Once I arrived in Pattaya, the Lord really laid it on my heart that I needed to do a prayer walk down Walking Street. Which is one of the largest red light district in Pattaya. It is also one of the most popular places to “find a Thai wife”. I didn’t know if I was I supposed to go or if I was supposed to talk to anyone there. I just felt a strong need to go pray for all the unthinkable and deplorable actions and occurrences that happen there every single night.
So I went. As I walked down Walking Street, I was flooded with the sights of the unimaginable. I passed strip clubs and gogo dancer bars, left and right. There were at least a hundred if not more in a short block radius. There are even more alleys that you look down only to reveal dozens more curtain covered entrances. My teammates and I were there as preparations were being made. Girls were getting dressed and ready for their night. Staff and Bouncers were cleaning. Bar tenders were wiping down counters. As the evening progressed, I passed prostitutes and their pimps. And one of the hardest encounters were the men that shoved cards into your face showing what sexual pleasures you can order. As if it was a dessert menu. It all made me sick. It was harder to witness than I expected.
The biggest realization that hit me was that for some people this is a tourist destination. Tour groups passed me. Families with their children passed me. I was overwhelmed with sadness at the sight. My team mates and I found ourselves there to pray, and these people were there for the “full Thailand experience”. I wish I was being lite about this all, but it is real.
I really don’t think that I can fully express what I experienced that night. But I would like to shed some light and realization of how big of an issue sex exportation is. It is very much in your face here in Thailand. Way more than I have ever see in the US. In coming to Thailand, I didn’t want to be oblivious to what is going on. And through it all, I saw that God is bigger. And He does have a passion for these people. He sees how trapped they are in these sinful actions. As much as my heart breaks for them. His breaks more.
In listening to a sermon a few days before, I felt lead to pray these four things as we walked up and down the street.
-No longer would money be made off of this sinful gain
-That this would make people sick instead of arouse people
-These men & women would treat each other like brothers and sister and not objects to be consumed
-That the clientele for such deplorable places would dry up
After I arrived back at our hostel, I had the strongest urgency to worship my Creator. In my sadness, I saw worship as an opportunity to express my feelings to the Lord. I needed to express to him all the hurt and heart break I just experienced on those individuals’ behalves. I once read “Though it can be counterintuitive to sing praises when you’re feeling sad, this is a powerful way to lift your heart to the Lord”. Even though such deplorable things happen every single night in Pattaya. And I wish it would all stop. It won’t. But I know in it, God loves each and everyone of them. He is fighting for them, in ways that I can’t even comprehend.
So this is what happened the night I went walking down walking street.
Thanks for reading!
-hw
