It seems so hard believe that we have been back in Bangkok almost a week already. It seems like just yesterday that we were praising and worshiping on Soi 6, teaching English, and passing out Bibles to Chinese folks.
Yesterday, I was sitting in the lobby of the ministry we are working at; it is across from a brothel disguised as a massage parlor and next to a hotel. A few women in short dresses came from next door and stood at the ministry window to reapply makeup.
As they were standing there they could not see me but I could see them. It seems like so much of life we look just from the outside but don’t see the inside. When preparing for this trip I heard some crazy things like those women can leave anytime but that is the view from the outside. There are 2.7 million prostituted people in Thailand alone and the fact of the matter is some can leave no; no one is physically stopping them. However, in Thai culture it is the daughters responsibility to take care of their parents; for most of the women from very poor cultures prostitution is the only option as they are not often educated to the 9th grade level that is required to hold any other job. As any caregiver knows there is not often much time for anything else other than giving care. The sons job in this society is to go to the temple once in their lifetime to make merit for their family. In Cambodia where we spent last month they believe men are gold very precious and women are cloth; very disposable and easily soiled.
As far as Ladyboys go I found out this week that as a child boys are often taken to the temple. Sometimes as young as age 2 they are told that they have a spirit of a woman. Then from that point on their family raises them as a woman. It is very hard to live your life as a man when you are raised as a woman. Ladyboys often experience so much confusion, attempt suicide, and genetically alter their bodies.
There are trafficked people as well that are held captive and have to have 10 to 12 customers per night. They are often drug addicted as this is the only way they know how to cope.
In in case whatever the situation we as a people need to rise up and pray for all involved, pray about what you can do to change the lives of at least one of these precious people, and make it your ongoing mission to see from the inside out.
Love. Carla
