Imagine a place, a small stretch of land, where there’s no government; no limit on the amount of drug trafficking; daily murders and violent crimes. A place where young girls are raped, abused, sold; as if they have no worth at all. Where kids are owned and sent out daily to beg with little babies on their arms; and where the same kids report back to their owner each night, with what will hopefully be their daily quota, or else they can expect to be taken to the brothel at night to make up for their insufficient income. A place where the surrounding shops don’t sell food and useful items, but instead sex toys, porn, alcohol and cigarettes. A place where refugees can be expected to be treated with the same honor as street dogs; a place where brokenness is in the air, and hopelessness runs wild.
Welcome to No Man’s Land.
I heard about this place called No Man’s Land on the Thai-Burmese border over a year ago from a friend, and it sat in my heart for a long time. At that time when I heard about it, I was supposed to be going to Burma, when I had planned to leave for the World Race in January 2015. But not only did Burma get removed from that route, but I also switched to a July route that didn’t include Burma. I remember wondering why God put this place on my heart, but I had accepted that God knew what he was doing.
Fast forward to Cambodia last month, my team leader told the team that we would be going to a place in Thailand called Mae Sot, which sits right on the Burmese border.
Wow.
And not only that, but this Wednesday my team and I will actually cross into Burma for the day. The Lord is faithful. He will never call you to something and not fulfill it, if you allow him to do it in his perfect timing.
So, back to No Man’s Land. This is the small piece of land that is between the border of Thailand and Burma. And everything I described earlier, plus more that I simply don’t know about, happens here. We went there a couple days ago, and as we walked along the Thai border, my heart began to break. From the moment I stepped out of the truck, I found it hard to breathe. The air in Thailand is probably the clearest we’ve breathed so far on the Race, but the thickness of the spiritual warfare and brokenness was overwhelming. Walking along the wall that separated us from the lawless land, I felt tears welling up from a mixture of anger, sadness, and confusion.
Who will fight for these people?
Who will hear these children crying from abuse?
Who will tell the babies they are loved at night?
Who will tell the women their worth?
This is one of those moments where I have to step back and ask these hard questions to the Father; one of those times where I’m frustrated. Where I simply do not understand why this is happening; and furthermore how most of the world has no idea. I’m still processing these questions, and as I prepare to enter into Burma, my heart is feeling the weight of the oppression that these people face. But, even in all of this heaviness, I praise the Lord for what the men and women of God that I get to serve with here this month in Mae Sot are doing. I praise Him for their willing hearts to trust the Lord and stand up for these people; to bring them meals, and tell them they are loved; and to pray relentlessly for their situation. I praise God that they aren’t allowing the overwhelming amount of need in this place stop them from fighting daily for restoration.
And that’s what I want to invite you into right now. William Wilberforce once said:
“You may choose to look the other way, but you can never say again that you did not know.”
I cannot save all of the children without a home.
I cannot rescue the women being abused.
I cannot build a thousand shelters, and I cannot provide meals for every family.
But I can pray for these people. For the restoration of this land. And I can tell their stories. Because I have the freedom to shout my story from the rooftops; I can travel the world and I can spread hope, I can shout for joy. I can be just one more person that sheds light on this place, because where there is light, darkness cannot linger.
So I ask you, if this has moved your heart, join me in prayer for this place. For these surrounding nations-Thailand and Burma to recognize the suffering; and to stand up against it; for the men, women, and children who are stuck in this area to stop looking for hope in drugs, violence, and sexual abuse; for huge strongholds of the enemy to be broken down. There is power in prayer. In James 5:16 it says that “the earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power…” I believe that change will come to this place; that restoration will cover this land.
Imagine a place, a small stretch of land, where there’s no government; no limit on the amount of drug trafficking; daily murders and violent crimes. A place where young girls are raped, abused, sold; as if they have no worth at all. Where kids are owned and sent out daily to beg with little babies on their arms; and where the same kids report back to their owner each night, with what will hopefully be their daily quota, or else they can expect to be taken to the brothel at night to make up for their insufficient income. A place where the surrounding shops don’t sell food and useful items, but instead sex toys, porn, alcohol and cigarettes. A place where refugees can be expected to be treated with the same honor as street dogs; a place where brokenness is in the air, and hopelessness runs wild.
Jesus, we welcome you into No Man’s Land. Will you make your home here?
Thank-you for allowing me to share my heart with you. Please feel free to share this with others. If this ministry is something that you would like to be more involved with, check out outpourmovement.com. These people are changing a nation, and they could use your support.
Also, I am currently working on my last stretch of fundraising for the World Race. I ONLY need $3,900 to be fully funded. How amazing is that? I am asking God to provide this money now; I don’t want to wait until the end of the deadline in December. I can fully engage in ministry easier when I’m not focusing on support raising. Part of asking the Lord to provide is asking you to give; will you consider joining my team and supporting me financially? If so, go to the “support me” tab on the side of the page. Thank-you for your support, I am so grateful.
