The content of the blog that follows in not appropriate for children.
After one week in Chiang Mai, Thailand I am desperate for more of God in this place. At first glimpse, the city appears to be an enchanting tourist destination with delicious cheap street-vendor food, huge markets with handcrafted finds, and culture galore. However, for those who discover the many bars and massage parlors of Loi Kroh Road, the city takes on a new meaning all together. I can't look at the city the same. I can't see the beauty or the charm without the darkness that underlies everything. Everywhere I go I see older white men with young Thai girls in skimpy clothing, and I feel a jolt through my heart. It would shock you all to see how blatantly obvious the selling of women is in this city. As we walk from bar to bar, women stand in their sexy clothing at the entrance to each bar and massage parlor (hundreds of them) cat-calling the men to come in. We sit and sip on our Cokes, watching as men approach the bar with the woman of their choice and pay around $10 to take the woman for the night. After they leave, some lonely men simply take the women for company to dinner or sight-seeing, but most of them pay for any other service they would like. I asked one group of attractive white men in collared shirts (many with their wedding bands on) what they were doing here in town. They laughed as they told me they were here to play golf… I have a feeling they're here for more entertainment than that.
This month I am not with my co-ed team, but rather with 10 other women from my squad; we are partnered with a program of Lighthouse in Action called Love Acts. Read more about their mission here.
For ministry we are going into the bars to befriend and build relationships with prostitutes and victims of human trafficking. Our first day of ministry consisted of accompanying the team that had been here for the past 3 weeks to the bars.
[ Our goal this month is to simply show these women the love of Christ. We aren't here to necessarily preach or recruit as many Christians as possible, but rather to build deep relationships with the women and ladyboys (trans-sexuals) so that we may have an opportunity to share our testimonies & more about Christ eventually. During our briefing, we were told that this ministry is about quality, not quantity. In order to make a real difference in the lives of these women and have the opportunity to really lead them to change their ways permanently, it's going to take lots of intentionality and love. ]
We went into the bars and ordered our non-alcoholic drinks, and watched as the team interacted with the "bargirls" they had befriended in their time here. After visiting a few bars and meeting a few of the women, we stopped at the entrance to another bar, which I'll call "Flower Bar" for the sake of anonymity. We were introduced to a 24 year-old girl named "April" who I immediately felt drawn to, and I felt that the Lord wanted me to pursue a friendship with her. So, on Thursday I made a point to go by and say hello to her and give her a flower lei I bought on the street. Later that night I grouped up with the team that was going to her bar so I could have more interaction with her through the people she had gotten to know. It was wonderful because one of the team members paid her bar fee so we could get her out of the bar to talk. We took her down to the riverside where we sat on a park-bench and I listened to this man of God pour into April. As tears streamed down her face, she listened to him tell her he loved her for the woman she was inside and not for the things these other men wanted from her. He told her that he loved her because Jesus loves her and he sees her worth. She shared her dreams of moving back to Bangkok (where her parents and 2 year-old son live) and opening up a restaurant.
I went back to see April last night, and as I sat and sipped my Coke with my team-mate Rachel, we prayed and talked for a couple of hours in that bar. Although she was preoccupied with a customer in the booth behind us, she would stroke my arm every now and then and smile, as if to say, "I'd rather be talking to you, but I have no choice." She asked me to join her for lunch today, so Rachel & I got to spend some time with her this afternoon. It was really encouraging and sweet when she asked us to pray for the meal. I see a huge open door with April, and I'm really hoping to hit the ground running with her, picking up where the last team left off and encouraging her to follow her dreams and find her purpose and worth in Christ!
a strip of bars off of Loi Kroh Road
To learn more about how this industry thrives in Chiang Mai, check out this disgusting website we found at your discretion: http://www.1stopchiangmai.com/hospitality/bargirls/
Please pray for our team as we go into this spiritually dark environment 5 days a week. Also please pray big prayers for these girls, many of whom were bought & trafficked from their small villages with promises of an education and job opportunities. I know that the Holy Spirit will speak and act through us, hopefully giving us the opportunity to change at least one life! I feel a special burden for Chiang Mai Cafe which is apparently the largest bar for trafficking in the traditional sense (the girls are not allowed to leave the bar like the bargirls on Loi Kroh, and the girls pictured on the building appear to be very young)– this ministry has not yet started pursuing this bar, but they are praying over it constantly. Please also pray for Lighthouse in Action and the permanent staff here in Chiang Mai; they are also praying over a building on Loi Kroh Road that they would like to have as a place for constant prayer and intercession, as well a safe-place for the bargirls and street kids to go for discipleship and classes.
Chiang Mai Cafe (praying safety over the girl whose photo is missing here)
