Hello from Thailand!!
Many of you have been wondering what I have been up to this month. Although I can’t tell you all the details (for the safety of the ministry), here is a basic idea of what Thailand has been like:
First off, it’s all-squad month. Which means, all 40 of my squad is together at the same ministry as opposed to the normal teams of 7 spread all over the country. So basially I am surrounded by my 39 best friends 24/7 (an extrovert’s dream).
Because it is all squad month there are a few different ministries that all of the teams are involved with. The over-arching organization that we are working with here is called Lighthouse In Action. Lighthouse’s von is “To eradicate the commercial sex trade in Chiang Mai and south east asia, and see the people choose abundant life through Jesus, as we show them His truth and love through our actions. We want to see them spread this Truth like a wildfire across the nation, and beyond.”
Thailand is a source, destination, and transit country for men, women, and children subjected to forced sex trafficking. Thai victims of trafficking and some of the estimated three to four million migrant workers in Thailand are forced, coerced, or defrauded into sex trafficking. Close to 40,000 children under the age of 16 are believed to be in the sex trade, working in clubs, bars, and brothels.
Lighthouse’s mission is to provide Intervention, Restoration, and Prevention pathways for these girls and children of northern Thailand who are trapped in exploitation.
Prevention:
“We seek to intervene in the lives of those being exploited in Chiang Mai, who are predominantly women working in prostitution, children either deprived of education and/or forced to sell goods in the red light district. By meeting immediate needs and developing ongoing relationships we hope to influence the long term trajectory of their stories.”
This is where 2 teams are going out into the local communities and slums to teach kids and younger girls about Jesus, lead Vacation Bible School, and just love on and play with the community members. Their ministry is to grab the hearts of these children before ever getting into the human trafficking lifestyle in the first place.
Intervention:
“We seek to prevent future human trafficking in the villages of northern Thailand through bringing the gospel and awareness about trafficking. By sending individuals and teams to engage with villagers in their day to day lives, (caring for children, farming, and sharing meals and laughs), we hope to inspire a culture that values daughters, sisters and wives.”
This is where 2 teams actually go out to the bars and interact with girls who are already involved in the lifestyle. These teams hangout with the girls in their atmosphere, start to chat with and build a friendships with them and speak truth to them that this was not the life they were created for. Then *hopefully* follow up with them and tell them about Jesus and the life he created for them to actually live and tell them about other opportunities that life has where they can live in freedom and God’s love.
Restoration:
“We have sought to create a sustainable café / hostel franchise that can support and provide for the long-term vision of lighthouse in action in the form of jobs and finances. In addition to creating a healthy perspective of work, we hope Zion can stand as a meeting grounds for god to be made known to locals and travelers alike through community.”
This is where my team comes in!! My team and another team are working at a café and Hostel called Zion. Zion for girls who have actually been saved from sex trafficking and are living in freedom (CAN I GET AN AMEN). Lighthouse provides jobs, finances, and discipleship to these women by allowing them to work at the café and hostel – and we get to work alongside of them! We do spend our hours wiping tables, washing dishes, and cleaning bathrooms, but we get to do it alongside of them and get to do life with them (You would be surprised what kind of deep conversations come out of cleaning toilets).
We’ve spent countless nights having nail-painting parties, dancing to Justin Bieber, doing coffee facemasks, and just sharing joy with these girls.
Some days don’t always look like this, though. Some days look like sitting in the cleaning supply closet talking about their past and where they come from. But honestly, these days are the best because we get to see their heart and joy they have found in Jesus and what they have been broken free from.
Zion operates on the slogan that it is “More than a Cup of Coffee.” This slogan could not be more fitting for this place. Behind the doors of the cafe, behind the cups of coffee and espresso, is a group of women who has been knitted together and hand picked by Jesus to become a family. He reached into the dark places of this country and brought every girl here to show them who he created them to be, not who they have been told they have to be.
I get to watch these girls understand how priceless they are in God’s eyes, and not how much they are worth to a guy on the street.
I get to journey with them as they step away from the idea that their beauty comes from the way they dress and the makeup they wear and step into how beautiful God created them to be inside and out.
I get to see them discover joy in dancing to Justin Bieber and learning about Jesus and not in how much they are paid.
I have been overwhelmed with thankfulness that I get to be a part of this family while here in Thailand and I can’t wait to see these friendships grow with my last week here.
“See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”
1 Peter 2:6
Recklessly,
Haley
