Adventures WorldRace SethBarnes Sponsorship Giving

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“The Lord is close to the broken hearted, and SAVES those who are crushed in spirit.”  ~Psalm 34:18
Since the last time I have posted, we have gone down to the bars/brothels in Patong two times. Our first night there, we were all kind of nervous about what would happen. It is really hard, at least for me, to be in that setting and try to bring people to Jesus. God completely broke my heart the first night we were out there. I think he broke all of our hearts. It took everything in me not to judge the people there. To look at them and know that God loves them just as much as he loves me. That they have a light that has the ability to shine so bright, yet they are blinded by the darkness.
 

Our first night out, I met a girl at one of the bars. I am keeping her name disclosed for privacy purposes. For now, I’ll call her Anne. The moment I made eye contact with Anne, I knew there was something special about her. We walked by her bar and she gave us all a big hug. My friend Andrew and I sat down with her and ordered a coke and just started playing a game with her and talking. I noticed she never stopped smiling the whole conversation. As we got deeper into the conversation, I asked if she liked working at that specific brothel/bar. She quickly replied with a “no.” From that point on, I didn’t even have to ask any questions. She just poured out her heart to me. She would say things like “I cry every time I am with a man.” (she was smiling the whole time she was talking) She kept repeating over and over again that she just had to make money because she has five kids at home and it’s just her taking care of them. She didn’t like what she was doing, but she needed the money. The one thing she said that really touched my soul was “I smile but I am not really happy on the inside.” I left her that night with a promise that I would go back and visit her. As I left, the only thing she kept saying was “thank you.”

Last night, we went back and found her. I asked her if she had the opportunity to leave that bar, would she? She told me yes. So I quickly gave her a flier and told her about the opportunities she would be offered at SHE. She gave me about 10 hugs! And kept saying how happy she was. She agreed to come have lunch with me one day, but time will only tell. I told her if she didn’t call me I was going to go get her! Haha I hope and pray every moment I can that she calls.

Anne has the ability to change the world. To change hearts with her story, to save other women. All the women down in Patong do. I hope to help ignite her fire, and allow her to embrace the destiny that God has planned for her. Not only so, but I realized Anne is changing my life as well. She has taught me that even if I am surrounded by darkness and frustration, there is always a reason to smile. Always a reason to be joyful about what the day can bring. I’m excited to continue to see how God is daily working through her.

Meanwhile, we spend about four hours every day doing manual labor in the fields. The ministry we are working with is moving locations, so we are helping to clear their land. I never thought pulling up weeds with giant monster roots would be SO much fun! It is weird to think that we are paying to wear ourselves out everyday! Haha but at the end of the day it is so worth it. I thoroughly enjoy showing off my blisters to everyone.

The other day I was desperate for God to speak to me, so I surrendered my thoughts to Him. I opened my bible and the verse that He lead me to completely blew me away and was exactly what I needed to hear at the time. Romans 8:16-21 says:

“The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs-heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.”

SMILE!!!!!