"if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted,
then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday.
And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places
and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden,
like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail."
Isaiah 58:10-11
red light district
phuket, thailand
This month—I hold onto hope. A hope that is deeply engrained in my heart by blood from a father that alluringly lives in and through me. Hope that sits in the hands of a relationship, a cola, a game of Jenga or the exchange of simple words and fragile sentences between the Thai and English languages. Of communication that drinks in the wild air of an irresistible urge of humankind to be in the light and delight in its presence. A spirit that clearly sweeps a path up to the wooden bar stools so that we might sit and engage others in a reflection of who he is and the life that comes with abandoning all and gaining all.
Lets get real ———————————————————————————————————-
On Bangla Road, time is at a mere standstill as we walk, left foot, right foot– one in front of the other as loud music blares a beat and women in next to nothing dance on poles to try and sell sacred pleasure to unbeknownst men from both Asia and the West. We pass by hundreds of bars, a few thousand bar girls, and an unlimited supply of people. People who come to have a “good time," out of brokenness, some want to feel and experience "love" differently, most want to feel needed and wanted while others believe "love" will find a way with a price and a few nights of caged freedom.
Some men are marked with a lighter shade of tan line on their left-hand finger that defines a circle and ongoing commitment of marriage, tossed about like a broken promise. And women who have been raised to believe that selling all of who they are is appropriate when you need to make money to support your children, brother & sister or sick parents. Not only appropriate, but they're responsible for it. That thrusting a body of their own innocence, a body that has been used like a broken record to satisfy the desires of someone who sees their face as merely an object is a settling, satisfying attempt at love. Sex, being good for the money, good for the family, and bad in the case of long-term affects—to the point they douse their throats with high amounts of alcohol to take away the pain and heartache.
A place adorned with lights, perverted smiles, raging whispers of desire, intoxicated thoughts, bodies that are all over one another, first impressions as nothing more than objects and mannequins, caked make-up—begging to be noticed, drugged women in glass windows, handcuffed dancers and the revealing of pale skin. This place is searching for anything and everything. Like a wolf upon its prey, waiting to devour. But this place, in all honestly, is longing. And I can put it simply in that word. Longing. Longing for rescue. Longing for an ultimate satisfaction. Longing for a Savior.
And the heart of the father is for ultimate love and redemption here. Ultimate restoration. For His Kingdom to invade this earth. For His presence to invade the red light districts and overtake its dark places with a new light. There is Freedom. There is healing.
As we walk into Patong on Bangla Road in the day to intercede for the night of ministry, as we work on the land preparing a new home for those that have been rescued, as we walk onto the streets at night in our own skin, we have authority in Jesus. It’s THAT simple. We are coheirs with Christ. God granted us his promises and rights to his kingdom when he wiped our slate clean and gave us a new canvas. The battle has already been won, we have victory. And our place in the process is inevitably showing these individuals this freedom, and breaking the shackles off of their feet.
And so I look at this place with eyes wide open asking God to pour his eyes into mine. Showing me not merely what I perceive but what his eyes see and how deeply his love runs from the highest of heights to the deepest of depths for these people; for all of us.
I walk in confidence and boldness, for He has breathed his breath into me. Its contagious, this love. Shifting our lives & altering our hearts. Enabling us to see that the men, and the women are all worthy of this love. I find myself in a place where I can’t merely dibble dabble in ministry and think its enough. But I have to go, seek out these people, use the voice I have and speak, because He’s speaking. I am a voice for those that don't have the opportunity to use their own. And I'm letting this spirit inside me be free. His Spirit is so alive in us. And even when we doubt the work he is doing in us, He’s saying “Trust me with the ingredients, I am a God who makes something out of nothing."
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He has answered our prayers.
We've asked for water to flood the streets
and rains entrenched this place, and a tsunami came about the shoreline
We've asked for no girls to be dancing on poles
And there have been entire nights where no girls were on poles
and none were in the glass boxes
We've prayed for specific people, in which God has given us names for in the daytime
and we've actually met them at night
We've asked for the entire street to be shut down
and the street was closed due to a death in the royal family; the first time since 2006
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Please, I ask you to intercede on our behalf.
If we call, he will answer.
We ask for divine covering during out nightly ministry.
We ask that God would give them an out.
We ask for clarity in communication.
We ask for the women who've had enough and want to get out.
We ask that God reveals himself to the women & the men.
We ask that we SHINE while we're on Bangla– that people are drawn to us.
That we can adequately communicate how much they are worthy and loved.
For dates that we have with the women.
For the buyers, the hope and redemption that they, too can have and are worthy of.
That we can just BE Jesus.
Love & Grace,
Kaitlyn
