Tonight three of us girls were walking
down an alleyway between hotels in Chaing Mai. Its not like Bar
Street on the other side of town where everything is out in the open,
women standing outside calling potential coustomers in. This is
hidden. You don’t just “happen” upon a place like this.
This alleyway leads to boy bars.
Boys.
How can this industry get more sick?!
“Mostly it’s retired men that are at
these bars now, its low(non-tourist) season, so you’ll see the same
old men in these bars to purchase the boys every night you come. You
know the drill though, if a boy comes up to you and tries to give you
a shoulder massage just smile and tell him ‘no’, be nice to everyone,
don’t stare, etc.” This is our pep talk coming from Alezandra
Russell, founder of Recycled Child Project here in Chaing Mai. She
is walking Kristin and me between the hotels to a strip of
about 10 bars filled with just sexually exploited boys and their
predators. Obviously, it is heavy stuff walking into places like
this. But the second Alex sees a group of about five or six of ‘her
boys’ smiles spread across all of our faces and suddenly Kristin and
I are swept into Alex’s night of loving on those whom society hates
and neglects.
Alex started up RCP a few years back
when her heart broke for these boys. Their mission is a
youth-focused organization committed to recycling, rebuilding and
restoring the lives of boys who are victims of child prostitution and
sexual exploitation. She has a youth center for the boys, she
teaches them English, feeds them lunch, takes them to the doctor when
needed and is basically the mother most of them (if not all) never
had.
Kristen kept saying today, “She’s a
modern day Mother Theresa!”
She is love, she is hope and she is a
walking witness of the love of God. Today was one of my favorite
days in Thailand, if not the favorite. She willingly let me
in on her love story. I was able to meet these boys, talk to them,
play silly games with them. I get to go to RCP center on Monday and
I feel like a child that has to wait for Christmas. Alex quickly won
my heart over, and now these boys are seeping in as well and I am
looking so forward to get to know them better.
many things an non-governmental organization needs. There is so much love these boys need. Thank you all!
