The difficulty of this ministry is becoming evident. The difficulty of being a missionary is becoming a reality. As I spend more and more time at the center, I see the things that Jim and Judy deal with on a weekly basis. There are girls that have attitude issues and girls that want to run away and girls that do run away, much like in the book of Hosea. There are issues of drugs and alcohol. Occasionally women go back to the bars. Some women leave and are raped. There are still pressures from family members. Many families are angered by the girls’ choice to go to the well, since they made more money at the bars. There is the difficulty of communication because of language. All this coupled with the hormones and rebellion of teenagers, and the struggle of 10-15 women living in the same house…with no A/C!
Today after lunch we were all getting ready to begin work on the cards. One girl(Taan)’s sister, who does not stay at the well, came to the door. She said something to Taan and I saw Taan go to her purse and take some money to her sister. I could see the rage in the sister’s eyes. She grabbed Taan and pulled her to the side and slapped her on the arm. They each yelled at each other. Then the sister slapped Taan across the face. There was more yelling and tears. The sister started to hit her more and Taan began to retaliate. They were broken up and each girl was taken away and talked to by an adult. I had to hold back tears. One of the girls at the Well came to me and whispered “This is the Well.” She said that everyone has such painful pasts, they have dealt with so much and they are hurting inside. Often, I see one of the girls crying about something. There is so much pain. So much hurt from the way they have been treated by people in the past.
But God cares about them and he has sent Jim and Judy and several other women to love on these women. God is working on them and there are some amazing stories, but it isn’t without difficulty. Please pray for Jim and Judy. Pray for the missionaries in Thailand, or any place that tugs on your heart for that matter. And pray for the women at the Well. They have left the bars and many of them have accepted Christ, but there is still so much inner healing that needs to take place. Pray for healing. And for the ones that have not accepted Christ, pray for salvation.
As we struggle through the hard times, God is blessing the Well – He is changing the lives of these women. Read here for the amazing things God is doing at the Well.
Hope in the city. I loved seeing this picture of hope on my way out to visit the women at the bars.
***This was written several weeks ago.
