As stated in previous blogs, Thailand has a huge problem with sex trafficking and prostitution. Each team was hoping for a ministry that would work with this problem and was eager to shine some light in one of the darkest places you can imagine. We were in Pattaya, a tourist location fu
ll of neon bar strips, shopping, restaurants, beaches, and massage parlors. To the outsider, it looks like 24/7 spring break- a great time. Yet, behind all the ‘glamour’ there was suffering and despair. Each person I’ve spoken to who did bar ministry had their heart broken for these women stuck in this lifestyle, feeling like they have no other choice, and for the men who look empty inside, yet, full of lust and loneliness.
Our first experience was a spur of the moment decision to go downtown and just start making relationships. Our team had an amazing translator named Jiap, who was so passionate for the Lord; it got everyone around fired up. She wanted to go as well and witness to the girls, not just translate- so we did not have any communication barriers. We walked around for about thirty minutes taking in all the perverse things happening around us-we were just trying to be prayerful and discern who the Lord wanted us to speak to.
Finally we decided we just needed to do it, because fear and hesitation was getting the best of all of us. We walked up to a 23 year old girl named Belle, she asked if we wanted a drink and we kindly accepted and invited her to have one with us and talk to us for a bit. She took us into the bar she worked for.
The bar was completely curtained off, you could not see anything from the outside, when we walked in there was a couple coming out of the ‘bathroom’ we all looked at each other a bit stunned and Belle laughed apprehensively. That was just the surface of what we saw happening there. Belle’s friends were cornered by men, staring at their bodies and not their faces, women allowing their bodies to be a novelty for whoever wants to play, and men so stuck in lust, it looked like they were suffocating.
We ordered and began to ask Belle about her life-she was married and no one in her family knew what she was doing for a living, or they chose to turn their faces to it. She had a little girl who was two years old. After a nice conversation, she was asking us what we were doing in Pattaya, Jessica and Andrea started telling her about the gospel and about the Lord-I shared part of my personal testimony and Ashley shared about the Lords redeeming love, and gave her a book entitled just that…we prayed for her. During the prayer she began to squeeze my hand tighter and tighter- as if she was receiving something she never wanted to let go of.
After the prayer was over, she said she felt like crying. No one has told me this, but I can imagine, succumbing to the sexual desires of oth
ers on a daily basis can allow you to become very good at hiding your feelings, and burying your emotions; separating your head from your heart, and your mind from your body, a feeling of being completely barren, unfulfilled and numb.
So the fact that she felt anything besides those feelings of detachment from herself was a huge blessing.
I’ve never seen the things that I saw happening in that bar and out in the middle of the street and Belle did not immediately say she was “saved” but I know the Lord touched her in a way that she has never been touched before, pure, true and holy love.
We went back to visit her on Christmas, after calling a few times, but she was with a man when we came back- I did not feel discouraged, I felt sad, but I also felt hope. I may never find out what happens in Belle’s life, but I do not need to know because I know the Lord is going to confirm the words she heard, and the feelings she felt.
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Another amazing Christmas present was a girl named Kay (not a prostitute), on Christmas Eve, we were doing a prayer walk down walking street, and the Lord led me to her. They told us during orientation that you should start
talking to Thai people by asking them questions about their family and their life, not to just dive in about Jesus. But I just dove in about Jesus, whoops, the Lord was so pleased with Kay, and did not want her to feel discouraged or sad, He was so happy with her- she just needed to hear this-and it turns out she was already a CHRISTIAN! GOD IS SOOOOOOOOOOOO FREAKIN’ GOOD! She was so grateful for us stopping to chat with her, and we gave her a Christmas present, because she was going to be away from her family on Christmas too, they lived in Chaing Mai.
Then we said goodbye to our Step Ahead family and the Lord spoke into each one of them too! Bringing a few to tears.
I feel encouraged leaving Thailand, I feel blessed, I feel loved, and I feel eager to see what else the Lord has! This month was a huge answer to prayer!
Psalm 66: 1-6: Shout with joy to God, all the earth! Sing the glory of his name, make his praise glorious! Say to God, “How awesome are your deed! So great is your power that your enemies cringe before you. All the earth bows down to you; they sing praise to you, they sing praise to your name.” Come and see what God has done, how awesome his works in man’s behalf! He turned the sea into dry land, they passed through the waters on foot, come let us rejoice in HIM!
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