We started our ministry in Chaing Mai, Thailand this morning. After our 4 days of debrief it was time to get this ball rolling. Thailand is a beautiful country with much to offer the world. Unfortunately Thailand is one of the leading Southeast Asian countries for human trafficking and prostitution. In a normal season there can be on average 5,000 women, men and children prostitutes working the streets, but in high season this number can fluctuate as high as 25, 000. Here in Chaing Mai our ministry host has three areas that they pour into to try to change these numbers: Zion Café, Love Acts, and xLife. I can not begin to express to you the feeling of spiritual heaviness in this city. These three ministries provide the light of God in a very dark place.
Zion Café: A wonderful café that appears to be a tourist destination (they do have delicious coffee) but in the background holds a stream of refuge for those in need. This is a safe haven; a restoration place where God seeps into every crack. The owner, Pi Emmi, is a women filled with passion and devotion to her people. She is overflowing with God’s love and a potent desire to see the people of Thailand brought back to the Lord. Here in this café she provides a place of love and refuge for those in need.
Love Acts: The acts of love that make a difference in this place where love is so unknown. Bar ministry is one of these acts: a program dedicated to getting to know, loving on, assisting and hopefully rescuing those stuck in the sex trafficking trade here in Thailand. Slum ministry is where we head out to the land areas called “the slums” where most of the children of the city reside. Some have families and many do not. This is a time to love on them, play with them, buy them a snack occasionally and show them that Christ loves them.
xLife: The ministry that involves the villages in the outer regions of Chaing Mai. These villages have many, many poor people. They also have many people who, in order to strive for “a better life” make poor decisions, such as selling their children into the sex trade. In these villages there is a mentality that if a woman is pregnant and births a girl then it is “lucky” because she can sell her into prostitution if the family needs money. This ministry includes spending time in these places and educating people, loving people as Christ loves them and teaching them about the meaning of family. This issue is a root cause of the sex trade and a main reason as to how many women end up in prostitution. It is a powerful ministry that can impact thousands of people if mindsets are changed.
God is moving in all of these ministries. He is using the people here to be SO impactful it blows my mind. These ministers need prayer and support. They are crucial in this place.
Thailand has been a place of growth for me. The Lord has worked in so many places in my heart and we’ve only been here for 10 days. I have learned obedience from him. He is teaching me how to be completely dependent on him and he is healing wounds that I didn’t know I had. Today for example…I was talking to a squad member of mine as we went to get coffee and discussing how the Lord was working in our heart when out of my mouth a statement about being angry with my younger sister burst forth. I stopped in my tracks because I had no idea what I had just said and didn’t even know that I had such deep roots of anger with her. God had opened a door and was asking me to give him this anger and I didn’t even know I had such feelings. So that is what I am currently processing and working through with the Lord. Just another step in getting closer to him…but that is only one example of how he is changing my heart and growing me. I could write an entire book about the things that I have already learned and it’s only month two. All that to say that the Lord is so good…he is good all the time; he is good when it hurts; he is good when it’s sad; he is good when it’s good and in all moments in between.
I love and miss everyone. Thank you all for your support and love.
Thanks for reading,
Tabbi
