Have you ever felt completly cheap, used or violated? This is a reality and happens everyday. Women and even some men are exposed to so much and often find their bodies becoming the first thing that is compromised. This isnt ok.
Us girls in Pattaya
I am in Pattaya, Thailand right now. I along with seven other girls from my squad spend our nights working at Tomar Center, a place to rescue girls from prostitution. The thing you have to understand about Pattaya is that it is the prostitution capital of the world, yes I said the WORLD. It is an infamous place for white men to come and pay women for sex, to be their girlfriend or even some their bride. Most of these men are retired, lonely, and even some are married. Only the “lucky women” actually get married to these men. These women are mostly from the outside villages of Thailand. Their families put a lot of pressure on them to make money for the family and this for the most part means to prositute their bodies. Everywhere you walk there are swarms of white men with an Asian women on their side.
A white man with a Thai prostitute Walking Street where all the bars are
Tomar Center is an organization set up to help these women. They go into the bars, love on the women and invite them to be part of their English class. The English class is the first step to draw the women in. We have been going out to the bars and talking to the women and inviting them to the class. We have little fliers we hand to them with directions and information on Tomar Center. Sometimes we get to have really good talks about God with them, sometimes we get to spend time playing games with them, and even sometimes we get to pray with the women. Every time we step foot in those bars we at least get to bring light.
Typical looking streets in Pattaya
On the first day I went out to the bars the first person I talked to happened to be a white man. He was the manager at the paticular bar we were at. The first thing that man said to me and Jess was, “This is sad isnt it”? I was baffled, how can a man work in a bar and be opposed to prositution? He had been there since his retirement 10 years ago. He proceeded to tell us that these women have no other choice but to be prositutes. He said that there are no jobs for these women and the only thing they can do to live is to prositute themselves. I know this seems far fetched but it is truth. Thats why Tomar Center is such a great place. It’s provides jobs and hope for these women so they dont have to be living that life anymore. For a long time I used to be mad at the women. How could they do that to themselves? But that isnt fair. They dont know Jesus and in a dark world money is the root of all evil. So we bring that light. We share Christ’s love to them.
The same day we met a girl who had only been working in the bars for 2 weeks. Her name was Nan and she was 29 years old. When we asked her why she worked there she said she had no other choice. She had been dating a white guy for years and had a child with him. He started abusing her so she was done with that relationship. The only thing she could do to take care of her one year old was to be a prositute. I know its sad but it is the reality these women face. We told her that there was hope. We shared the love of Jesus to her and invited her to the Tomar Center. We told her that she could get a job making cards, working at a bakery, or even working at a beauty salon. In that moment her eyes lite up. Sometimes in these situations things seem so hopeless but you know if you are only able to get one girl out of prositution thats one less girl in prositution. Its such an easy concept but sometimes your emotions dont feel that way.
But God has broken my heart for these women. Just like Jesus’ heart broke for the prostitute in the Bible…..
Jesus Anointed by a Sinful Woman
36Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, 38and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.
39When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is-that she is a sinner.”
40Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.”
“Tell me, teacher,” he said.
41“Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii,[d] and the other fifty. 42Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”
43Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled.”
“You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.
44Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven-for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.”
48Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”
49The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”
50Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
These woman need the hope of Jesus. They need a chance to know truth and to be washed clean. Also these men are just are hurt as these women. Most of them have been hurt on some sort of fashion and sex is a quick fix. We are a world that is consumed by lust and pleasure. Let’s be the ones who bring hope to the nations. Let us not judge because its the easy way to go but let us step out and do something about it. As Jesus says in this chapter, “Your sins are forgiven”.Just as our sins are forgiven these men and womens sins are forgiven too. They just need to come to the cross.
