Because of the dangers and the
distraction of having men going into bar ministry (my first night out, I had
prostitutes literally grabbing at me in the street and trying to pull me into
bars), the women on our team are spending most of their nights out while the
men stay back and intercede for them. Us boys get to go out a few times this
month, but most of the time we are back at the caf praying for the girls on
our team who are out on the street.
At first, this was a hard reality
for me to accept. I want to be on the front lines, to be honest. I want
desperately to be in the thick of things every night, battling to make a
difference. After a brief sulking period, I have accepted what an awesome and
beautiful month this is going to be for our team and for me.
Too often, men are viewed as the battleaxe-weilding-conquerors
and the women are supposed to stay at home and support them. In this ministry,
our women are the conquerors. And they are awesome. We have been doing this for
almost two weeks and I can tell you unequivocally that there is nothing more
powerful in the red light district of Chiang Mai than the Spirit inside Chelsey
The Dancing Flame Owen, Julie Jumotron Morsfield, The Amazing Fuji Kylie Fujimoto,
and Melissa Milroy Number Seven. They are incredible. They are fun and
disarming. They are welcoming and graceful. They are compassionate and
prodding. They have developed relationships and presented the gospel with their
words and their lives, showing these people that there is another way.
Really, this whole idea of gender
roles and strengths/weaknesses is sometimes stupid. At the most basic level, we
are all just disciples stumbling toward the cross. We are all on the front
lines because this is a battle of multiple fronts. It is our humanity that has
tried to classify and compare our placements in the Kingdom.
Justin, Kyle, & I want to love
well. We love supporting and caring for the women on our team because they are
a force to be reckoned with. Opposing the evils men exact toward women so
often, we love these girls, not because of anything they might do for us, but because
of who they. They are capable of more than praying at home and we are capable
of more than wielding a battleaxe. We are united brothers and sisters. All in
love with Jesus. All stumbling toward the cross. All desperate for more of God.
