Red and pink streamers along with a variety of paper decorations were hanging in mass numbers, boldly announcing that the festivities of Valentine’s Day were in full force. Large heart shaped balloons floated above the heads of enthusiastic vendors who were scattered sporadically throughout the streets. Loud music, mingled with the noise of buyers, sellers and passerbys created an electrifying atmosphere for the nightlife of Thailand.
Although bundles of roses and balloons inscribed with the words “I love you” were a hot commodity, they were not the most prevalent item for sale at the night market on February 14.
The colors which so often signify the day of love, blended eerily with the flashing red, pink and white signs on both sides of the streets…all announcing women’s bodies for sale.
We were in the red light district of downtown Bangkok.
Three days prior:
Expedition squad arrived in Bangkok with plans to stay for a few days while the process to obtain visas was carried out.
To our dismay, we found out at the last minute, that two of the online applications were denied. While the rest of the squad traveled on into northern Thailand, I stayed back with the two “rejects” until their applications could be accepted.
Although there were a number of days with nothing to do but wait, we wanted to use our time intentionally.
We fasted and prayed for the squad and individual teams. We spent time with one of our hostel roommates from Argentina, visited an international church, and decided to do a prayer walk through the red light district.
Time tends to meld together into one big conglomerate of waking and sleeping hours on the race…..most of the time I have no clue what the date or even day of the week is.
How we found ourselves walking the red light district on the night of Valentine’s Day was definitely not my own doing.
I love those kind of moments though – the moments where in the process of stepping out and wanting to see God do great things, there are also increments of time where I get to sit back and watch His hand at work!
The 14th just so happened to be one of those moments.
As we paced down one street and up another three different times, many older men and women stood outside the bars, holding a “menu” of sorts for all the “services” and shows you could buy. Some places had steps leading mysteriously up into the dark buildings, while other entrances were street level, and yet other, more garish places were open air bars.
Many of the girls were “on display”, sitting or standing outside as countless more were in the bars, dancing around poles on the stages. Men of all ages and ethnicities were frequenting every single place we passed.
And all the while, my heart was breaking.
What an impostor version of love!!!
Abba, I just want them – all of them – to see, to experience, to know YOUR love……the purest, deepest, most genuine kind of love there is.
I poured out my heart to Him…
God, I feel at such a loss coming into a place like this. People’s hearts and minds are governed by the flesh. We can’t even talk to anyone – to try and have a normal conversation – without them getting the wrong idea.
Love beloved…just love.
I hardly know what that looks like for them. The only love they know is a cheap counterfeit.
Then give them a sliver of what genuine love looks like.
Is that possible in one night? One interaction? One pass by, one locking of eyes?
With me, anything is possible.
I focused on smiling and making eye contact with each person that we passed by, whether worker, salesman, or client.
I locked eyes with a few women who smiled back at me.
Sad to say, the night did not end with a beautiful conversation and us sharing the Gospel or leading someone to Jesus.
Any attempt at communicating was seemingly fruitless.
As we walked back to our hostel that night, my heart was still heavy, broken….and yet, burning with a glowing ember of hope.
Hope that I DO serve a God who does the impossible.
Hope that He works in ways that are beyond my comprehension and although I don’t know the reason He had us in the red light district that night, I know it was according to His good, pleasing and perfect plan.
Hope that even amidst the darkness engulfing such a place, nothing is able to separate us from His abounding love.
“Now, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 8:37-39
