I will start this blog by stating that I am aware I haven’t been keeping this page updated very well in the last few weeks. I am here to fix that and to catch you up on everything (well, almost everything) that has taken place in the last 2-3 weeks. I am in Cambodia right now, which I will blog about later, but right now I want to go back and wrap up our time in Thailand…if that is at all possible.
That’s actually one of the reasons for the delay…I haven’t been able to find a way to wrap up the most amazing 6 weeks in a few short blogs. I still haven’t figured it out, but this is my attempt.
Thailand stole my heart, plain and simple. Asia was the one continent I thought I could do without seeing when the race itinerary was announced. It was nothing personal against the certain countries or people, I just never felt a pull towards the vast unknown continent. Thailand changed all that. Now I can say honestly that I have felt so much at home in Thailand that I can’t imagine not coming back.
The last weeks of ministry in Bangkok were jam packed with last hang-outs, more sightseeing, and the inevitable and heartbreaking goodbyes. My friends at the bars had become just that…friends. As I have said before, these girls are my friends and not my cause. I grieved with them, I laughed with them, I shared their lives and they shared mine for 6 weeks. I truly want the best for them, and got to speak to a few of them about the decisions they are making in their lives and the other options they have. Saying goodbye to the precious teen and young adult girls at the Well was hard as well…they had become like the little sisters I never knew I wanted!
I can close the chapter of Thailand not because I want to and not just because we have no choice…the race must continue. But I close this chapter of my life because I have loved those girls and have done everything I could to bring them to the feet of Jesus, which is the only place they will find the lives they so desire. They let me in and I carried their burdens in my heart, not out of responsibility, but out of the compassion that I genuinely had for them. If only everyone could meet these amazing women, who have been through so much and still remain tender. They are so easy to fall in love with, with their wide smiles and their laughter that comes freely even in the darkest parts of that hurting city. And they are the most accepting people group I have seen yet. I never felt out of place or unwelcome.
Yes, I am leaving Thailand because I have to, but I feel that I will be back someday. I have nagging memories of my friends who have helped to shape the person I am and they don’t seem to be the kind that will fade any time soon. So, off I go, on to the next country, the next people group, and the next part of God’s character that will be revealed to me. An appropriate quote for the moment would be one of my life quotes from the song Closing Time: “Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.”
Oh, and the best part: One of my girls left the bars for good and will be joining the Well ministry where she will no longer have to sell her body for income, but will make greeting cards instead! Also, another girl told us that she has applied for a job as a waitress and will be leaving the bars as well! Heck yes, God…You are Awesome! Two lives have been plucked out of despair and have a chance at true joy and fulfillment…and I have faith that more of our girls will make that decision as well in the future. Now….bring on Cambodia!
