Tonight I went back out into the night bar scene, following the Holy Spirit around. Y’all, there is a LOT of sexual sin parading around in Chiang Mai in the red light district! But, oh much more grace is here for these people to grab hold to! 🙂
We went back to the same bar we went to last night to talk to F and M. Tonight two men from Czech were there occupying F’s time, but she got up and ran over to hug all three of us when we walked in with a beautiful big, innocent smile. She introduced us to the guys and beckoned us to sit…so we did. We ordered drinks (pineapple juice for me tonight –yum!), and I asked F if she wanted something to drink. Her eyes lit up. I told her to pick whatever she wanted and I would pay for it. She must have thanked me at least a dozen times because she knew that drink came with no strings…it was just a gift from a friend and she need not earn it.
When we left a little while later, F came over to me when I was paying our drink bill and said, “You so sweet! You buy me drink because you love me!” And just like that I could see a seed planted in F. She’s going to hear of God’s love one day and it won’t seem as crazy because she’ll recognize small examples of Him using His people all this time to show her what a great love He has for her that she never can or needs to earn, but merely accept and believe in.
Tonight was also hard. I saw a man groping F. I saw him touch her hair in a way that should be gentle, all the while clutching a condom a prostitute had given him a few minutes before. I saw F’s face when she said “I better get back to work” after she had made a few minutes of time to come chat with us — and she looked like she wanted to very much NOT go back to “work.” I saw an older woman from a different bar, B, happy to simply be able to play Jenga with us because we bought her a soda. She must be in her 40s and she still works the bar at night. I saw some children selling things in the bars — I’m talking 5-8 years old, walking around in bars and the streets alone selling stuff to strangers.
But I felt the heart of God tonight. I felt how His heart breaks for His people here in Chiang Mai trapped in chains of sin. I felt His call to them “run to Me, my child! I will redeem every broken moment and every pain you have had if you will let Me. Come on, come to Me.” I felt His tears gather in my eyes at the sadness. I also felt the joy of seeing F so happy to see us. I felt the Father’s heart when F said, “Because you love me!” because it was Him in me all along.
I want to say thank you again to all of you financing and/or praying for my bar ministry this week and my new friends who work there.
God is sovereign.
He is faithful.
And He is good.
Oh how He is good!
