexy image” and lust. In Thai culture, parents expect their children to provide for them at any cost, so the enticement of making quick big bucks is what draws many of the girls into prostitution. “I need to provide for my family,” is the response from almost every girl. I have yet to meet one girl who actually wants to work there and to sell their body, they just don’t know what else to do to provide enough money for their families.
Knowing what goes on behind some of the closed doors is even more heart wrenching, because behind closed doors is where the sadistic stuff and trafficked children are! Human trafficking- modern day slavery!! I had absolutely NO idea this was going on until I arrived here in Thailand and watched the video entitled “Human Trafficking.” Unbelievable- the misconceptions, horrors and mistreatments that humans do to one another.
Walking between bars, all I could do was pray and repent for the people. I wanted to get on a loud speaker and cry out “There’s so much more to life than this!! Repent and live- there is a God who loves you SO much and has incredible plans for your life and wants to give you freedom!!” But, that might not be the best idea…building relationships with the girls one on one is our focus. Many of the girls were very sweet and would sit with us for brief periods to talk while we drank our cokes. As long as we buy something, the bar owners are ok with the girls taking a break to talk with us- their time has to be “bought” in one way or another. I pray and believe they could see something different in us- a different spirit and that we really cared about them. Mark and Sharon Biddel (the UK couple we are working with) go out to the bars at least 2 nights/week to consistently build relationships with girls, and they hit 4-7 bars in a night. It was so neat to see the response of the girls- running over and hugging them, so excited to see friends who really care about them.
After a relationship is built, we invite the girls to come to the SHE base, where we make jewelry as an alternative source of income. The offer to make jewelry and give the rest up is not very appealing because of the huge pay cut, so it’s got to be the Holy Spirit, relationship-based and a heart change that draws them! All are welcome, but Mark and Sharon require that the girls completely give up the prostitution and bar tending to come be a part of this. Currently 4 girls have accepted Christ (one just 2 weeks ago) and are living in an apartment together and come each day to make and sell jewelry. A few days, there have been girls we have met in the bars stopping by to check things out. I believe the Holy Spirit is working in the hearts of a number of them! 🙂
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Gong and Kung- making jewelry |
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Please be praying:
– hearts of stone to be replaced with hearts of flesh (softening of hearts to the Holy Spirit)
– Thai girls to know the real love of God, and to know they are beautiful and valuable
-men who come here for “cheap thrills” to see the emptiness and sin, and to repent
-godly men to come here and respect the women and model to them true love
-churches to raise up all over the city- to support and reach out to these women & men
-parents to see the destruction going on and not to put the pressure on their children to make lots of money at whatever cost
-bar owners to become aware of the wickedness and to have changes of heart
-more angels to war in the spiritual realm
-transformation of prostitute houses/red light district from places that breed destruction and sin and emptiness to places of refuge and that breathe life into people and places of worship of our Creator and God
-freedom for the Thai people from Buddha worship to knowing the living God!
-strength, love, boldness, discernment, protection for us as we go out into the bars
-extra protection over the men in our group – to see with spiritual eyes and not physical, protection over their minds and spirits, protection from lust, protection over their thoughts and dreams, wisdom in their interactions with the women
**Teammates in Bangkok are really in the heart of it all and have written some good stuff expressing what they are experiencing, please check out these posts:
http://amandadums.theworldrace.org/index.asp?filename=the-cry-of-bangkok&bookmark=true#comments
http://malloriemiller.theworldrace.org/index.asp?filename=uncovering-bangkoks-sex-industry
http://malloriemiller.theworldrace.org/index.asp?filename=me-of-little-faith
http://stephaniefisk.theworldrace.org/index.asp?filename=trafficked&bookmark=true#comments
http://stephaniefisk.theworldrace.org/index.asp?filename=holy-prostitution
Mal says- love this quote that Jim, the founder of The Well, relayed to us right before we hit the streets last night:
“Some live under the church bell and others feel more comfortable within one yard of the gate of hell.”
