‘Come inside! We have 20 gorgeous girls, a bunch of ugly ones, and even a few fat ones’
These are the kinds of signs you’ll find along one of the busiest red light districts in Thailand, situated amongst shiny neon lights and scantily clad girls in sky-high heels. Some have matching, themed ‘uniforms’, others wear skimpy lingerie and swimsuits.
Inside, a girl is constantly sick trying to meet the bonkers weight requirement. She takes pill after pill in order to keep her job and attract an overnight customer.
Next door, a girl is making extra money so her loan shark boyfriend can scam desperate people. He is jealous and paces the street all night.
Another girl, only 19, is working to pursue her dream of accounting. She can’t afford college and her parents encourage her to sell her body.
Up and down the street, girls are selling themselves to send money back home.
Their families may be in debt. Others are simply supporting their fathers’ and brothers’ dreams.
In Thailand, women are essentially second-class from birth. Certain Buddhist tradition says women cannot reach enlightenment. They should instead aim to be reborn as male and support their men. They are responsible for the physical well-being of the family, while men are responsible spiritually.
It’s estimated that 1 in every 70 Thai women are working in the sex industry each year. Some women enter bar life and often never leave. Others are thrown into it by their own mothers. Often someone will offer them a job and instead force them into prostitution. They are manipulated, abused, and raped. They are degraded and used by men.
The bars pin a number on them, like they’re cattle, and send them into the streets to gather customers. They have a nightly drink quota. If they don’t meet it, they don’t get paid. They’ve been lied to and told these men come looking for wives. They strive for overnight and long-term customers, only to be left behind and let down over and over. The money is good, and that is what’s important, right?
Tourists come from all over the world to walk down these streets and get a glimpse of things only seen in movies. They don’t see the devastation or pain hidden under heavy mascara and lace. They are there to spectate. They don’t understand.
The ‘bar girls’ are daughters of God, girls as young as 9 or 10, trapped in earthly hell. They have stories we cannot fathom and dreams they don’t believe can become reality. They are told they’re merely meat to be sold.
But we know the truth. We know that they are seen and loved and desperately wanted by a Father who wants to clothe them in glory. That He is seeking and pursuing to redeem their lives and make them new. He hurts when they hurt and wants to carry their pain.
This month we get to walk alongside an organization that aims to rescue, restore, and empower women trapped in the sex trade here in Thailand. They love the Lord so, so much and want to see women come to love Him and be free from the chains of trafficking.
They go right into the red-light districts, make relationships with the women, then offer them a new life: a livable salary, discipleship, employment, and life skills training, and scholarships for their kids and education. They make jewelry and art, and they run a coffee shop. ALL the earnings go to the women they employ.
While nothing I say could ever adequately describe Thailand or the way God has been wrecking me since we stepped off the plane, I hope this gives you a little bit of insight of what it’s like here. It’s such an honor to be able to serve the girls and this organization. Every morning I wake up and question how this could possibly be my life.
As always, THANK YOU for all the support and encouragement. I could NOT do this without my home team, and I appreciate all the love y’all continue to show me. I have about a month and a half to get all my funds in, and I’m only $3000 away! HOORAY! Please prayerfully consider a one-time donation (no amount is too small!) to keep me on the field!
