I am 22 years old.
I have a mom & a dad [who love me].
I have two brothers and two sisters.
I have never “gone without.”
My family is not rich, but we’re not poor either.
I went to a very nice 4-year university.
I have a Bachelor of Social Work degree.
Last week, I met a girl named Kar [name changed].
Kar is 22 years old.
Kar has a mom & a dad.
Kar has brothers & sisters.
Kar went to university.
Kar has a degree. Kar has dreams.
Kar said she does not like working here, but she needs money.
“Why do you need money?” I asked her.
“For my family.” She answered.
Wow. Many of the women we’ve met in the bars have the same answer… they work in the bars to make money to send to their families. Most of these women have to provide not only for themselves, but also for their families – their mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, and sometimes their own children.
That’s how it is here. It’s part of the Thai culture. When a family needs money, the responsibility usually falls on the daughters. When a girl needs to make money for her family, she hears from a friend or a friend of a friend – “you can make money working in bars.”
Do they like what they are doing? No.
Do they think they have any other options? No.
Are they wrong? Yes.
… read my “SHE provides a way out” blog to know more…
Tonight, I stopped by to say “hi” to Kar. She greeted me with a huge hug. We talked a little bit. Holding on to me, she told me she missed me. I told her I missed her.
Then she said the words that drilled a hole through my heart.
“I have to go with customer.”
This is REAL. My friend could not hang out with me because she had to hang out with a customer.
Fighting back tears, I hugged her one last time & told her “I love you.” I promised I would go back and visit her again before I leave next week.
She looked me in the eyes and said “Thank you for saying hello. See you soon.”
My heart shattered.
All I could do was walk away & pray that the customer would leave as well. I pray that Kar will be able to go to her own home tonight – that she can sleep alone in her own bed. I cannot do anything else but pray for her tonight.
Please pray for Kar. Pray that when I go back to visit her, she will be open to joining me for lunch at the SHE center. Pray that she will be open to getting out of the bar industry before she gets sucked in and hardened by this darkness. Pray that she will be open to continuing the relationship with me and building a relationship with SHE ministries. Pray for Kar. She is God’s beautiful daughter.
** p.s. I want to shout out a big THANK YOU to my fantastic mom & dad for all of the love & support throughout these [almost] 23 years.
I LOVE YOU! 🙂
