After getting over being sick, the month got kicked in to high gear. I immediately got connected with the girls working in the cafe and went to church with them the following Sunday. The church was so nice after having spent the previous months in churches that didn’t have a lot of equipment and didn’t always have an English translation, this one had awesome, contemporary worship and the service was translated in perfect English. After church we went to eat at an adorable little Americanized diner. After that, I went with a few of the girls to explore some of Chiang Mai. One of the girls took us to a beautiful waterfall, and then we visited a huge Buddhist Temple on a mountain and had the most beautiful view.
This day was one of many amazing and wonderful memories of the month. You may wonder why days like these are so important? Or maybe you are wondering how a day like this, can be considered service? Or ministry? I was actually feeling a little weird about it at first thinking, “How can this be service if I am having the time of my life?”. The truth is, days like this are SO important for these girls who are coming out of the commercial sex-trade. Think about what their most recent memories are. They have all these memories and thoughts and feelings and are trying to process them in a culture that doesn’t have the same values we have and sees prostitution as normal and acceptable. Can you imagine how hard it must be to have these mixed emotions of having been in the sex industry but yet still missing your friends and your boss? Even though the industry is corrupt and unhealthy, it doesn’t mean that these girls did not form connections in it. They need days of exploring and laughing with new friends and maybe just maybe they can forget for just a minute about what they have been through.
Throughout the month I found out that these girls are just like me. They love to laugh, dance, sing, explore, and watch movies. I am heartbroken to think about the things they have been through and sometimes I wondered if they were thinking about it when they were acting quiet or closed off. But we didn’t talk much about the past. We talked about the future. I am so proud and excited for one of the girls who I got very close with as she enters in to a new stage of life and goes to Discipleship Training School. She dreams of working in a church and she will no doubt be amazing at whatever she does decide to do.
We also went out to the bars at night to meet new girls and to invite them to some of our planned events or to just hang out and grab coffee during the day. This was also an eye-opener for me as I realized again, these girls are just like me. We could chit chat about the city, our favorite Thai food, and our familes. Again, my heart broke to meet these girls and have them tell me things like, “I have to do this to provide for my family.”
Our last Friday in Chiang Mai, we hosted a Christmas party and invited all the girls we had met at the bars. We decorated the room with beautiful roses and colorful daises so that we could give each girl a beautiful bouquet to take home at the end of the night, a symbol of her beauty and worth. The christmas party was wonderful and some of the girls even stayed after for dinner. They were all able to hear from our host, Emmi, and now they know of a safe place they can always go if and when they are ready to leave the industry.
We also, got to visit a remote village in the mountains of Thailand and bring food and warm clothes for the children as well as put on a Christmas program for them.
Thank you to all of our donors for making this possible! This month was AMAZING! I made friends that I will never forget and I hope to someday return to Chiang Mai to see these beautiful girls again!
Also, I am still in need of $4,000 and am over my deadline. Please consider supporting me or passing along my information to others who may be interested. I strongly believe that God wants me to continue with this journey and go with my squad to South America next month!
