I keep imagining that sweet little face. I imagine how his life could have been. He could have been sold into sex slavery at 5 years old. Or sooner. He could have been beaten every night of his young life. Starved. Neglected. And sexually abused multiple times every day. He could have been forced into a future of darkness. Of despair. Hopelessness. Fear. He could have never known a families love. Never been hugged by a mother. Never have anyone to wipe away his tears or even care that he was crying. He could have grown into an empty shell of a man, choosing to repeat the cycles of abuse and sex slavery that plagues Thailand.
But praise Jesus, he will have a different future.
The truth is, this little 5 year old boy woke up one morning and his mommy was gone. He looked all over for her finding nothing. He searched the village crying, “Where’s my mommy? Where’s my mommy?” to no avail. His mom had left during the night to go to Bangkok to work in the sex trade. Abandoning him. The organization we’re working with found him, knowing that without a parent he would undoubtably be sold into sex slavery. They took him in. They fed him. They showed him love. They changed his life.
Now his little face is always grinning. He will grow up with a loving family who will teach him about the love of Jesus. He will be able to be a kid. He can play outside, have friends who are as close as brothers, and go to school. They will pay for his school as long as he is capable of going. If he can go to college, they will pay for him to go. He will have a full belly, and be able to sleep safely at night. Thank God his story has been drastically changed, but sadly that’s not the case for many kids in Thailand.
This month we are building a home that will help 40 more little boys. Give 40 more sweet faces a chance at hope, joy, safety and love. In the villages they work with, they haven’t sold any kids to the sex trade in two years! Around 80% of the kids who they help choose to accept Jesus. I don’t want to know the statistic of those who are sold as kids. Sexual slavery exists. Sexual trafficking exists. Remember Nhu takes in kids who are high risk for being trafficked. Maybe their parents are in jail or on drugs. Sometimes they have a huge debt so they sell the kids for money. Some of the kids have an older sibling who was sold. Sometimes one parent re-marries and they don’t accept the kids from the past marriage as part of the family. But the bottom line is without the help of the program, they would be sold to have unthinkable things done to them every day.
This month is going to be so hard on my soul. I spent only two hours with these boys today and I feel like my heart was torn into pieces when we left. I know they’re safe, that’s not the issue. I just don’t ever want to leave them. I don’t want them to have even one more person walk out of their lives. And it absolutely breaks my heart to think of leaving them at the end of the month. I’m not going to guard my heart. These kids deserve every ounce of love that I can give no matter what the cost for me is. So be in prayer for me. My heart is going to be really stretched this year, and I knew that… But this month especially will be hard. And pray for all those sweet little faces I will be with.
(Another cutie I had to throw in)
Prayer!
-Pray for a powerful Holy Spirit calling on their lives.
-Pray for bright futures, and awesome leaders that will take Thailand for Jesus.
-Keep praying for this program! That they could keep helping kids and that they would have more and more sponsors to make it possible.
-Pray for our hearts. I don’t know if everyone will have a hard time this month or not, but I am. And it’s so good. I’m blessed to have such a tender heart for these babies. Just pray I would follow the spirit and pray everything out. Whatever I’m feeling, that I would just take it to God and know He’s in control.
Praise Jesus all the boys we were with today are sponsored, but there are many more who are not. If you’re interested in sponsoring a child you can go to the website or message me if you have questions 🙂
