After riding in a taxi then walking for a few blocks, The 112 turned the corner and walked down a narrow side alleyway.
The turquoise hand-painted sign was a beacon of hope.
We had navigated the unfamiliar streets of Bangkok and had finally arrived at our destination.
We are half an hour late, something our contact, Celeste, said wasn’t a big deal when we called her a few blocks back. We swing open the wooden-framed, glass door and were welcomed by a literal cool burst of fresh air and the overwhelming yet delicious aroma of freshly roasted coffee and freshly baked cupcakes. The music glides from the overhead speakers and sets the tone for the shop: a relaxing, joyful vibe.
The coffee shop is quaint and homey- just a handful of wooden tables and chairs, couches and end tables line either side of the aisle that spans from the door to the counter.
In the front right corner of the coffee shop, child-sized chairs and tables are surrounded by toys, games and books, all neatly stacked yet still somehow looking disheveled and well-used.
Halfway back on the left side of the shop, a wicker egg-shaped chair hangs from the ceiling where one of the many branches of a man-made tree, complete with blossoming flowers is rooted.
(My favorite chair in the coffee shop)
The ceiling is lined with gallery spot lights that showcase a local artist’s work.
He has used a combination of photographs he has taken and mixed them with paint, charcoal, and other mediums to produce mixed-media pieces whose canvases are pieces of scrap wood he found around the coffee shop in downtown Bangkok. Each one tells a story all of its own, most about the artist’s life.
The giant dark-stained wood bookshelves near the back are filled with an assortment of knick-knacks for sale: pottery, sculptures, organic coffee beans from the Hill Tribes, and other pieces of artwork. Some business cards and books for both children and adults are also scattered amongst the knick-knacks.
The lighted, glass cupcake case caught your eye as you first entered the room a few minutes ago but you were temporarily deterred from it due to all the other stimulating sights, sounds and smells that were closer in proximity. Once again, now that you are closer, however, it begs for your attention once more.
The rows of neatly displayed cupcakes on rectangle ceramic plates look like something out of a magazine food photo shoot. Every flavor has four or five beautifully iced and decorated cupcakes to showcase the flavor, complete with a hand-written name card beside it.
Chai tea cupcakes, black forest cupcakes topped with a cherry and a chocolate bar, snicker doodle cupcakes complete with a cookie, Oreo cupcakes containing Oreo crumble topping, green tea cupcakes, red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese icing, carrot cake cupcakes, Italian cream cupcakes and granola streusel cupcakes practically sell themselves with their mouth-watering smell and aesthetic appeal.
(Don't you just want some cupcakes?!)
The barista at the counter greets you with a huge smile, which beams a nonverbal “Hello!” followed by her exclamations of the verbal “Weclome!”
And here, at this coffee shop, you do feel welcomed.
No matter who you are, what you’ve done, what your story might be—you are welcomed here.
After you approach the counter, you realize the theme of creativity permeates everything in this coffee shop. You think about all you’ve just experienced.
From the pieces of literal artwork showcased on the wall to the chalkboards decorated in colored chalk that tell you what drinks and snacks they offer and the prices for them that are hung on the wall behind the counter to the caramel syrup or foam decorations on the top of your specialty coffee drink- this coffee shop is creative art.
This coffee shop is also filled with feelings of excitement and joy.
Restored. New beginnings. Hope. Beautiful. Valuable. Creative. Love.
The workers here radiate those same feelings of excitement and joy.
The workers here are ladyboys.
Ladyboys are biological men that are often raised to be women or they have come to believe that they want to be women for various reasons.
They are former dancers, prostitutes, social outcasts, lost sheep.
They have come to the coffee shop to be restored through Celeste’s discipleship; they desire a “redo”, a second chance. They are experiencing new beginnings; some still experience them every day. They have a new sense of hope in a place where they once felt so hopeless and defeated. They are beautiful- inside and out. They are valuable; they are making money in a reputable way and their lives matter. They are creative; their artwork is everywhere and their baking and coffee drinks even showcase that. They know they are loved; they see God’s grace and know his love. They are loved and, therefore, love well in return.
They are healing.
Celeste, a family psychology major with her Master’s in counseling, came to Thailand in 2007 on a 2-year missionary contract. She began to work as a counselor and volunteer coordinator for an organization that worked with getting female prostitutes out of the bars. She said that eventually, the people downtown knew that when a group of white women came in the bars, that they were there to help.
(The Red-light District)
After a while, ladyboys began coming up to her and the other volunteers and were very open and vulnerable about who they were and what they were experiencing.
They began asking where their help was. They showed her they had a desire for something “more” in their life– something better.
Celeste felt God break her heart for the desire of their hearts. She returned to the states and began Dton Naam, “an independent, inter-denominational ministry seeking to rescue and provide aftercare for those individuals at risk or presently involved in the sex industry.”
(click on the image above to be taken to the Dton Naam website)
Dton Naam offers programs focused on education, job training, Christian discipleship, individual and group counseling, and helping individuals find legitimate jobs.
Dton Naam’s vision, to “help Thai individuals leave prostitution and rebuild their lives”, is currently focused on the ladyboys in the red-light districts in the Bangkok area. They work at the newly-started coffee shop in order to “learn new skills and work in a safe and legitimate job while receiving healing.”
(The 112 listening to Celeste talk about Dton Naam)
Art is used as an expression of creativity and a form of therapeutic healing for the ladyboys. They realize they have the ability to paint, draw, photograph, etc. and spend some time attending classes that the Dtom Naam staff teaches in the rooms just above the coffee shop.
Eventually, they move into a realm of freedom and creativity. They find themselves working on art pieces more and more often and enjoying it more than they thought possible.
Friday, July 13, Dton Naam hosted their first show to display the artwork of the ladyboys in the program. Celeste said they began the night nervous and hiding in the staircase.
Eventually, she said, they opened up because they felt safe. They stood confidently beside their work and engaged in conversation with strangers about why they created that particular piece.
In the past, the ladyboys sold themselves for about 600 baht a night. The silent auction brought in from 400 to 800 baht for each piece created. It showed the ladyboys they could make money in ways they hadn’t previously considered.
“The art show was just one more redemptive tool for them to realize how valuable and creative God really made them to be,” Celeste said.
The ladyboys were shocked that people wanted their art work and the auction-attenders even asked for more pieces to purchase, as the few on display weren’t enough for the demand of the crowd.
(One of the ladyboys drew this beautiful picture of us while we met with Celeste. Just one very small example of the talent and creativity they possess!)
(The artist and the drawing.)
Celeste and the team at Dtom Naam work in the red-light districts of Bangkok, building trust and friendships with the ladyboys. Celeste shows them God’s love which is overflowing in her own life and it flows out onto the ladyboys around her.
She is a bright beacon of light in the darkness of the strongholds of sex, lust, and greed in Bangkok, Thailand.
She truly is an unsung hero.
