What an amazing country, Thailand is. I absolutely love it here. The culture is very friendly and welcoming, the atmosphere is always exciting, and of course the food is delicious. I could easily live here.
We are primarily staying in the Chiang Mai area but have branched out twice for a week at a time for different ministries. This month of the race is designed for and called MANistry. This is where all the men of the squad come together as one team and minister together while the women do the same separately.
The ministry we are partnering with is one that primarily focuses on saving women trapped in prostitution, giving them a viable way out and training them with skills to survive on their own. We work with an amazing ministry contact named Emmi. I am not really sure how she keeps it all together but she runs a huge ministry that God is using and growing in immense ways. Here is a link to her video:
Our focus this month is of course the manly things like cleaning and clearing out a pond that will be used as a fishpond surrounded by land that will be used to train the women saved from the streets. They will be trained in English and other skills to live full lives without the streets. This current week we are in a village 3 hours away from the city with another ministry branch of Emmi’s to build housing, work the rice fields, play with the local children and simply live life beside and love on the villagers. When we return to the city we will be focusing on street ministry to other men around the town.
Our women from the squad are the ones going out and ministering to the women in the bars and prostitution to love on them. Trying to encourage them to come back to a coffee shop that Emmi owns and then let the girls know that there is a way out of the lives they are forced into. From there Emmi’s ministry walks them through how to get out and stay out. It’s an incredible process to witness.
I feel that I will be visiting Thailand again in the near future.
