We have landed in Thailand.
After about 26 hours of travel time, from start to finish, Squad C has finally arrived.
I have to admit, I have looked forward to this destination for a long time.
I am thrilled to be able to mark off another continent from my “do before I die” list and while here get to see this beautiful culture come to life before my eyes.
In the next few days we will be able to debrief the last three months of Africa and spend time with our friends from the January squad while they debrief their past month in Thailand.
We will enjoy each others company, catch up on what God is teaching us, sing songs and play games, go on a temple tour, and even throw in a race day.
The one thing that weighs heavy on my mind however, is the reason we are here in Thailand, and it has nothing to do with the scenery.
The country of Thailand, and its coastal tourists towns are known worldwide as a hub for the human trafficking/sex trade industry.
On the outside one sees gorgeous clear water and white sand beaches.
There are lots of adorable restaurants, quaint bungalows, and charming people.
Underneath the tidy façade however, is an ugly life that draws men from every part of the globe to act out their sexual fantasies with women and children.
This land is so beautiful.
God has blessed it abundantly with natural riches; and yet there are heavy spirits of sexual perversion, idol worship, mysticism, and the devaluing of human life here.
So many of these women started out in this industry after being kidnapped from their homes or; after their families sold them into it for an amount of money, that in reality, will never equal the value of a girls life.
My team will spend the next month in Bangkok, going into the bars to make relationships with these women and during the day working with women who have somehow found a way out of the sex trade industry that is so prevalent here in Thailand.
We will have a huge opportunity to show kindness to these women, give them glimpses of God’s love for them, and hopefully show them who they are as God’s daughters.
I find myself already thinking the worst of every man I see in this country.
I eye them and the question about why they are here pops into my mind.
I didn’t realize that it would be such a huge challenge to see those men, who are involved in perpetuating this world, as broken and needy themselves.
Please pray for an everyday divine appointment with these girls, pray that I will have eyes to see the “John’s” as God sees them, pray that we will see big movements of God in this month to come.
Pray that we will run and not grow weary; that we will rely on God to provide for ALL of our needs, physically, spiritually, and emotionally.
I covet your prayers; I already feel the heaviness of this assignment.
We have been challenged recently with praying big prayers and watching God show up.
We have prayed some HUGE prayers for Thailand: that these brothels would become houses of prayer; that these heavy demonic spirits that weigh down this nation will be cast out; that bondage and lies associated with their past would be broken off of these women and would not be used to hinder their relationship with the Heavenly Father who is madly in love with them, just as they are!
Thank you for your prayers for me, for the people involved in human trafficking/sex trade, and for this nation.
I pray that Thailand will soon be known as a country that follows the One, True, God.
I Am, this country needs you.
I can’t wait to see how you want to use me to show them that you are jealous to have them back!
Thank you for the opportunity to find the One that You have called me to.
May Your name be lifted high in every part of this nation, may they proclaim You as God in the streets and may their idols be broken down by the hands that built them and are now raised high in worship to the King of all Kings, Jesus.
