I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to write part 2 of this blog. As you’ll find out in my next blog, things have been pretty crazy the last few weeks…
In part 1, I talked to you about the anger I felt in Thailand. If you haven’t read it, I recommend you do before reading this one. God in all of His grace and kindness gave me so many pictures of where He is redeeming the evil that exists in Phuket. My team and I got to meet with an organization that works specifically with women who are rescued from trafficking. They teach the women new skills and provide them with a new job to provide for their family. Instead of having to dance and give their bodies to men for money, they now get to bake and cut hair and be supported. Not only do they receive new jobs, they get to hear about Jesus and how much He loves them.
God never intended for the world to be this way. He never set out for his beloved creation to walk in the darkness and evil that exists. He gave Adam free will in the garden. To choose a perfect harmony with God or to choose what Satan was offering. Because of Adam’s choice, things like human trafficking exist. But these things break God’s heart even more than they break mine. A life with God promises abundance and joy and peace. It does not promise things will be perfect. In fact following Jesus is often straight up difficult. A life apart from Him, however, is hopeless and dark. And that is what I was seeing in Thailand.
What I started to see were the pockets of light where God was shining through that darkness. One of our teams got to participate in bar ministry. They got to personally go to those bars and share the love of Jesus with the girls who are stuck in this evil business. Not only that but they got to hold a church service in one of the empty bars and preach the gospel right there in the middle of the chaos.
I learned that right before we arrived in Thailand, 17 children were rescued from a human trafficking gang. Not only were the children rescued but the leaders were arrested. This is huge! God is working in Thailand. My prayer is that I continue to hear more and more stories like this over the next months and years.
Okay so here is the crazy thing. While I was walking that main street of bars I was praying that God would somehow prevent the men and people from going to those bars. If there were no customers then the girls would have no reason to dance. And 3 weeks later Thailand shut its borders due to Coronavirus. I mean, come on! Yes, there are so many devastating effects of this virus. I am not trying to cover up that fact or deny it. But God is working out good things from a terrible, awful situation.
I got to participate in worship on the beach. I got to walk the streets of Phuket and pray with my entire heart and soul for the people of Thailand. I got to show Jesus to the staff of our hostel every day. I got to attend an international church who is at the very center of the work God is doing in Phuket. I got to hang out with students from Canada who are also fighting this fight.
God is on his throne, people. And He’s not going anywhere. He is fighting for his people and He is loving them and protecting them. And yes sometimes allowing them to walk through darkness in order to show them just how much they need Him. If we only focus on the evil and despair in this world, we will miss the huge things God is doing. Don’t forget that God has already overcome. He has already won! “I have told you all this so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble, but take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
Alyssa
