Ugh, 10 o’clock! I’m so tired already!
By this point I had ridden a bus for 12 hours, had a full day of activities and orientation, tried to learn my new surroundings, and now I’m being thrust into what will be my ministry for the month. It’s getting late and my body aches for rest but my heart knows pressing through is what’s best.
I’m a little nervous about what I’m facing. Oh, God, what am I doing here? Are you sure you meant to choose me?What do I have to offer? But somehow I muster up enough courage to walk with my friends to quite possibly the most spiritually dark street I’ve ever seen. After only a few minutes we find ourselves sitting at a bar and making new friends.
But this bar is different and our new friends are unique. This bar is one of literally hundreds of bars piled on top of each other here in Patong, Thailand. And the new friends we are meeting are just a few of the thousands of bar girls who make money here by selling their bodies; most of them against their will.
It’s so dark here, Lord. I feel overwhelmed. Where is the light? Oh, Erin, you just wait. I’ll show you. And then it happened. Almost like an out-of-body experience. I zoned out from the conversation I was having and I was able to see a glimpse of the big picture, just for a moment.
Here I am in Thailand. It’s late, I’m tired, and I’m at a bar. Ten different DJ’s are competing for my ears by blaring Beyonce and Lady Gaga remixes. Alcohol, cigarettes, sewage, sweat – the cocktail of smells is making me nauseous. There are at least 8 barely-dressed girls standing directly behind me shoving fliers in the face of anyone who passes by. Fliers to come watch a live sex show that is also happening behind the closed doors only feet from where I’m sitting. I’m drinking a pineapple juice from a glass shaped like a very busty woman. Amid all this, I’m playing a dice game with my new friend, a prostitute, and I’m having the time of my life. Only minutes later I find myself laughing hysterically with another new friend, the bartender just a few bars down, while we play Connect 4.
What?! Where am I God? This must be some sort of weird dream.
God knew. He knew long before this beach in Thailand was transformed into a hub for sex trafficking. He knew before these girls were forced to sell their bodies night after night. He knew before hundreds of thousands of people flocked here to purchase their bodies. He knew how dark this place would be and He knew there needed to be a glimpse of light, however small it may be. So he placed games in Patong!
It’s a custom in this area that the bars all have games for the customers to play. And it’s not weird or awkward, it’s what everyone does. In the shadow of all the evil that lives here God has provided us a way to laugh, smile, and start conversations with these girls. And He’s chosen to do it through Connect 4, Jenga, and Jackpot. How random! Very creative, God. I never would have thought of that. That’s because you aren’t me. My thoughts are higher than your thoughts and my ways are higher than your ways. For some girls this may be the only non-sexual attention they get all night. For others it may be the only genuine smiles they show all day. And for most it quite possibly is the first time in a long time that someone has showed them true, unconditional love.
This year I’ve been thinking a lot about if Jesus were alive today, where would he go? Who would he talk to and what would he do? If Jesus were alive today and decided to visit Thailand, I have no doubts that he would come here to Patong. And someone would probably scoff at him and say, Jesus, why did you go there? It’s such a dark, evil place? What could you possibly be doing there? And he would smile and say,
