It’ s ironic really, that halfway through my ministry in Malaysia, I am finally posting what it was we did last month in Thailand. I could give you many reasons for why the timing worked out this way, but the thing you really need to know is that my month in Thailand was unbelievable. Every day seemed to bring a new lesson or revelation, and I find myself wanting to write a blog about every single moment. I won’t do that of course. Unfortunately, I don’t have time to do that. But I will say that Thailand was a month of power. It was a month where I took a giant leap into my identity in Christ; and now after much processing, (a World Race term) I can write to tell ya’ll all about it.
I think it’s important for me to begin by giving you some background on Bangla Road, or more generally, on the city of Patong. Patong Beach is a major tourist destination; undisputed as the center of Phuket’s nightlife. Bangla Road, one of Patong’s most celebrated party streets, has become infamous for its influx of bars filled with colorful entertainment. Tourists flock to see the raunchier side of the island where Thai women dance on stage in provocative dress and Ladyboys make their entrance clad in revealing feather outfits or hardly any clothes at all (I’m sure your curious about what exactly a Ladyboy is, since for many of you, this may be new terminology. Well as you may have alluded, Ladyboys are men who have decided, for any number of reasons, that they want to look and act like women. Many of them get surgeries to look more feminine, but overall, are very proud of their bodies (both new and old). As a matter of fact, they are very bold in that department; unafraid to show off all their different parts, especially when they are on stage. As their name describes, they are Ladyboys (some more than others), so I’ll let you make your own predications about what that really means).
There are over 200 bars just on Bangla Road and on any given night, approximately 1,400 girls working in them. Most of the women do not earn a salary for working in the bars, but are instead paid through free room and board. The money women do manage to make comes from the tips they make from selling drinks and selling themselves. It is important to note that these girls are not trafficked, meaning no one has smuggled them there or forced them to work in the sex industry. However, the decision to work in a bar is not one that is taken lightly and often doesn’t even feel like a choice. In a culture where daughters are expected to take care of their parents and the opportunities for high paying jobs are few, many women feel like selling their body is the only option.
But that’s where SHE comes in. SHE (Self Help and Empowerment) is a Christian charity founded on helping women and children who are at risk, or already trapped in, the commercial sex trade. They offer housing for the women and their children (that part of SHE is huge because most of the women working in the bars have to leave their children behind with their parents because the bars will not house children), as well as provide salaried jobs, vocational training and English lessons. To put it simply, SHE shines as a beacon of hope in an industry that depends on darkness; professing that God is here and He is working, even on despicable roads like Bangla.
Our ministry this month focused on spreading THAT message; whether that meant actually going into the bars on Bangla and forming relationships with the bar girls, promoters, and/or tourists OR working more behind the scenes by participating in mindful, continual intercessory prayer or by helping construct a new piece of land for the women, brought out of the bars by SHE, to work and live.
As you can probably tell already, everything about this ministry was spirit lead; and as you’ll read later, we were challenged to live in the same manner. Not to be lead by our own emotions or our own desires, but to walk in the footsteps of the Lord and use the words that He was speaking.
Please do not be discouraged by the image of Bangla I have painted for you because this is not a story of defeat. Hearts that have been broken and bruised are being made whole. Lies that have been hidden are finally being revealed. God’s timing is now! That means God is exposing Bangla for the wickedness that it is and women are flooding out of the bars as a result of it. Even the nights we didn’t see directly how God was transforming hearts, I can tell you without a doubt that it was still happening. It’s harvest time on Bangla; God’s will is being done!
I think it’s important for me to begin by giving you some background on Bangla Road, or more generally, on the city of Patong. Patong Beach is a major tourist destination; undisputed as the center of Phuket’s nightlife. Bangla Road, one of Patong’s most celebrated party streets, has become infamous for its influx of bars filled with colorful entertainment. Tourists flock to see the raunchier side of the island where Thai women dance on stage in provocative dress and Ladyboys make their entrance clad in revealing feather outfits or hardly any clothes at all (I’m sure your curious about what exactly a Ladyboy is, since for many of you, this may be new terminology. Well as you may have alluded, Ladyboys are men who have decided, for any number of reasons, that they want to look and act like women. Many of them get surgeries to look more feminine, but overall, are very proud of their bodies (both new and old). As a matter of fact, they are very bold in that department; unafraid to show off all their different parts, especially when they are on stage. As their name describes, they are Ladyboys (some more than others), so I’ll let you make your own predications about what that really means).
There are over 200 bars just on Bangla Road and on any given night, approximately 1,400 girls working in them. Most of the women do not earn a salary for working in the bars, but are instead paid through free room and board. The money women do manage to make comes from the tips they make from selling drinks and selling themselves. It is important to note that these girls are not trafficked, meaning no one has smuggled them there or forced them to work in the sex industry. However, the decision to work in a bar is not one that is taken lightly and often doesn’t even feel like a choice. In a culture where daughters are expected to take care of their parents and the opportunities for high paying jobs are few, many women feel like selling their body is the only option.
But that’s where SHE comes in. SHE (Self Help and Empowerment) is a Christian charity founded on helping women and children who are at risk, or already trapped in, the commercial sex trade. They offer housing for the women and their children (that part of SHE is huge because most of the women working in the bars have to leave their children behind with their parents because the bars will not house children), as well as provide salaried jobs, vocational training and English lessons. To put it simply, SHE shines as a beacon of hope in an industry that depends on darkness; professing that God is here and He is working, even on despicable roads like Bangla.
Our ministry this month focused on spreading THAT message; whether that meant actually going into the bars on Bangla and forming relationships with the bar girls, promoters, and/or tourists OR working more behind the scenes by participating in mindful, continual intercessory prayer or by helping construct a new piece of land for the women, brought out of the bars by SHE, to work and live.
As you can probably tell already, everything about this ministry was spirit lead; and as you’ll read later, we were challenged to live in the same manner. Not to be lead by our own emotions or our own desires, but to walk in the footsteps of the Lord and use the words that He was speaking.
Please do not be discouraged by the image of Bangla I have painted for you because this is not a story of defeat. Hearts that have been broken and bruised are being made whole. Lies that have been hidden are finally being revealed. God’s timing is now! That means God is exposing Bangla for the wickedness that it is and women are flooding out of the bars as a result of it. Even the nights we didn’t see directly how God was transforming hearts, I can tell you without a doubt that it was still happening. It’s harvest time on Bangla; God’s will is being done!
