Ministry
here in Chiang Mai, Thailand is much different than any others I have done on
the Race. We are doing what we call “bar
ministry”. Yes, this month we are
hitting the streets six nights a week looking for a good bar, a good pool
table, maybe good music, and good drinks if you drink, I have even found good
hula hooping. In fact, it is quite easy to walk the streets
in search of a good time but I am also on the search of God’s heart and His
purpose here. Our goal is to build
relationships. We just love these girls
and guys and hope to show a glimpse of a different kind of love. We share our faith if it comes up but mostly
let the Lord lead us. Which has proved
to be very rewarding.
The
thing about bar street here in Chiang Mai is that the red light aspect of it is
not so blatant. When we walked the streets in Phuket, sex was for sale pretty
much with every step I took. Here the
girls and ladyboys build relationships with customers for a night to days before
they ask for money. Some men don’t even
catch on that the woman pursing them all night is actually going to ask them
for money after they have had sex. It
breaks my heart to see brokenness in the young girls and ladyboys selling themselves
and the lonely men seeking love and intimacy in something so fleeting.
Coming
into this month I was excited to do this ministry but I have found it extremely
challenging and rewarding at the same time.
The first few nights I spent interceding over the teams that went out on
the streets. This was actually one of my
favorite times for me. The Lord was
doing so much that night as we prayed over our people that were out. The Lord was giving us words, and direction
in how to pray. His presence was
tangible and so sweet. It was amazing to
come alongside Him and fight in the spiritual battle.
I went out a few days ago, lost
miserably to Tyler in a game of pool, but got to build a sweet relationship
with the bar owner, Mai. She is thirty
and has left prostitution. She is so
precious, a mother, gentle and loving but a vicious cycle continues, her
employees are selling themselves. We
returned to the bar another night and
one of the employees remembered us and challenged us in game of pool. In her little mini skirt trying to distract
Tyler from making a shot by shaking her hips she eventually stopped trying because
she realized it wasn’t working. It was
awesome to maybe help her recognize that we both see her inner beauty.
Please be praying for us. Going out every night, as great as it sounds,
is very hard. Pray for protection against
the things we are seeing. Please be
praying for those interceding at night, for new energy, discernment, and wisdom. Praying for six hours is not easy 🙂 Most of all be praying for the people here in Chiang Mai for God’s heart to shine bright in this dark place. More pictures to come of our nights out.
