I was already out of my comfort zone as I walked down the street, bars all around me people everywhere I looked. I can easily count on one hand how many bars I’ve been in prior to this and the few I have didn’t have men shoving fliers at me for go-go bars. Doubt starts flooding my mind. Why am I at this ministry? Is this the right place for me? We walk down a bit further, to where the ladyboys are, and I simply don’t know how to react. I’m simultaneously overcome with disgust and sorrow at this reality before my very eyes.
I remember walking down this street earlier in the day, when all it looked like was a mere tourist attraction. I remember seeing the bars and knowing it would be nothing like what I was expecting. I remember watching each person as they walked passed me, not knowing who they are or where they come from or, worst of all, what their motives are for being here. I remember praying against judgment in my own heart as I watched what seemed to be a normal tourist town flourish.
And now I’m here. And I realize there’s nothing normal about any of this. At least there shouldn’t be anyway. There shouldn’t ever be anything normal about the 6 year old dancing on the pole at the bar next to me-probably just doing what she sees mommy do. There shouldn’t ever be anything normal about these girls holding their own sign saying, “Girls for sale,” or the fact that the guy next to us has stripped down to his boxers by this point. No, this shouldn’t be normal. But for whatever reason, here in Patong, it is.
But as much as I hate to see this culture thrive, at least I can live in confidence of knowing it won’t win. Even in these environments where it seems impossible for hope to survive, I can boldly declare, “Nothing is impossible with God.” As I walked around those bars tonight, I saw my sisters beam with a radiance that I’ve never before seen and, as a result, conversations were sparked and I can rest assured that seeds were planted. To simply acknowledge and respect someone who gets used and abused on a regular basis is rewarding in itself but to see their faces when you say you’ll come back (which we will) or that you simply want to play a game with them instead of dance, is remarkable. Tonight, I saw the Lord show up in a new and profound way. Not only did He show up in my sisters, He showed up in those women as they simply got to be.
