Remember those in prison as if you were there yourself. Remember also those being mistreated as if you felt their pain in your own bodies. Hebrews 13:3
I was walking through the red light district one morning, when I looked down at the sidewalk and saw this etched into the concrete. I know you are probably wondering what I was doing in the red light district… I was on my daily prayer walk, circling the bars that I would be visiting that night and showering them with prayer. This particular day I was having a hard time getting past the darkness that consumed the streets. But when I glanced down and saw this glimmering piece of truth in one of the darkest places in Thailand, “Jesus <3’s U.” My heart was filled with joy as I was reminded of Psalm 139: 7-12,
I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence!
If I go up to heaven you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there.
If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans,
even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me.
I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night,
but even in the darkness I can not hide from you. To you the night shines
as bright as day. Darkness and light are the same to you.
Even in the darkest places, the Lord is with us. And his love is for everyone. It is for the prostitutes, for the pimps, for the Johns, for the lady boys, for the bar owner and the mother who sold her child. And seeing this small but true statement permanently scratched into the sidewalk brought me so much hope as it serves as a nightlight for the entire red-light district. Not only is Jesus here, but he is moving here and his love is pouring through the streets!
This month we are partnering with Lighthouse in Action here in Chiang Mai, Thailand. This is an incredible organization that is bringing kingdom to a city that is greatly in need of it.
“We Are a Home Of Hope, Light And Love That Faithfully And Actively Cares For The Brokenhearted By Being Jesus In Our Skin To Those Who Are Being Exploited In Northern Thailand”- Lighthouse in Action
Lighthouse in Action believes love is an action and has come up with three different ways to serve and fight for the individuals stuck in this industry. The first is intervention through LOVE ACTS which seeks to intervene with those who are currently being exploited. The next is prevention through X LIFE where the gospel and education about human trafficking is spread to local villages and slums. The third is restoration through ZION CAFÉ AND HOSTEL which provides a healthy perspective of job opportunities outside of exploitation. Click here to learn more about Lighthouse in Action.
My team and I are currently serving the intervention portion of Lighthouse in Action through Bar Ministry in the red light district. A red light district is an area of a city where there is a concentration of prostitution and other forms of human exploitation.
So maybe you are thinking we just go hang out at the bars, and to some extent you are right. But, it is also so much more than that and stretches us to pray big, bold prayers in new ways. Each morning, we bless the city with a prayer walk around the main bar streets. Prayer walks are awesome because you are literally taking your prayers to the location where you want to see them answered. We also engage in two different types of bar ministry, daytime and nighttime. Daytime ministry includes helping bar owners clean up after the previous night and chatting with anyone around the area. Nighttime ministry involves us going out to the bars and building friendships with those who work in them by just hanging out, playing a game of pool, or buying them a drink. We seek to get to know them on a personal level, encourage them, and show them their true value as sons and daughters of our Lord. Our ministry is about creating friendships, and inviting these women to lunch, or other fun activities outside of the bar. While a huge focus of ours is the women in this industry, we will also seek to build friendships with the ladyboys, pimps, johns, and bar owners.
It is our heart is to share Christ with everyone and save them from the bars, but we trust in God’s timing so although we may not harvest in this season, we will continue to plant seeds and be the light He has called us to be.
