Now, back to that first location from
last month! We were only there for about a week, but we got to be a
part of a couple of ministries going on in that city.
One night, we went down to the Red
Light District. In this particular city, there are women from several
Asian countries that work in bars and clubs. Some have been
trafficked to the city while others are there by choice, usually to
provide for their families back home (interestingly enough, in
certain Asian countries, men do not work, so it is in the shoulders
of women and children to provide for the family). It was disturbing
to watch older white men jumping into cabs with girls who look
younger than me. It makes me sick that so many places around the
world look the other way while millions are trafficked into this
industry.
We were sent out in pairs to talk to
the women, to tell them that they are valuable and worth more than
the cost that comes along with selling their bodies. Unfortunately,
the girls are often being watched by madams, who are older women that
used to sell themselves but are now too old. The madams would not
allow us to talk to the girls.
Our trip to the Red Light District was
eye opening to say the least. At first, it was difficult to see the
men there as anything but pigs, coming to Asia to take advantage of
those women. As the night went on, I took a step back, and I realized
that those men are people too, people that are struggling with sins
just like everyone else in the world. They need just as much love as
those women do.
The other ministry that we were able to
help with was a sports ministry. We played volleyball, soccer, and
basketball with high school age kids, and related different aspects
of the sports to our relationships with God and with other Christian
communities. We were able to connect teamwork to community living and
practice to spending time reading the Bible and praying. The kids had
a great time, and some of them really opened up about the struggles
that typical kids their age are going through, which was radically
different from something I might expect to hear from an American
teenager.
We also were able to be a part of a
feeding program for a day. Many of the homeless people in this
country are actually people from other Asian countries. We got to sit
with them and learn their stories, sing, pray, share testimonies, and
eat with them.
This month made me more thankful than I
have ever been about the opportunity that we have at home to serve
others. In this particular country, it is barely acceptable, let
alone encouraged to help marginalized people. The ability to freely
serve others in the name of God is a blessing.
