Tonight was the Night Market at Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Meg and I perused the streets and stands of the market with one mission:
We wove in and out of the heavy crowd of locals and foreigners, going stand to stand trying to find a parlor anywhere we could.
Somehow, our adventure led us down the red light district.
Never in one MILLION years, a year ago today, would I have believed that I would be walking down the dimly lit streets of Chiang Mai, Thailand in the super sketch red light district, smiling at prostitutes, searching for a tattoo parlor with Meg Hill.
*Spoiler: we ended up not getting a tattoo tonight.
We stopped into three different places and it just didn't work out.
(fam: you can breathe again.. for now.)
But, after we met up with our team to go home, I started thinking more about our ministry this month.
We are doing manual labor, for sure, but when the bamboo stalks are finished burning, and the rocks are finished being put into piles, we get to go to the boys and girls houses and play with and love on the children there.
Boys that I played soccer with yesterday.
Girls that braided our hair and giggled with us.
Children that we sang worship songs with.
They would have been one of the several prostitutes that I smiled at in front of the bar that Meg and I passed.
They would have been used, abused, and destroyed for selfish gain of men and women.
These children would have been captured, and forced into the sex-trade without anyone giving them a second thought.
Children of 4, 7, 9, 14.
Mere freaking children.
They would have never known a loving touch.
They would have never learned about the Lord's delight in them.
They would of had no future, no hope.
BUT NOW: This ministry (I can't give it's name for the safety of the organization and the children) rescues them out of the "what could have been". It places them into an incredible environment that is Christ and family focused. It pours out Christ's love upon them so they can heal from the past, and flourish in their childhood years.
This ministry gives them so much more than a fighting chance, it gives them a future, and a hope.
We sat in church today, and as some of the Thai children led worship with "10,000 Reasons" I sat and marveled at the fact that I get to be a part of what the Lord is doing here in Thailand, and in these little hearts that stood before me.
I get to see them do homework together and get help from squad mates, laugh their minds out as we all play "monkey" which is their version of tag instead of sitting outside the brothels and streets of the Red Light District of Chiang Mai, Thailand.
We have teams who are working in the Red Light District ministering to the prostitutes this month as well, which I am incredibly thankful for and coat them in prayer daily, but I am blessed be here with this ministry, and know that these children that I get to come alongside were rescued out of entering into the sex-trade, and will be equipped to stay out of it as they grow older.
God is so good.
We have internet this month for the first half, so I'll put out a blog as often as I can.
What you can be praying for:
- Our team and Team Sweet Aroma as we put in the hours out on the farm doing physical labor, for our health and endurance; that we would never get discouraged in pursuing the Lord but be pressing through tiredness; that we would be knit closer to each other to be a unified tidal wave of service and love on behalf of the Lord
- These children, that they would keep pursuing the Lord and finding everything they need in Him; for knitting them all closer together as a fam; for His healing to work through all areas of their lives
- For the house parents for Godly strength and discernment of the Lord in rearing up these 60+ kids
- For the ministry itself that the Lord would bless it, and allow for more to keep being built all over the world
- Deliverance for the children all over the world who are at risk in being sold and captured into the sex-trade
(Meg Hill took this video below of the kids and one of the interns singing at church)
