Her name was Ta. After meeting her for only 5 minutes,
I knew that she did not belong in the bars. It was like seeing a queen in the
midst of the slums… Just by her sweet and calming presence and the tone in
her voice, I knew that she did not want to be here either. Ta was absolutely
miserable working every night in one of the most sinful places in the world.
She was a 36 year old mother who had two teenage children, a boy 17 and a girl
14 years old. She left them at home in Northern Thailand with her parents while
she moved down to Phuket in hopes to make a few extra bucks to take care of
them. She loved them so much that she was willing to sacrifice her time to sell
her body out of the streets of the Red Light District. The highest form of love
is sacrifice, and I could tell that she had incomparable love for her family
that she would sell herself to these men for the sake of food on the table and
a nice warm bed to sleep. Ta and the two other girls that worked at the bar
lived in a small room upstairs. They had one bed that they all shared, and a
lot of times it was occupied by men that stayed over.
After visiting Ta night after night in the bars, I got
to know her and I found out more and more about who she is and where she came
from. When she was a young girl, she was bit on the foot by a Cobra. The poison
spread so fast through her body that by the time she made it to the hospital,
it had already affected the part of her brain where she is able to retain
information as well as learn. Because of this learning disability, she never
went to school… therefore she never learned how to read or write. This broke my
heart… I think back on my childhood and a good solid portion of those fond
memories came from what I learned from school and the friends that I made in
those classrooms. Ta never had a normal childhood where she could be around
friends her age, learn alongside other children, instead she started working at
a young age and she actually mastered an irreplaceable skill. She can crochet
like it’s nobody’s business!
One day when I was visiting her at work I asked her
what she liked to do in her free time… because let’s face it. There are so many
other things I’m sure she would be doing rather than selling her body in a bar
to a ton of grabby guys. She told me that she makes clothing and I begged her
to let what she has made. She smiled proudly and ran upstairs to get a bikini
(yes it was crocheted) and a cute little red tube top that she wears
occasionally. I marveled at her handiwork… all the tiny little stitches that
somehow came together to form an article of clothing! With my mouth wide open
from the amazement of what she could do with a needle and some thread, she
looks at me and tells me to hold still. She then pulls out a string and begins
to measure me. Slightly embarrassed of what my measurements are compared to her
tiny little Asian frame, I watch as she marks on the string my bust measurement
and my waste measurement. Then she tells me that she is going to make me a
yellow dress because her only balls of yarn that she has left are the yellow
ones. A custom made dress by one of my dear friends.. heck yes, I’ll take it!
She worked on the dress for a week and a half. I would
stop by and see her every now and then and she would run upstairs to her room
and she would proudly show me the progress that she was making. At night she
was just another girl on the street, but during the day she was a seamstress
working with her hands and doing what she loves. I watched my dress go from a
bra, to a belly shirt, to a full sized shirt, then it somehow magically turned
into a beautiful dress. The night she gave it to me, I walked in and a guy was
lingering around her. Of course her first priority is to the men at the bars
because that’s where her income comes from… but I saw her in mid conversation
with him, turn… then a small spread across her face.. she cut him off in mid
sentence and ran over to tell me that she was finished and I can take the dress
home! She went upstairs, retrieved the dress then ran downstairs and showed me
that she not only made me the dress but she also made me a matching yellow
clutch… I went to pull out my money because I wanted to pay for it.. but she
absolutely refused. She said that it was a gift and she wanted met to have it
because we were friends! How precious she was to labor over this dress for
almost 2 weeks and she refused to let me pay for even the materials. I of
course paid her because I wanted to encourage her that yes.. you can make a living
selling clothing. Working in the bars is not the only way you can make money. I
know that the Lord has given her this skill and passion or a reason and I
wanted her to pursue her dreams and believe that it is possible to do what you
love.
I prayed for Ta day in and day out. The Lord hand-picked
this girl out of the thousands that are out on the streets for me to minister
to. He broke my heart for her and there was nothing more that I wanted than to
see her come to know the Lord. Also I wanted to see her get out of the bar
scene and go home to her children. I told her about SHE ministries and how we
could teach her English and help train her for a better job where she does not
have to be grabbed out and groped by men looking for fleshly satisfaction. There
would be no more late nights at the bars if she wanted it to happen. I don’t
think my offer really sank in because she would always put her head down and
shake it slowly “No.. I can’t. I can’t read or write. I can’t find a different
job. This is the only thing that a girl with no education can do.” Every time I
begged her to quit, I always got the same response. The Lord instilled in me a
sense of perseverance so I kept after it. I kept praying and I kept asking her
to come with me.
Well it was our last week out in the bars and I of course went to visit my
favorite girl, Ta. She ran up and gave me a huge hug and told me that she had
something to tell me. She cracked a smile and whispered in my ear, “Tomorrow is
my last day!” I drew back in complete shock and I asked, “Wait.. what?!”… “Tomorrow
is my last day!!!” she repeated even more excited than the last time. I
couldn’t believe it. She hated her job, but she didn’t think that she could
leave it because she didn’t have anywhere else to go.. but I really do feel
like the Lord used me to speak to her and tell her that, yes… My
beloved. You are worth more than this. You are loved and you are special. I see the desires of your heart and I want you
to have them.”
So now I have a favor to ask all of you. If you are
ever in Thailand and you see a shop that sells crochet clothing.. stop in and
say hi. If the girl that owns the shop so happens to be named Ta.. give her a
huge hug for me and tell her that she is loved, she’s special, and she makes
the best darn clothing in the entire world!
Love you guys.. be blessed 🙂
