The Devil’s Playground

Maneuvering through the crowded and drunken streets of Bangla Road is
like walking through a war torn battlefield with no armor.  One is
bombarded with the sensationalism of half (and sometimes fully) naked
women as hustlers are walking up and down the streets advertising their
infamous live sex shows, strip clubs, and pole dancers.   Nobody is safe
from the spiritual and emotional shrapnel exploding in this perverted
paradise.  Peter gave us a stellar warning when he declared that the
devil prowls around like a lion looking for someone to devour  (1 Peter
5:8).  Satan was hunting among these streets like a lion through the
Serengeti, sinking his deadly teeth into anyone and everyone in his path
of spiritual destruction. He wasn’t just targeting the weak, the
wounded, the sick, and the lost – no, he was victimizing the innocent,
the married, the faithful, , the young, the old, the families, and the
sons and daughters of a King.   Bangla Road is a place of spiritual
famine – starved of any faith, hope, and trust in the anticipation of
something, or someone greater is to come.

The ignorance of those who explore the many “wonders� of Bangla road is
quite overwhelming.  Young western college students think they’re just
at another frat party while oblivious parents push their children in
strollers through the filth of the streets.  Families take photos in
front of bars and women dancing in windows as if they were on another
vacation to Disneyland.  Today’s culture has robbed us of our value
system and has allowed us to look at these things with blind eyes.  We
are numb to the sin that runs ramped through our streets, our lives, our
minds, and our hearts.  It’s sad that we have fallen in love with the
world instead of Jesus. 

The Girls

In the red-light district there are over 200 bars that litter the
streets of Bangla Road and it is estimated that each bar has at least 6
young women working as prostitutes and dancers, totaling over 1200
prostitutes in a span of only 7 streets long.  Each girl dresses in
scandalous clothing wearing next to nothing as they dance on top of
bars, poles, stools, and just about anything else safe enough for
stiletto heels.  Some bars raffle of girls as young as 17 for the night –
simply buy a raffle ticket and a young girl is sold like a slave to her
master – she is yours, do with her what you want.  Other prostitutes
loiter on the curb and street corners awaiting their next customer while
yet others work behind the velvet curtains of sleazy strip clubs.  Each
girl, unique in her own way, possesses a story of heartbreak, innocence
lost, fear, and sadness.  When asked, a majority of the girls will tell
you that they don’t like working in the bars.  Many of the girls have
children back home and move to Phuket to support them.  These girls
aren’t working here because they like it – they’re working here because
they love their kids.  The majority of money is sent back home to put
food on the table and to send their children to safer and much nicer
schools.  The women can earn as much as 5,000 bhat, approximately $170
USD prostituting compared to a mere 250 bhat ($8 USD) working as a
receptionist as a hotel in the tourism industry. When you look at one of
these girls it’s easy to cast judgment upon them, but it’s the Lord who
gives you eyes to see them for who they really are…His daughters. 

The Lady Boys

Many young males have entered the prostitution ring, masquerading as
women on the streets and in the bars and are referred to in Thailand as “Lady Boys”.  At first glace you would swear
they were like any other girl on Bangla Road, but upon further
examination, one can see the truth telling adam’s apple.  Many of the
young boys, void of any type of father figure, are often raised to be
girls from an early age.  Mother’s will dress their little boys up as
girls and paint their finger nails, victimizing these young lads since
early childhood.  Thailand is actually believed to have the largest
male-to-female transsexuals per capita in the world as many western
transsexuals will opt to Thailand for reconstructive surgery.  It’s not
uncommon for a transsexual to be topless in the streets either.  Despite
having breast augmentations, it’s only illegal for those who were born
as a woman to display public nudity.   

The Men

Men from all over the world travel to Bangla Road pursuing relations
with prostitutes.  As I walk down Bangla Road, I see guys all the time
who look just like me parading down the street with a Thai girl on
their arm.  They don’t treat the women with respect, but rather like a
trophy dangling off their arm.  Other men grab at the women as they
teeter on the decision of which young girl to buy for the evening.  I’ve
even seen married couples walk into strip clubs together and talk to
young girls at the bar, offering them a night of “funâ€�.  Often times,
you’ll catch eye contact with a girl who is getting ready to be
purchased and you’ll see the fear and heartbreak instilled in her eyes.
Your heart absolutely breaks for her because you recognize her for the
woman, the daughter, and the mother that she is.  It takes everything I
have not to walk up to a guy and punch him square in his jaw.  Trust me,
it’s so easy to hate these guys as they treat these young women like a
piece of meat, but the truth is, these guys are just as wounded and lost
as the women are.  These men don’t purchase a prostitute because
they’re happy, confident, or possess value and self-worth. They
participate in these sexual escapades because they’re trying to fill a
God-shaped whole in their heart with a temporary fix that results in
continually being unfulfilled and dissatisfied.  It’s a vicious cycle of
finding their worth in promiscuity and sexual relations that only feeds
this never ending quest for a God-shaped piece their hearts so eagerly
long for.  Although it’s hard, I have to remember that God loves these
guys just as much as he loves me and they have just as much access to
the cross as I have.  They’re in need of a savior just like I am in need
of a savior.  

As I stood below the Devil’s Playground sign, I wasn’t afraid, I wasn’t
scared, and I wasn’t hopeless.  God has invited me to walk among the
darkness, shining his light and love for all to see.  “We are therefore
Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.“ 2 Cor 5:20. 
God has chosen me and my teams to make His very appeal to the women,
the men, the bar owners, and the lady boys on Bangla Road.  How do I do that?  I LOVE them – all of them because God’s heart breaks for them.  I ACCEPT them for where they’re at, not where I believe they should be.  I BUILD into them, sharing the love of the Father at every opportunity.  I’m REAL with them – sharing my own struggles and sometimes doubt.  This has already proven to be a hard month, entering such a dark atmosphere night after night, but I shall fear no evil, for my God is with me!! 

Please continue to keep us in your prayers as we venture out to the
red-light district building relationships and reaching the lost.  May
His Spirit go before us and prepare the hearts of those we encounter.  I
pray that God will give us eyes for only what He wants us to see on
Bangla road and that we treat everyone as if they were Christ himself.