Before the race I really didn’t care one way or the other whether or not I would ever go to Asia, but for the past couple of months I have been in Cambodia and Thailand. Coming to Asia I wasn’t really sure what to expect. You always hear about the Red Light District and Pub Street. You hear how unsafe it is and although I knew they were not very safe places to be, particularly at night I never truly understood how terrible it was until it became a part of my everyday life.
While in Asia I began to hear stories of women who had been approaching some of the Men on my squad asking them for money for sex. The first time I had heard a story my heart began to shatter. These woman are either being forced, or feel as if they have no other way to make money and provide for themselves and their families. Most of them probably have children, and some are just children themselves. I am in Thailand now and every night I sit at the top of the stairs in my hostel and watch as older aged men walk by with VERY young women time after time. My mind cannot help but wonder what is actually going on, and why these things happen in our world. Right now I am living just a couple of blocks away from the Red light District here in Thailand. About a week ago we were told that a woman had been murdered in the hotel right next to ours, and that she was most likely involved in the Sex Trade. Every night I pray for answers. I always knew these types of situations existed, but it never really hit me until I was physically watching it happen. This is a HUGE problem. Not just in Asia, but in this entire world.
I sit there on the top of those stairs every night and just pray to God for protection over these women, children, and men. I pray for a change of hearts and that they would realize there is a way out. There is so much more in this world for them. My heart is completely broken. It saddens me that they do not know how worthy and precious they are, how beautiful they are and how much they are loved by Jesus. That through faith and trust in Jesus they can and will do great things, and that he will always provide for them and protect them.
I get asked almost every day why I am doing this. Why am I exposing myself to so much of the bad in this world, and putting myself in danger? Why I am willingly choosing to give up my entire life, and the people in it to live out of a backpack for 11 months? This, THIS is why. What you just got through reading is exactly why. WHO am I to live in comfort? Who am I to sit around and pretend there aren’t millions of people who could come to know Jesus and be saved if only someone would tell them? It takes one person to step out on strictly faith and save these people. All you have to do is say yes. Of course you’re not qualified because none of us are. You see that’s the thing. We as believers don’t need to be qualified because we have God on our side. He gives us everything we need we just have to be obedient and say YES. That doesn’t sound too hard to me. I would rather risk my life and give up everything to share the love of Jesus with every single person I have come in contact with than sit at home knowing God is calling me to the nations, and to his people. Calling me to build churches, love orphans, and just tell someone that Jesus loves them. I want to challenge you to step out of your comfort zone, this should be something we are doing every single day. Every single day we should be loving like Jesus. He calls us to share our faith with everyone. If that is not something you are doing I challenge you to take that first step. Ask God what he needs from you and then just say yes.
Blessings!
Kimbra
