I can’t believe I have already been in Thailand for two weeks! We flew into Bangkok and then took a 13 hour bus ride here to Phuket. It is so pretty here! The church we are staying at is a five minute walk to the beach. Because it is so beautiful it is a huge tourist destination and we have met people from Russia, Australia, Canada, Iran, Pakistan, Malaysia, and China (I am sure I am missing a few countries but you get my drift). It has been so cool to interact with different cultures and hear people’s stories. With all of those tourists comes a demand for souvenirs, good food, and cheap sex.
Prostitution is technically illegal here, but because it brings in so much money and most of the girls selling themselves in the bars have a choice on whether they do it or not, the government turns a blind eye towards it. Most of the girls that are in this work come from the poor northern area of Thailand and move down here to work to support their families. Because it is such a common thing here the Thai people consider it a normal way to make money. It is a hard life and so many of the girls I see are completely numb, all of the light has gone out of their eyes, and they feel completely hopeless and trapped. That is where we come in.
Every day at 4 pm we do a prayer walk down to the bars on Bangla road and look for people to love on as we go. The missionaries that we are staying with, Brittany and Jovie, have been ministering here for over a year and it has been so cool to see the relationships they have developed with a lot of the girls. We usually stop at one bar called Pink that is open early and we spend time with the women there talking and playing games.
Three times a week we go back down Bangla Road at 9 pm and it is remarkable how much it changes in five hours. We walk down the two lane road again, but now instead of cars, the whole street is completely filled with people. The noise and people are overwhelming! There is music blaring, and at least four people from every bar shove signs in our faces that have a list of drinks, sex shows, and sexual services that they offer. There are little old ladies and young girls that sell souvenirs and flowers that the guys can buy for the girls. Tourists come from all over the world to experience Bangla. Some purely out of curiosity, but most because they have a huge hole in their hearts and they are trying to find something to fill it or at least forget about it for a few hours.
On every bar counter there are polls that the girls dance/advertise themselves on. Some of the bars have a second story that has a little balcony with boxes where the girls dance as well. I look in the girl’s eyes and they look like they have given up. They hate where they are, but feel like this is their only option.
We go back again and again to be a light, a friend, and a breath of fresh air in their lives. It has been so cool to see how excited they get when they see us. Their faces light up when they see us and they always come over to give us hugs and chat. We are here to restore hope by speaking truth and life over them and showing them that they do have other options. There is a program for girls coming out of the sex trade that teaches them skills and about Jesus. But they won’t make the same amount of money as they do now so it is a big decision for them.
I would love to say that we have had tons of girls want to change their lives, but in the two weeks we have been here I have only had one semi deep conversation with one of the girls. There are so many things blocking communication. It is loud, there are distracting things in the environment, and language barriers are a thing. The girls often have a hard time even understanding simple things I ask them. The girls also have a ton of walls up. They are just numb to everything. They really don’t want to talk about themselves or anything besides the most basic of small talk (what we ate and did today).
I am really struggling with this small talk thing! I so want to share that God has a plan and a purpose for each one of them, that He loves them SO much and wants a relationship with them, and that they are so valuable no matter what the world tells them. I so want them to see that they have options and that their lives don’t always have to be this way.
These girls and I need so much prayer!! Pray that God would soften their hearts and draw them to Himself and that they would be open to it. Pray that God would give me opportunities and courage to share the gospel with them and that they would feel His love through me.
I want to do so much more than I have done so far!! It is so hard! I don’t want to just sit there and talk about the weather I want to talk about Jesus and help them! One of the things I have been wrestling God with is if I can leave this month content if I never get to have my ideal deep conversation with them, if literally the only thing I can say I did for them was to teach them some new games, love on them, and be their friend, and know that was enough. I am definitely not there yet, but slowly but surely it God is working on my heart and showing me His perspective. Thanks for all your prayers!! We need them!
In Him,
Heidi
**Fundraising update**
I need $2,400 by the end of April to be fully funded. If any of you would like to donate for my birthday (which is today :)) I would greatly appreciate it!
