This month our team is living in Phuket, Thailand, which is a very popular tourist destination. There are beautiful beaches along with a multitude of bars, restaurants, and local markets to shop. As you can imagine, there is plenty for us to see and do on our off days. We are specifically serving with SHE(Self-help, Empowerment) Their aim is to reach out to the bar girls who work on Bangla road, which is the most popular street in Phuket for women to be bought for sex. SHE eagerly desires to provide an outlet for these women to live a different life than the one they have chosen. From what we have heard out of the women’s mouths, working in the sex industry provides the money they need to support their families or help them save for school. SHE has a vision for these women to be connected to an actual community where they can learn and be trained in the skills they need to find a decent job working in such places as a restaurant, coffee shop, or hotel. SHE is currently in the process of building entirely new facilities for the women to be housed and trained for living a life of empowerment.
When our team goes out to Bangla road, we either pray up and down the street or we go into a bar, order a coke or water, and then start to build relationships with the bar girls we meet. Ultimately, our goal is to tell them about the opportunities they have by coming to live and work with SHE but we are intentional about building trust with them first. So far, SHE has seen over 150 women come out of the bars! Every morning at 8:30 we have a short devotional and I get to read the bible and pray with women who were once prostituting themselves in the bars on Bangla and are now on staff with SHE. Amazing! During one of our first worship sessions here, I was baffled that God would choose me to come and take part in this ministry. My thoughts were: “Seriously God? Me? I can’t stand being in bars. I won’t know the first thing to say to these women. I have no idea how you are going to use me this month.” His calm voice reassured me that He has indeed called me here for a purpose. He has called me to fight for these women in prayer, to be a light on a very dark street, and to completely depend on Him for strength.
When I first walked down Bangla, I was overwhelmed by the amount of people, the smoke, the women dancing on poles, the young children who were staring up at them alongside their parents, and the continuous solicitation to go see a private show. I remember thinking, “This is too much. I don’t want to be here.” These feelings seemed to linger for quite a while until the other night when the Spirit of God came over me in a fresh and much needed way. The other all girls team decided to pray over us before we left and as their prayers were being spoken, I could feel heaviness being lifted off of me. I started to agree with the truths they were proclaiming over us and I said to the Lord, “These truths are more than enough to sustain me tonight.” I went out to Bangla with a whole new attitude. Distractions did not hinder me. Lies did not have any stronghold over my mind. I was at complete peace.
To hear more about how the rest of my night went, stay tuned for part 2. 🙂
