This month my team is working in Chiang Mai Thailand with Light House Ministries. The purpose of Light House is to reach out to the women in the bars of the Red Light District here. Chiang Mai is a huge tourist destination so bar street is crowded with lonely people from all over the world. So every night we have some of our group here stay back to intercede and then some that head out to the bars to love on the women there. The opportunities are endless, or at least really blatant. The street is crowded with bars, and the women are good at attracting attention to themselves amidst all of the noise and clamor of the street.
I’ve gotten to get to know two women really well which has been a blessing. It seems like good bit of the women are in the bars simply because it is the only way they see to provide for themselves and their families. They often say that they don’t like the job, of course, who would. it’s heartbreaking. In the past few nights the Lord has opened doors for us to hang out with the lady boys (men who’ve turned themselves into women) who don’t work in a bar, but have settled into selling their bodies on the corner. Truly, my favorite part of the race so far has been spending time with them, I can feel the Fathers passion over them in a way that makes my heart beat faster than I think it should.
One thing I’ve learned just a little bit more about this month is the power in loving people extravagantly. AH, I love it! I think our call at it’s core is to let the sweet, extravagant love of Abba wash over people by the way we treat them; how we speak, how we react to them, our pursuits our questions…I’m learning that it involves a lot more death than I thought it would. Getting over myself, my insecurities, my “rights”, my agenda. Praise the Lord for His mercy and patience in loving us deeper into His heart and out of our own safe and controlled little worlds we spend our lives protecting. Love leaves people with so many questions, it leaves me with so many questions. It brings so much joy to my heart to see people confused by how we treat them. It’s happened a lot lately, it’s such a beautiful beginning to encountering the Father.
Please pray with us for the Light to break in on bar street, for eyes that see, ears that hear, hearts that are softened, for all of the lonely people to be pulled out of the deep waters that they are in. Pray that the Light of the Father sparks in that cold place in the hearts of the men and women stuffing themselves full of all the wrong things hoping to find life. May they be satisfied, captivated and swept away by Him.
Confuse the people around you by how you love them. Live each day in such a way that makes the people around you stop, and question what the heck is going on with you.
