As I steeped foot on Bangla Road (Phuket, Thailand) lastweek, my mind was flooded with memories from when I was here last year on my
World Race. Team victory, prayer walking the streets, the water fights of Songkran,
taking the bar girls bowling, staying up all night praying and crying for what
my heart saw. The names and faces of each girl I met rushed into my mind, and I
remembered how I sat with them as they told me stories of their “customers” and
how they desperately need to make money for their children back home.
Since that month in 2009, I have never been the same. I
often think and pray for the girls I met. I’m more aware of prostitution and
human trafficking after seeing it firsthand. My worldview for this injustice has
been wrecked.
often think and pray for the girls I met. I’m more aware of prostitution and
human trafficking after seeing it firsthand. My worldview for this injustice has
been wrecked.
A year and a half later I saw redemption come to Bangla
Road. Somehow (by the grace of God) our contact organized for some of our squad
to give a worship concert in one of the bars Saturday Night. We have an
extremely anointed and talented squad musically so it wasn’t hard to put a band
together. It was three hours of WORSHIP…in the middle of the Red Light District…one
of the top districts for male sex tourism.
As we watched ouR squad pour their
hearts out to God in the middle of the bar, Mike Perez turned to me and said
hearts out to God in the middle of the bar, Mike Perez turned to me and said
“THIS
is WORSHIP.“
is WORSHIP.“
To make it even more personal for me, the concert was held
exactly across from the bar I spent the most time at last year. The girls I
took bowling and out to lunch. The ones I keep a picture of in my bible. The
ones who are still there, in the same situations. Saturday night, THEY saw true
worship.
exactly across from the bar I spent the most time at last year. The girls I
took bowling and out to lunch. The ones I keep a picture of in my bible. The
ones who are still there, in the same situations. Saturday night, THEY saw true
worship.
How great is our God.
**Photos by Janell King
