For the month of November my team has been located in (beautiful) Pattaya, Thailand. I write that “beautiful” in parenthesis because even though we’re only 10 minutes from the famed beaches of Thailand, we learned from our host that Pattaya is the #1 destination for sex tourism in the world and more than 8 million sex tourists go through this city in one year. What does sex tourism mean? Exactly what it sounds like – tourists come to Pattaya for the sole purpose of visiting the red light district and its assortment of bars, go-gos, and brothels. No one will actually call it a “brothel” though; everything is referred to as and looks like a bar – from the outside. More on that in my next blog post.
So you would think, from the description of Pattaya that I gave you, that my team would be doing bar ministry this month and talking to the men and women in the red light districts. That’s ok, because I thought the same thing at first too. However, we’ve spent the past month working with Blessing Home, a daycare for children 2-4 years old run by a local church. It may sound small in the face of all the darkness of this city, but Blessing Home is standing out like a beacon here in Pattaya.
Blessing Home’s belief is that the best way to stop the sex industry is to stop it at the source, and that’s starting with the children. In Pattaya, a child of 4 years old is already at risk due to family circumstances and the culture. According to Thai culture, it’s the child’s responsibility to take care of and provide for the parents, even at a young age. At 4 years old they can be used for drug mules to transport drugs, and anywhere from 7-9 years old the boys are requested in the brothels while the girls don’t start until 11-13. It’s disgusting and so hard to take in.
Our host told us that most of the children at the Blessing Home A) don’t have parents and live with their grandparents, other relatives, or family friends, B) have a single parent who can’t afford to send their child to preschool, or C) their families are barely making ends meet. Having the children in daycare ensures that they are in school, and if they start early they’re more likely to stay in school and not get sucked into the sex industry themselves. Blessing Home also provides as many scholarships as they can to the children who can’t afford it. When a scholarship is given, that is a commitment from the mission that they will pay for that child’s schooling all the way through high school, which is about $200/child per year. The money to support these scholarships is donated to Blessing Home by supporters in the States, and our missionary contacts make a special trip every year to visit churches and raise the support.
It’s been a busy month taking care of preschoolers, but it’s been one of the most rewarding months I’ve had yet on the Race. While I still actively avoid changing diapers (a skill I developed with two young nieces), I have enjoyed getting to teach and play with each one of these kiddies. One thing I’ve noticed in my travels round the world is that children are the same no matter where you are, and the children at Blessing Home are no different. They love to play with blocks and foam letters, run around and chase each other, take pictures with my camera and photobomb each other, climb all over their teachers, and squeal in delight whenever we sing “Itsy Bitsy Spider.” They’re a little cranky just before naptime, and some of them will eat all of their lunch while others won’t. They fight with each other and they don’t always listen. They’re exhausting to work with, and yet they brighten my day with their little smiles and hugs, and I love to watch them discover the world around them.
However, I am determined to make sure that these children never discover the world of the sex trade for themselves, and that they know they are loved, special, and worth more than what the world might tell them. One month may have flown by, but these children will always be in my heart.
Mornings at Blessing Home as the kids are arriving
No morning is complete without singing the Thai national anthem and raising the flag
Teaching time!
All the teachers want to hang out with the cool kids.
All the cheese!
Teachers: kid’s favorite jungle gyms.
