“So we’re planning a family trip right? And we are like…
where should we go? The kids want to go
someone tropical, but we can’t really afford somewhere super expensive, but it
would be nice to have a place where the boys can hang out on the beach while the
girls do some shopping. I’ve heard of
this place called Patong, in Thailand.
The hotels are really cheap and there are all sorts of fun things to do
with the kids. There is a mall right
down the road from the beach and in walking distance from the hotel, plus I
hear there is pretty busy night life there.”
This is what I imagine occurs in the minds of the families I
see in Patong, shopping on the strip, relaxing on the beach and strolling down
the streets with their young children.
Maybe they chose this location without being aware of its darkness. Maybe they didn’t realize that as they walked
back to the hotel from the mall at night, there would be half naked women
dancing on bars and men paying them for a good time. I don’t think these people realize the impact
this place has on them. After eight
months out on the race, I’ve grown to become more aware of the spiritual
atmosphere, and I have never felt anything more dark and heavy than the streets
of Patong.
These streets are busy in the afternoons with the usual
day-to-day vacationers shopping, eating, laughing and playing. The streets are lined with mini shops where
you can purchase your newest outfit, favorite souvenir or pair of cheap
sunglasses. In the afternoon, the
streets of Patong look rather harmless.
Bangla road is empty, minus the few sports bars where the men go hang
out while the ladies do their shopping at the Phuket mall down the street.
But when the sun goes down on Bangla Road, everything changes. Everything remains the same, yet nothing is
the same.
As we walk through the streets of Bangla Road, we are
constantly bombarded with people flashing flyers of half naked women in our
faces asking us if we would like to attend a “Ping Pong Show”(aka- a peep
show). At first that was overwhelming,
but with time we learned to ignore them and just smile. My team of three, which includes Sheila,
Katherine, and me, always walk up and down the streets of Bangla Road in prayer
before going to any specific bar. We
find that it helps focus our attention on the Lord. At first I found it very difficult to hear
the Lord on Bangla Road. There is so
much going on that it is hard not to be distracted by all the stimuli. But with time, my sensitivity to his spirit
in that place grew.
I struggled the first two weeks because I was walking out in
my own strength, trying to have conversations with girls and trying to get them
to go on lunch dates with me. The Lord
once again had to remind me to get over myself and lean on him for guidance and
direction. As soon as I started doing
that and let go of my “holy agenda”, I was able to commit my time solely to
revealing the love of Christ. He
reminded me that, even if I don’t get to see a woman leave the bars, or have a
lunch date where I share the Gospel, I still did exactly what he wanted me to
do. I planted seeds and allowed Christ
to shine through. A little light goes a
long way in such darkness.
Over the past four weeks, my trio visited two bars in
particular and got to know the people there.
The Lord laid a few specific women on my heart and I visited them every
time we went out to the bars, even if we didn’t stay. These women have become dear to my heart, and
I hope that I will be able to continue a relationship with them even after we
part ways. I hope they were able to see
the Love of Christ in me and felt his compassion for them. I know that even though we will no longer be
there, Christ will be and he will continue to touch their hearts.
Please continue to pray for the women on Bangla Road. Many people go there and just see
prostitutes. But that is not who they
are. They are beautiful young women in
desperation. They dance and give
themselves away in hopes for a better future and a better life for their
children. Most of the women I have met
over the past four weeks are trying to get out and have no desire to be there.
Some are trying to save money to go to school or go home to be with their
families. There is an emptiness and
loneliness in their eyes. They are
searching to fulfill that place in their heart that is empty, but they are
turning to everything but the answer.
And its my prayer that Christ will reveal his face to each one of the
women on Bangla Road and set them free.
SHE ministries is doing an incredible work for the Kingdom in Phuket. They not only visit the women in the bars, but they provide a way out for them through Jewelry making, English lessons and Hotel training. SHE ministries makes jewelry and sells it online. If you would like to purchase some jewelry or feel called to support SHE financially, you can check out their website at: http://www.shethailand.org/.
