Leaving Thailand was hard. Period. It was a month where my heart was broken a thousand times, but refilled a thousand more.
I feel like a broken record when I say this, but I fell in love with Thailand. The people, the culture, the landscape, and yes…even the food.
Our ministry in Chiang Mai was exactly what I came on the race wanting to do. Dealing with sex trafficking and exploitation is tough, it’s heavy and it can be mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually exhausting. Yet God kept showing up for our team and kept refilling us with His strength so we could get through each day. For me, the best part about it was the joy I was able to experience in the midst of the darkness that we were surrounded by.
You see, at the beginning of the month I was very weary of the darkness and the intense spiritual warfare that is present in this ministry. I didn’t know how I would handle going out to the bars multiple nights a week. I was worried that my heart would hurt so bad for the workers that it would be difficult to experience any joy while I spent time with them. How would I share the love of Jesus without joy?
But God knows my heart and He had different plans. It quickly became obvious that the love and joy I was able to share with the bar girls was not at all from my own strength. It was incredible to experience the power of the Holy Spirit in such a tangible way.
It was as evident as a light switch turning on, and that’s exactly how it felt. Especially around my new friend Leah.
I first shared about my friendship with Leah a few weeks ago when I was so hopeful that God would show up in her life in a big way. Little did I know, He already had!
Here’s where the story gets crazy: Through a translator we learned that Leah actually grew up in a village where her dad was a Christian pastor!!! Although there weren’t many Christians in her life, everyone in her family was a believer.
Her parents had recently sent her to Chiang Mai to find a job so she could send money home, but they were unaware she was working in a bar. Even though she hated it, she had little job selection in a tourist town since she doesn’t speak English.
She was struggling in Chiang Mai and began praying for Christian friends, and just a few weeks later, we show up! We were literally an answer to her prayers!
The next few weeks we spent with Leah were so special. God opened doors to communication that we didn’t think would ever be possible and we somehow were able to speak with Leah much more easily, despite the language barrier.
She came to Zion Café a few times to hangout and have lunch, introduced us to some of her friends (who we think loved Jesus too) and even attended church with a few of the girls on my squad!
I was dreading the moment we would have to explain to Leah that we were leaving, first for the village and then for Cambodia. But God wasn’t done surprising us yet. We found out that the small village we were visiting, Mae Ai, was the exact village Leah grew up in! Although it was still incredibly hard leaving Leah, the fact that we were going to her village, her home, filled her with joy.
I trust that our short time with Leah was God’s way of rejuvenating her faith and showing her His love. Leah now plans on leaving the Red Light District and returning to Mae Ai. I pray that the Lord will use her to share the love of Jesus in her village, and that the people there will be moved in a radical way.
The last time we spent with Leah was a tearful one. Tears of joy for the bond that we formed and the way that God showed up, mixed with the sad ones as we realized our paths might not cross again in this lifetime. Yet as I tried to say goodbye, I realized I didn’t know that word in Thai. But that’s because there isn’t one.
Sa wat dee (kha) is the Thai phrase for both Hello and Goodbye. Hello AND goodbye. Although it seems silly and simple, I found comfort in the fact that maybe this was God’s way of reassuring me it was not the end for Leah. That He has big plans for her, and just because we were leaving, didn’t mean His work in her life was through. Not even close 🙂
Thai Jesus Songs from Carolyn Bradley on Vimeo.
