**This blog includes content that may not be appropriate for children.
Where Am I????
That has been the question this month. After spending 3 months in Africa we are now in Bangkok, Thailand and all experiencing a little bit of culture shock. This place is crazy. American restaurants, washing machines, and malls like I have never seen before. At least once a day someone on my team will look around and say “where am I?!” We seriously went from one extreme to another. From living in the middle of no where to living in the big city. They say Bangkok is Thailand's “New York City” if that gives you an idea of how insane this place is for us!
Dton Naam- "source of water"
This month my teammates and I are partnering with Dton Naam Ministries. Dton Naam is a non-profit organization that helps Thai individuals leave prostitution and find healing physically, emotionally, and spiritually. This program is targeted specifically towards ladyboys (guys who dress as and consider themselves to be women) who are working as prostitutes in the red-light districts and on the streets of Bangkok.
Dton Naam has a Coffee Shop/Bakery and it's the perfect job-training site for those who are in their program and needing new job skills and experience to become self-sufficient in the near future. Here men and women are able to start new, legitimate work in a safe environment.
This sweet welcome card and yummy chocolate was on our mattresses when we arrived
It's been sweet to be able to partner with this ministry and see how they truly are impacting lives. At training camp I was awakened to the fact that human trafficking is real. Here I am shocked and startled by the reality of it all. Usually twice a week my teammates and I will walk about 10-15 minutes to the red-light district. We start out prayer walking and from there splitting into groups of two, each team going into a ladyboy bar. While in the bars we don't preach we simply sit with them, buy them a coke, talk, listen to their story, and share ours.
The workers in the bars usually have to sell a certain amount of drinks per month and sadly most of them have to sleep with a certain amount of customers per month. Being purchased for a price of 600 baht. That is a total of 20 dollars.
A few nights ago my teammate Rachel and I went to a ladyboy bar. There we witnessed men purchasing ladyboys and doing other things I would like to forget. While my heart breaks for the people working in the bars it's also breaking for the men who come in for this “affection”.
Me, Rachel, and our new ladyboy friends
Please join us in prayer this month.
Pray for the ladyboys who are broken and need true Love and a way out
Pray for us to build relationships with them and really show them the love of Christ
Pray for the men who go into these bars
Pray for our eyes because we see so much
