“I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose…We are co-workers in God’s service.”
1 Corinthians 3:6-9
I met Katy, an alumni racer, before launching in September. She has kept up with my journey and even wrote me notes for every month of the race. She’s been such an encouragement to me and it’s wonderful to know someone who shares similar experiences. I’ll never be able to thank her enough for her prayers and support. The Lord used her journey to inspire my own.
Traveling around the world, I have learned that the Lord is already moving, everywhere. He gives us an invitation to join that movement. My team is spending month nine in Chiang Mai, Thailand. We are partnering with Zion Ministries. Katy was also here in December 2014 on her race.
Zion Cafe is a safe place. Emmi, the owner, provides job opportunities for women trapped in sex trafficking and prostitution. Half of my team goes out every night to some of the hundreds of bars in the area and the other half stays at the hostel to intercede. We order a Coke and build relationships with the people we meet. We develop friendships. Then the girls can meet us at the cafe the following day and we can continue conversations. Eventually we introduce Emmi to our new friends and she presents an opportunity for an alternative lifestyle and source of personal income.
I messaged Katy to let her know that I was staying at Zion for the month. She responded with information on how to find her friend, Tup, who works at a local bar. Katy has been praying for her since she left Thailand a year and a half ago. On my first night of ministry, I followed Katy’s directions and found Tup’s bar. I walked inside with two other teammates and Tup immediately approached us, unaware of who we were. I showed Tup an old photo to explain that Katy and I are friends. She was so excited. She hugged me continuously throughout the night and we planned to meet at Zion on Friday.
To our disappointment, Tup didn’t show up on Friday. My friend visited her at the bar that night to make sure she was ok. Tup wasn’t able to come because she had to paint the bar all day. We rescheduled for Monday.
Catherine and I arrived early at the cafe and waited for Tup. We were supposed to meet at 2:00.
2:00, 2:30, 3:00 rolls by and Tup didn’t come. By now, Catherine and I are drinking smoothies and still praying. We planned to leave at 3:30 for other plans, but we got distracted and starting talking to a YWAM team who just arrived at the hostel. Eventually we look down at our watches and realize that it’s 4:00. We stand up to leave and guess who appears at the cafe’s sliding glass door? Tup.
Two hours late, but right on time. The Lord kept us at the cafe because He knew all along that she would come.
She tried to dry the tears from her face. She had spent the weekend with customers and had not slept for days. Her “boyfriend” was upset with her and would not respond to her messages.
We ordered Tup a hot cocoa, her favorite. We sat and talked about life and love. It’s in times like these where Google Translate is your best friend. She showed us pictures of her children who live in a different city. Her son is a monk. She works at the bar to be able to send money home to her family. Like many other women in the industry, her family relies on her steady income. Emmi, the cafe owner, joined our table. She spoke Thai and the two of them laughed like old friends.
Tup had entered the cafe in tears and she left with a smile. She pointed to Catherine and me and said, “I see you and you… and you make me happy.”
Please pray for freedom. Pray that the strongholds over the red light district would be broken. Pray that people would be intrigued by our presence in the bars and be drawn to the light within us.
Chiang Mai is home to thousands and thousands of girls working in the sex industry. The girls feel that they have no other choice. And some don’t. Some girls are sold into sex trafficking and controlled by their trafficker or pimp. Some girls are sold into the industry by their parents. Some girls are abducted and forced into an unimaginable lifestyle.
Emmi encourages us to focus on one friendship throughout the month. The Lord has given me a love for Tup and I’m honored to water the seed that Katy planted. Please pray for Tup as we share Christ’s love with her.
“Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.” Isaiah 9:1-2
