I’ve been staying at SHE ministries in Phuket for almost a week now and I’m becoming more excited as things get underway with our work here. Friday was our first real hands on experience with bar ministry near Patong Beach. In the afternoon, we were taken to Patong and shown around the area. The city is quite the tourist location, filled with shopping centers, restaurants, and of course the bars. One entire street was lined with bars on both sides and we were told this was our main area of ministry. At that time of day the bars were near empty, but in a few hours they would be filled to capacity with tourists and locals fulfilling their lusts and desires with things of the flesh. As we walked down the street, we silently prayed for each of the bars, for the patrons, and for the women who work the bars and sell their bodies night after night only so they can provide for themselves and their families.
After a time of prayer and worship back at SHE, we headed back out to Patong around 8:30 that night. By the time we arrived, the city had taken on a carnival atmosphere with bright lights and loud music. We broke up into teams of four and were directed towards a few less hectic bars where talking to the women would be somewhat easier. Fortunately, each team was accompanied by another volunteer from SHE who was familiar with bar ministry and could help us through the first night. We walked up to our first bar and were greeted and led by several women to a table near the entrance. A few of us ordered Cokes and we simply started conversations with the women. They were surprisingly friendly and were more than willing to talk with us.
When we go into the bars, our strategy is to build relationships and form a level of trust with these women. We start off by asking casual questions like their names and where they are from, and we dig deeper and deeper over time. Eventually, we try and find out if they are happy with their work or if they want out of it. Quite often they will respond by saying they don’t like the job but it’s the only way they can put food on the table. This is when we are able to introduce them to SHE where they can learn a new trade, better English, and be exposed to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
On our first night out, my team and I were able to speak with 4 or 5 women who all seemed unsatisfied with their current situation. We hope to find and speak with them again the next time we visit Patong. I feel it was a good start and I’m looking forward to returning so we can continue with this work. Due to our budget we will only be able to do bar ministry several times a week. Hopefully we will be able to cut down on transportation costs when we start renting a vehicle from SHE. Before that can happen though, someone has to learn how to drive in Thailand traffic on the left side of the road, and I have a feeling it might be me…So there’s a prayer request for everyone.
