During
this past month we spent our time in ministry with an organization called SHE,
Self Help and Empowerment. This
Christian based ministry primarily focuses on a tourist area in Thailand that
makes most of its money off of prostitution. SHE goes into these bar areas and offers the women 
who work in the bars
another job. They are offered a job
living arrangements with SHE which will include baking cookies, making
chocolates and making jewelry. As short
term missionaries we get the honor of going into the bars and talking to the
women there and offering them a new job. (pic on left one of the bars)
I
went out to the bars a few times a week and met many women and men. There were a range of women that I met some
that liked being in the bars, some that just wanted a way out of the bars and
most that felt like this was their only option to get a lot of money to pay off
their debt. The last one was most of the
workers reason for being there. Most
women that I met were disgusted by the old tourist men that they had to satisfy
at night but they felt they needed the money more. Honestly these last few weeks were a little
hard to talk to girls who felt like they had no choice but to work in the bars
for fast money. Even when we offered
some of them another job they said that they need more money than that. It was a hard realization to the lifestyle
there.
Although
there were hard conversations there were also really encouraging ones. We were able 
to talk to several women who did
not want to work in the bars. We invited
these women to the SHE household and showed them the new job they could have
baking cookies, making jewelry and even making chocolates. Many of them enjoyed it. I even met a woman that was near to my
heart. She loved the house and put in
her resignation for the bar job by the end of the month! (pic right chocolates the women made at SHE)
This
experience was filled with a lot of victory in the darkness. Everyday we prayed on these streets that
these women were selling themselves on. We prayed for their freedom. We fought for them. And we got to see so much victory! At the end of our time there we got to
baptize 6 women who have left the bars and dedicated their lives to the
Lord! One of which gave her life to the
Lord during time that we were there! Praise God that He is working and moving in mighty ways all over the
WORLD!! (pic left my teammate Jenni Weir making cookies)
Also
I want you to know that I spent a lot of time praying for the men sex tourists
at the bar. God really gave me a
compassionate heart toward them. Seeing
these older men sit at the bars alone even when they could buy a girl was
really sad. You could just see that this
prostitution was not satisfying them and for good reason since God created them
to be completely satisfied by knowing Him. Honestly I just felt for these men, like God has so much more for you
then just sitting at this bar. It was
like they were missing it. They were
missing that God almighty has called them to a greater purpose in than
this. God has called these men to be
leaders, to be loved by God who created all things and to marry a woman who
loves him mind, body and soul. Praise
God that I got opportunities to pray with some of these men and just gently
share with them my testimony and what God can bring you through if you let Him.
Overall
this month was good, really good to see God have incredible victory in so many
situations. If you want to check out
this organization go to www.shethailand.org
