You never know what places are going to tug at your heart. I’ve been in big cities, small villages, and a slew of other places this year. It was the slums in Thailand that really pulled on my heart though. During our time in Thailand we were in Chiang Mai. There was always a 7-11 within walking distance, wifi everywhere, markets with endless stalls of touristy items. One of the great things about the race is that we don’t just see the touristy side to a city or a country. We are there for a month and for the most part we do life like the locals. Down a side street in Chiang Mai, only slightly off the beaten path, you start to see a few sights that remind you while you may be in a major city, you are not in the states. Delicious soup stands that would never pass FDA regulations, dogs everywhere, babies playing and running in the street. Then you come to what appears as the end of the street. It looks like there is a small path that keeps going, not the road. Where the path starts, there is a large banner hanging above your head with pictures of the king and queen of Thailand. These are the slums.
Anytime you walk through anywhere new different things stick out to different people. As I walked through this slum for the first time I was struck by a few different things. Houses are literally on top of each other. They share walls and roofs. Doors are non existent. Usually replaced by either a baby gate or a fabric curtain to keep the kids in and dogs and chickens that roam the streets out. And a lack of color. In Africa, to me, the slums felt brown because of the dirt. Here with the metal materials they use for their houses it feels grey.
A few streets, turns, and a rickety bridge later there is a clearing. A concrete soccer field and area to play. As soon as one or two kids notice that someone has come, others come running. I imagine some code word they yell, or a series of knocks on a wall. We usually bring a ball and a jump rope. For as long as we will play they kids stay.
On one of our first days in Thailand we were told that we could not take pictures of a child alone and post it. The red light district starts early.
Every time I was in the slums playing with those kids my heart was being poured out. These kids are so beautiful and precious. At night when I would walk the red light district I would be overcome thinking that one day some of the little girls I played with earlier that day could end up there. That’s why I kept going back to the slums. I wanted to be a light to those kids. Give them a feeling of importance and of worth while they are young that will hopefully stay with them.
My prayer for the slums of Thailand is that people’s hearts keep breaking for them. That people seek out those kids, and that those kids can grow up knowing their are loved and worth so much more than working in the red light district.
