Yesterday, I witnessed the most horrific sight I have seen on the race thus far.
Our host sent us on a scavenger hunt yesterday so that we could get to know the area of Mae Sot a bit better. So far we have all fallen in love with the area and our awesome hosts, who most of them just happen to be alumni racers!
So we set out on our quest to get to know the city. Sam, Justin, and myself were on a team together and we called ourselves the “Rough Riders”. We met some great new people, found out where many different restaurants and businesses were located, and even got to play the Thailand version of hackie sack with a woven wicker ball (let’s just say we came nowhere close to being as good as these people!). Overall we were having a blast getting to know this town.
After playing “kickball” with the group we set off on our next quest, to find KFC!
So we pulled into the Tesco parking lot, a grocery store with KFC inside. We parked our bikes and Sam and Justin began to head inside as I watched the bikes. But before we could hardly get off the bikes we heard the sound of something hitting the ground. I looked behind me and saw a woman lying on the ground and and man standing over her. The man then preceded to kick her in the face as she was lying on the ground and her body went limp.
I was in complete shock.
I had no idea what to do. I just witnessed a woman get kicked in the face in the middle of a parking lot!
But that wasn’t the end of it.
The man then grabbed what looked like money out of her jacket pocket, picked her up by the jacket like a rag doll and tossed her to the side, out of the way of his truck. He then got in his truck and began to leave. I thought this woman was completely knocked out but then I see her wobbly stand to her feet and toss herself over the tailgate of his truck and into the bed and then leave.
I couldn’t even begin to process what just happen. This man just beat the junk out of what we were told is his wife, in the middle of a public parking lot while 20+ people just stood around and watched, and yet she still decided to get in his truck and leave with him.
WHY?!
Last night I wrestled for a good long while with God over this question. As well as, “what could I have done?!” I’m a Christian foreigner, in a foreign, predominately Muslim, area of Thailand. What could I have done? I sure as heck couldn’t have laid a hand on him or I’m sure I would be sitting in some crazy prison in Thailand.
So this is where prayer comes in. Where I feel like the only thing I can do right now for this situation is to pray to the Almighty God and ask Him to have His way in this situation. That the next time this man shoves his wife that there will be an angel there to catch her and shove him back. That the next time he throws a punch, there will be a force so strong against his hand that he can’t even touch her. And that the Lord would hear her cries and see her tears and that His righteous anger would show this “man” how wrong he is and that he would fall to his knees and ask for forgiveness.
My heart is truly broken for this woman yet I don’t even know her name. I ask that you would join me in lifting this woman and this situation high to the Lord and ask that he would divinely intervene. And that as we continue to serve here in the town of Mae Sot that we would just be wide open to what the Lord has for us and we would serve this place full heartedly and lead by His Spirit.
