NOUN: debauchery
1. Indulgence in sensual pleasures; excessive or immoral activities involving sex, alcohol, food, or drugs.
2. A wild gathering involving excessive drinking and promiscuity.
My experience in Phuket, Thailand was a HUGE eyeopener for what the fall of man has done to this world. When we arrived in Phuket the Lord laid on a lot of our hearts that we were to go to Patong Beach. When we asked a traveler in our hostel about the beach he described it as “HELL”. That description confirmed in my heart that Patong was where the Lord was leading. He didnt call us to this journey to walk alongside the saved but to literally walk down the streets of hell and intercede for the people and the nation. No, I don’t have a crazy awesome story about redemption. I can only offer you the insight and awareness that I received as I walked down Bangla Road.
Patong, Phuket, Thailand. Known for its party scene, night life, transgender cabarets, ping pong shows, prostitution, and human trafficking on Bangla Road.
God, being the protective, loving Father that he is, gave me much insight on that place and the road before we even packed up to leave. The woman in Cambodia that the Lord supernaturally introduced me to had much experience with the EXACT place he was leading us to. She walked down the same streets. Praying against the same demons. Her heart breaking for the same reasons. She warned me of Bangla Road, the large amount of trafficking owned by the Russian mafia, and the frightening fact that they love to trap foreigners. She warned me that the people who would crowd me with advertisements as I walked the road were trying to invite us to watch live sex. She warned me that some of the taxis and tuktuks are owned by the Russian’s and used as a trap to capture women. She said that the first floor of buildings lining this road are all clubs full of prostitutes. The higher level of the clubs is where all the private trafficking happens and that I would see trafficked women dancing in glass boxes or cages.
Our first experience on Bangla Road was heart wrenching. We walked down the road at around 8:30pm, just when the partying was about to get started. I had goosebumps throughout the entire walk. They weren’t the “I am in the presence of evil” goosebumps but the feeling I get when I am aware of the presence of God. I knew he was covering me and protecting me as I walked through the presence of evil.
I watched the people as they passed me by, men and women of many races, children being dragged by their selfish parents losing their innocence with every step they took, men dressed as women, men sitting at the bars drinking and watching girls dance, half naked prostitutes standing outside of the clubs just waiting to be bought. I locked eyes with a trafficked woman dancing in a glass box on the second floor- I honestly couldn’t tell if her seductive smile at me was a scream for help or if she was enjoying the attention my eyes were giving her. I know she could see that I was different than the people that surrounded me. Why did she look at me the way she did? Why did she smile? Was she being watched by the eyes of someone else? A dangerous man making sure she was performing in a way that would bring in a man willing to pay a high price for her. Either way, her face and her smile will be burned in my memory forever and I will always pray for her salvation.
Every five steps we were bombarded with men and women advertising live sex shows, lesbian shows, and the worst one-Ping Pong shows. I asked what the ping pong show was and could not understand for the life of me what the man was trying to explain. Google answered that question for me.. It was something I could have gone my entire life without knowing about. Unless you can stomach it-do not look it up. Leave it in the unknown, you’re better off.
As I walked, prayed, and observed all these lonely people in search of immediate satisfaction I noticed something they all shared in common. None of them were satisfied at all. None of the tourists displayed any signs of enjoyment on their faces. I heard no laughter. There was no life. No joy. No love. No Jesus. Where is God in all of this? He is in you and me. Waiting for us to do something about it. Whether that be to pack up and move closer to hell or to drop on your knees and intercede for the nation of Thailand where the human trafficking and debauchery is so prevalent.
I really wish this story had a happy ending. I wish I could say that I sat in a strip club and led a prostitute to Jesus who then led the women she worked with to Jesus and shut down the establishment due to lack of business but that just didn’t happen. It wasn’t safe enough for us to go in there without someone more experienced and who has done ministry inside the bars before. And we certainly didn’t want to be under the radar of the Russian mafia. I am not certain why the Lord led us to Patong but I do know why he led us out of the hostel we were staying at. Just a few days after we left for Patong we heard about a Chinese Buddhist holiday “The Vegetarian Festival” that was taking place on the exact road our hostel was on. If you keep up with me on Facebook you read that it is a holiday where they eat nothing but vegetables. Sounds harmless, right? WRONG. They literally summon 36,000 gods “demons” to join them in the festivities. They ask the gods to possess them and empower them to self mutilate without pain. They pierce their cheeks with bizarre objects, cut their tongues, and skin themselves. Why? They believe that it brings blessings, honor, and protection from the gods.
I knew this world was full of evil and heartbreaking beliefs but honestly, I had no idea how bad it really was. My world has been shaken. My heart is broken. My faith is STRONGER. And.. I am ready for more.
I will leave you with one word. One request.
INTERCEDE
For Asia. For T-Squad. For New Beginnings Calvary Chapel. For Bangla Road. For the men, women, and children trapped in slavery.
Thank you.
