Thailand Part One…Brokenness

 
This month has been a very challenging month for me.  If you asked me to summarize what God has taught me this month in one word it would take only a second before I answered with the word “Brokenness.”  This month I have struggled with feeling distant from God.  You know, when you wake up in the morning and struggle to find joy; when you open your Bible but the words are just words on a page; when you pray and you have no idea what to pray for; when you serve in ministry and you don’t feel your heart breaking for the people you are serving. I know this sounds horrible, and you are probably thinking, “These are the thoughts of a MISSIONARY?!?!? Lord help us!” In which I would respond, “Yes, Lord I DO need your help more than anything.”

 

 
Our month began in Phang Nga, Thailand where Scotty and I stayed with Team Raised and we worked with the absolute sweetest missionary family. The family ran a Christian retreat center called Eagles Rest Foundation, http://www.eagles-rest.info/.  It exists because Asians, in the main, continue to minister in amazing poverty, and sometimes persecution, all while enduring lack of basic needs and certainly no expectation of annual time with family away from the churches they serve. Most rural Asian churches are attended by simple farming or fishing communities who do not have sufficient to feed their own families; certainly not enough to provide the pastor with a comfortable lifestyle.  Pastors and their families who have come to Eaglesrest do so because someone refers them in for rest and family time, even counseling when needed.  They are sponsored to come and in most cases it is the first time they have ever spent time as a couple/family.
 
This family has a HUGE heart for the people of Thailand and while serving alongside them we were able to witness first-hand what it looked like to be a family that functioned like the Body of Christ.  It was one of the most beautiful things I have ever witnessed!

 

 
From Phang Nga, we traveled a couple hours to Phuket, Thailand to work with Teams Refresh and Crash of Love at SHE Ministries, www.shethailand.org.  SHE is a Christian ministry committed to helping women and children at risk in Thailand, many of whom are trapped in the commercial sex trade. they provide employment, vocational training, and counseling for women who want to help themselves out of this industry.  Two days a week we would head out to a piece of land that SHE will eventually build a women’s shelter on to clear out brush, build stone steps and culverts, mix cement, landscape, etc. The on the other days we spent the mornings & afternoons in intercessory prayer and prayer walking the streets of Phuket in preparation to go out in the nighttime.
 

We would head down in groups of 3-4 to the redlight district of Phuket and build relationships with the women down there. The scene was heart-wrenching. Women, men, lady-boys, and children swamped the streets and bars. Over 200 bars within just a few blocks.  Crowded streets, pole dancing, ping-pong shows, sex, prostitutes…it was utter DARKNESS.
 
It was amazing to see how God is still able to work in places like the redlight district.  I’m not really sure what I had been expecting before setting foot down there the first night. What I was not expecting was to meet women of all ages that loved to laugh and play Jenga and Connect Four for hours on end. Young girls that would open up about their stories, where they came from, why there were working down there, what their dreams and ambitions were… Some of these women are there by choice, many of these women view it as their only means of survival, while a small portion of the women have been trafficked in and literally do not have a choice unless they want to lose their life. How does God work in a place like that?  WOW, great question, and I am so humbled that our teams were able to be a part of the answer.  We don’t judge them. We don’t rush in and tell them about God.  We don’t grab their hand and make a dash for the exit door.  We love them as our God loves us. We build relationships with the women. We show them that there are people out there that care about them without wanting sexual favors in return. We tell them that they are a precious creation and they have worth and value beyond their comprehension…

 

 
After spending two weeks at SHE, Scotty and I split up and I headed up to Khao Lak where Team RockStar was working with Step Ahead Training Center and the gypsy villages. Although it was only a 2 1/2 hour bus ride there were some new feelings associated with traveling alone as a single female in a country where I did not speak, read, or write the language, let alone pronounce the name of my destination.  I have to add one thing. While at Step Ahead, the team was blessed to each have their own room for the month. Nothing fancy, but it was a room with a bed!  One of my friends sacrificed his room while I was there so that I would be able to have a room to myself for my three night visit.  You have NO IDEA how much this blessed me! To put it into perspective, this was the first time in FIVE MONTHS that I was able to enjoy absolute privacy. I had my first REAL Skype conversation with my mom- my best friend, the person who understands me the most, my biggest encourager. I never imagined that I would have that opportunity on the Race, but it proved to be absolutely priceless!