*due to all parties involved in this all names have been changed for safety of those involved*
This may sound harsh, but it’s the truth. God hasn’t given me a heart for human trafficking. Yes, it’s totally something I feel that needs to cease immediately and my heart hurts for those involved, the boys, the girls, the ‘house’ mothers, the pimps, those buying. But it is not something my spirit is on fire for, which I am ok with.
With that out of the way, there is absolutely no amount of movies/ documentary,articles, forums, or books that can prepare you for the red light district. Only Jesus can.
On the day of bar ministry, we fasted and prayed for hours once we arrived to Patong. We knew God was before us and was going to show us who exactly to talk to and where to go, everything.
As we ventured out around 6pm to find food we found a dinner spot right at the entry of the main strip. As we were sitting finishing up dinner and the sun was setting, I truly felt the atmosphere shift in a way I have never felt before. My pulse began to race, I felt like I couldn’t breathe, I felt like I needed to get out of wherever I was. I went to the bathroom, prayed and took many deep breaths. We were about to walk into Satan’s lair.
We left the restaurant and wandered until around 8pm and began to wander into the lions den after we prayed. We had a plan, we knew what we would do, how we would act, but little did we know how it was going to work out. As we were walking down the main street, it was like we were in a market. People calling at you, grabbing at you, trying any way to get your attention for any and every show, club to get into guaranteeing the best price.
We got approached by bar 1, and decided to go in and sit. There were a cluster of bars and many poles so we knew we were in the right place. Unsure of where to sit , the bar or the corner, we chose the corner.
As we sat, we ordered non alcoholic drinks, coke and tea. And it seemed we had made a friend with the manager or house mom. And not in a good way. She sat around us and seemed to stalk us, never leaving us out of her sight.
Jess (my teammate) and I talked with one girl, Kate* , who was getting ready right behind us. We asked her name, where she was from and how long she’s worked there. Her eyes lite up as we asked about her life but otherwise they were Windows to the pain and sorrow in her soul.
She left us to finish getting dressed and clock in for her shift.
As we wanted to move from the corner to the bar, the house mom said we had to buy a drink to move. Your drink pays for your seat. So we decided it was time to move on.
The moment we walked back into the street, we became everyone’s prey. We went into a 7/11 to debrief what had just happened and what we needed to do next. We realized we needed to become like those we were trying to reach. Act a little loose, laughing and giggling, order alcohol to not stand out, even if we weren’t going to drink it.
As we left 7/11 venturing towards out next bar, we didn’t use the sidewalk, we walked in the street like everyone else. We saw European women standing in the street in a perfect line in gowns that could have been prom dresses offering a strip tease. There were women in Windows dancing on poles and men in the street gawking up at them making obscene gestures and sometimes following through with them. There were lady boys dressed up, calling you over. There was one manager calling out: “girls, girls, girls!best price!” And when you respond saying I like boys, she comes back saying lady boys!
As yet another manager approached us, we went ahead and went into his bar. It was a two story bar with a Terrance that looked down a side street where lady boys were performing. On the second level, where we were there were many girls occupying poles. The manager instantly welcomed us and we ordered. We passed all the drinks around and began to become a part of the scene. After a few moments of smiling at the girls and us chatting, an older couple came into the bar. They must have been good friends with the manager because he welcomed them with open arms as if they had just come to visit after not seeing each other for years. They went and sat down on the terrance.
After another few moments, one of the girls *Melissa, walked by and smiled. I reached out and said hi, I love your earrings. And we all began to Chat. We started talking about jewelry, clothes, her family, life. She works two jobs, one during the day and this at night simply to support her family back in Bangkok. The older man from the couple came back into the bar at this point and proceeded to ring the bell over the bar top.
Later on in the Night, to connect with the girls, Jay , Jess and meg (teammates) all danced on the bar with the girls. Doing moves like the sprinkler, the shopping cart, disco fever. The girls were laughing and we were teaching them the moves. It was wonderful to show them you and dance and have fun with your friends without being sexual.
I ended up striking up a conversation with the older man. I found out that he is from California while his wife is from England. They’ve lived in Phuket for 10 years, retired but have a part time real estate business. They come to Patong every few weeks to “blow off steam”. ” the girls are fun and my wife loves the lady boys.”
He was kind at least but sadly so lost.
But, we knew we were different at this bar. We stood out in a good way. A group of three guys (mid twenties) came in and sat down. We were next to them and we joined the girls dancing on the bar in our own fun way. As the guys gawked at the women working and had a different smile on their face, when they looked at us, they laughed and smiled at us like friends. They saw the light.
As we were getting ready to leave to go to the bathroom,we told Melissa* that Jesus loved her. It broke my heart because she had no idea who that was. We told them we were coming back after we need but they didn’t believe it. So, when we came back in, they were all genuinely happy to see us again. We eventually had to truly leave the bar and head out.
We have all the girls hugs and told them we loved them and they said thank you and meant it in their eyes.
We went to grab food (11pm) we ended up at sbucks and grabbed coffee and snacks. It was a great debrief in how everyone was feeling. We were all hurting for them but still going strong.
We headed back out on the other side of the street and were once again fresh meat for all the bars. We walked down a side street to see where to go. Girls literally pulled our arms to get us to sit down at their bar. We ended up at one where the mother came and talked with us and got our orders.
The mother here talked with us saying she’s worked there for many years her niece works here and so does her daughter. I began to feel unsettled, like I was in a fish bowl and a small child had their face pressed up against the glass looking in at me. As the mother spoke with us, I looked around the bar, one man (though I really can’t call him a man) had a woman giving him a massage, talking with him, sitting on his lap etc. The other man next to him, had another woman with him as well. They had been bought.
Across the way, there were 4couples at two tables. Each one of the girls significant others had been paid for. The women were laughing and drinking and acting the way they were bought to.
At this bar, one of the girls came and played jenga and connect 4. This girl was 17. She had a 5 year old son and 2 year old daughter. And all she wanted and cared about was money and beauty.
An older woman approached us who knew the mother. She came over to us and said one spank free. I laughed and said oh, no thank you, ill give you a hug though. So we hugged and chatted and she spanked my bum instead. She told me she used to work at this bar and now was working in the seduction department down the road. Imagine underwear and that is what she was wearing along with 7in high heels. She would bend down as the people walked by and kept giggling and saying don’t tell my boyfriend.
None of the girls at this bar could talk without being sexual. They would touch their boobs and hold them push them up, lean over the table, touch me even. I’m not interested in girls, I just love you, but not sexually. Yes, I understand you undoubtedly have women clients, but I am not one of them. I want to sit/ stand here and hear your story. Understand why you are here. Listen to you.
It broke my heart that many of these women only did this job because they needed money. The devil has such a hold on them and their hearts. That this is what they have to do to live and be. But it’s not it’s really not.
God has such a bigger and better plan for you. If only you knew so. If only someone after us would come and tell you more and more about Jesus then maybe you’d begin to understand. That’d my prayer for you. That all the seeds we planted or the ground we sowed would become fruitful.
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