(Same rules apply.)
Our team of six goes on “night outreaches” several nights each week. We have developed a routine. Leave at 5:00. Eat cheap, good thai food from street vendors or food courts. Head to one of the three main red light districts of Bangkok by 6:30 or 7:00. That would be where the routine ends.
Our nights on the streets are notoriously unpredictable. When we have a plan to meet up with a certain friend/bar girl, she is no where to be found. When we have no plan, we end up meeting new people and enjoying the adventure of random encounters. Most nights, I spend much of the time praying. I believe that the Father is calling us to simple love in all of its tranformative power. I also believe He is calling us to pray. Somthing needs to change in the spiritual realm. The warfare here is almost tangible, visible. I pray for God’s light to invade these dark places, and for his love to overpower the shame, pain, and deception in the eyes of the bargirls.
I pray for His Kingdom to come here, for that is what I long for more than anything else. The kingdom currently established in the place cannot stand. Please pray with me – for God’s glory to reign, for the people to return to their God to find forgiveness, grace, and freedom, for the passionate few missionaries who are daily giving their lives to bringing the Kingdom of Light to the red light districts of Bangkok.
Some nights, we go “on holiday.” We invite our bargirl friends for a holiday night. This means that we pay their barfine (About $20) and go have some fun. For once, the girls can leave the bar and not have to give anything of themselves. They are able to relax and, we pray, receive genuine love from friends.
Last Thursday, we took two of our friends out for the night. Our first stop was neon bowling! Now, I am terrible at bowling, but was relieved to find that I was in good company. I don’t think any of us scored over 100! We had a wonderful time, laughing and cheering for each other. I have decided that bowling with Bangkok prostitutes is one of my favorite things to do. After bowling, we headed to karioke – where the ladies sang beautifully in thai and I slaughtered a Brittany Spears song.
We finished up the night with McDonalds ice cream and a hearfelt conversation about The Well and our journeys with Jesus. One of our friends works at the bar to support her son, and the other works at the bar to provide medical care for her sick parents. We expressed the genuine sentiment of our hearts – that we felt like working at the bars hurt them, and we wanted them to know that there were other options. I am excited to hang out with our friends more this week, and our contacts at the Well will continue the friendships after we leave.
Please pray for our friends – that they are able to stop working at the bars and find a way to make money that is life-giving. Pray that they would come to know Jesus’ overwhelming love and grace.
Thank you for joining me in Bangkok, and as always, I’m yours for the Journey.
