This month I am in Phuket, Thailand. It amazes me after every move how vastly different the country is from the last and it just reminds me how big and creative God is. I am fortunate to be with my entire squad this month which is a rare occurance on the race during the month. It is exciting to be together as this is my new family and I can’t fathom being away from them during Christmas.
One of the main ministries this month is going down Bangla Road. A place that is pretty quiet during the day comes alive at night. With over 200 bars and 1,500 women that work in Patong on Bangla Road there is the temptation of lust and depression at every corner. Loud music, darkness and the smell of alcohol fills the air. Bangla Road is evil everywhere I look. Even during the day, one can just feel the heavyness
Every night, I put on the armor of God and feel that I am ready for battle. Walking down Bangla Road, I can feel the devil does not like we are there. He tries to throw every lie that he can in our direction but I uproarasly laugh when he throws them at me because I know God is on my side and that the victory is already won. The enemy has been defeated and he can not prevail.
Going into the bars, I look into the eyes of the women and they are empty. They want something more and I know that the hole is not going to be filled by the men that come in and out of the bar all night long. They are longing for love. Not the love that is only there for sex but the love of God. The love that is unending, unfailing, over flowing, and so much more. I am learning to love these girls how God loves these girls. I am not seeing these girls as prostitutes, but rather as God’s beloved daugthers.
I walk into these bars and see these girls as my sister, as my best friend, and women that just don’t know any other way. My heart breaks for these women and it breaks even more when they are free to leave at any time but they don’t know where to go. So they are still slaves looking for a way out.
I can feel God moving and I can’t wait to see what He is going to do in the rest of the time I am here. This is God’s city and I know that He has great plans for it.
Pray that God will open doors and windows, pray that God will move in the hearts of the men and women that are in the streets everynight convicting them of the things that they are doing, pray that I will have confidence that I am walking in the victory of Christ, pray that God will guide me to the bars that he wants me to go to, pray that God’s light will shine so brightly that heads turn because they can see something different in me and my teammates, and pray for unity among my team. (I will be out in the streets 9-12pm Central Time)
