This month in Chiang Mai, Thailand, we are working with Lighthouse in Action ministries. Lighthouse in Action (LIA) was started a few years ago by a Thai woman named Emmi.
Emmi was born in a Buddhist family, but was sent to a Christian orphanage after her father killed her mother. It was at this orphanage that a missionary shared Jesus with Emmi and it was then that her passion for the Lord and people began. She was a YWAM translator in Chiang Mai for a few years and then was blessed to be able to do a Disciple Training School in Colorado Springs, Colorado and Tyler, Texas. She then returned to Thailand and served as YWAM staff for awhile until it was on her heart to begin her own ministry. And thus LIA was created in order to serve the Thai people and to help them come to know the Lord.
There are a few different branches to LIA.
There is Love Acts, WonGen, and X-Life.
Love Acts is the main ministry that my team is working with this month. Love Acts includes the slums and the bar areas of Chiang Mai. The vision is to love through action. To reach out, help and to love those that others do not. The desire is to show the heart of Christ to those who are rejected, unwanted, or used. What this ministry looks like for us to go out and party. We dress up (we were told not to look like missionaries, and what do girls like more than dressing up to go out?) We go out to the bars 2 nights a week and 2 days a week. There is a street, Loi Kroh, that is filled with bars, massage parlors and tourist adventures. This is our outreach for this month. We don’t preach to them. We are there to show them love. We are there to bring the love, light and truth of Christ to this dark place filled with a spirit of deception.
Once we begin to build relationships with some of the girls, it is encouraged to ask them on a date. This could be going to see a movie, going out to lunch, dancing, or pedicures. Pretty much anything that girls do when hanging out back at home. The girls, though they are living the bar/prostitute lifestyle, are very much girls. One way to show them love is to spend quality time and show them they are worth more than sex.
Wongen is a café right across the street from Chiang Mai University. This is a place for students to come and relax and eat in a safe environment. There is a discipleship class and English classes there for whoever wants to attend. American volunteers work there as well as young Thai women. I know recently a young woman has left one of the bars and is beginning to work in the Café instead. This place has delicious Thai food, American food, smoothies and deserts.
X-Life is something I really wish I was able to participate in this month. This is pretty much where you get dropped off in a Thai village and you live life with the people. You pretty much become Thai. You live with them, you learn while there and will ultimately love them. The vision of this is to live as Christ did and that sharing Him will be a natural part of life. There is also the aspect of helping the communities to be knowledgeable about trafficking and hopefully increase prevention of selling children to traffickers. As I said, I am super sad to not be able to experience this, but maybe one day in the future.
Guidelines we received for this month?
1. Drop all expectations
2. Have fun and make dates with girls
3. Party with Coke (the soda)
This very much a relational ministry. It involves reaching out to these women and showing them true love. Whatever their background and whatever their present situation is, it doesn’t matter. We are going out to show them love. Not the love they temporarily recieve from customers, but genuine, never-ending love that only the God of the Universe can offer. We are not rescuing women from their jobs and lives. We are not taking them out of the bars and giving them somewhere else to go. We are simple showing them love. We may have the part of planting, water or harvesting and though we want to do it all, God has a specific part for each of us to play.
5 times a week, we are coming together for intercession. This is a time for prayer and worship. To ask for guidance for ministry. To intercede for the women of the bars. And a time to really connect with the Lord. This ministry is very much a spiritual battle. Rest is needed. Time in the Word is needed. Debriefing and community is needed. This ministry is tough emotionally, spiritually and mentally. Some of the things you encounter are just mind blowing, but it takes a mindset of prayer and remembering that we are on the side of the Victor and all we can do is be obedient to His calling and guidance in order to love these women like no one has before.
The following video is from the website. On there Emmi talks about her heart and vision for LIA.
