Merry Christmas everyone!! I wanted to thank you all so much for your prayers and support this month while I’ve been working in the red light district in Chiang Mai. The money you donated really helped our team be able to connect with the men and women we met. Research shows that 80% of Thais feel most loved after receiving gifts. Also, sharing is a big part of Thai culture. The money donated really helped us be able to buy little gifts for the people we met and employees at Zion. It was amazing to see how God used the gifts as a way to build relationships and how loved the men and women felt after receiving gifts or spending time with them.
One really fun thing our team did was have a holiday party after hours at Café Zion. We all got very creative in creating decoration and gathering favors. We invited everyone we had met in the community. It was a blast to play fun games, dance to holiday games and eat delicious Thai food. It was a fun way to show people in the community that Zion is a safe place and to give the employees of the café a great night! I was surprised how it became an opportunity to explain why we celebrate Christmas; which is considered an “American holiday” in Thailand. Word spread throughout bar street and it was great to see how everyone became excited to see us afterwards. Joy and love spread throughout the city! It was a moment that actually felt like Christmas season.
