Learning about faith has been a constant theme in my walk with God since the start of my race. I shared in a previous blog about little Chen Chen, a precious little boy in China whom I prayed over for physical healing. I had learned a big lesson through praying for him; God IS moving even when I can’t see the immediate effects of my prayers. Well, coming into Thailand I knew the ways the enemy has been ravishing this country with trafficking, poverty, etc and I ended up learning even more about faith as I took part in the red light district ministry.
The first time I went out, it was emotionally difficult at first to see all that was happening before my eyes. There was so much injustice and so much pain hidden behind a glamorized lifestyle. I asked God how I should pray in a place like this. I prayed for the men who have wives and children at home, that their eyes would be opened and that they would be stopped in their tracks. I prayed they would see the women’s value and the purity that God desires men and women to live in. I prayed that the women would be awakened to their own value and that they would get out somehow.
The second night out to the bars I heard God tell me that there was going to be a woman I was meant to talk to and when I saw her He would give me the words to say. We walked up and down the bar street, praying and listening. Then I saw a few women waiting at the entrance to a bar that was pretty much empty. We stopped and said hello and decided that we would stay and play pool. I began talking to one of the women and immediately felt God’s huge heart for her. She spoke English so we were able to have good conversation. We talked and laughed a while but I could see that underneath her smile was overwhelming pain and sadness. I invited her to play pool with Diann and I and she declined. After a while, she left the bar and when she came back she came to me and asked if she could be on my team in our next game. I was so excited that she felt comfortable enough to join us! I also had a gut feeling that if we didn’t hurry up and finish our game, then she would soon have a “customer”. Not two minutes later, a guy came in and began talking with her. They had a few drinks and then she left with him.
I felt devastated and so sad knowing that God’s heart was so big for her, yet she felt like she had no option but to continue giving her heart away over and over again to make a profit. Later that night, after we were back at Zion, I laid in bed and cried for her and what had happened. I wasn’t angry at God but angry at the situation. I felt discouraged because I so badly wanted freedom for her. I had hoped to connect her, if she would have ended up being willing, to the ministries with Lighthouse where maybe she could escape this lifestyle.
When I woke up the next morning I still felt discouraged until I heard God say, “Trust that I am faithful and I am always good. I will save her. Don’t worry about the ‘how’. Just believe in faith”. At that point I let go and chose yet again to place her in God’s hands and to believe that our meeting wasn’t just by chance. Even if she didn’t run away from a life of pain that night, God used our encounter to pour love on her in a pure way.
The last night I went out to the bars, Samie, Rebekah, and I were prayer walking when a couple girls invited us into the bar area. We ordered cokes and played jenga and had fun getting to know two of the bar girls. As we played we noticed a man sitting a few tables from us. He ordered drinks but when the girls gave him attention he politely declined every time. Then, a beautiful little 3 year old girl walked over to him selling flowers. Her mother takes her around all throughout the night selling flowers to make money. The man bought some flowers from her, took some pictures with her, and sent her off kindly. The little girl then came over to our table and sat with Samie and the two of them laughed and played together for a while. Before long, the man came over asking where the girl’s mother was and if we could translate. He then offered the girl 1,000 baht (about 33 USD which is quite a bit of money here). We were immediately terrified of what this man’s intentions could be. We thought he was trying to buy her! Then he said to the girl’s mother, “I will give you 1,000 baht if you take her home and put her to bed.” The mother took the money and left with her daughter. We were shocked at this act of kindness! In an area of the city where trafficking runs rampant and where women and children are exploited on a regular basis, this was a HUGE act of love and kindness! The three of us girls walked over to him and thanked him for what he had done. We ended up sitting with him for a while. He shared with us how upsetting it is for him to come to Thailand on business and then end up seeing how the women and children are advertized. He felt like what he did was a “no-brainer” considering that this little girl would have been kept up all night trying to make a profit for her mother. Long story short, we ended up sharing testimonies and the love of God with him and encouraging him to continue being his awesome self. We walked away from the red light district that night so very excited and encouraged by how God revealed Himself that night!
“Faith is the assurance of things hoped for; the conviction of things unseen.” Hebrews 11:1
In one of my first blogs, “Line in The Sand”, I wrote about a dream I had where I was standing on a wall with my head bowed down in shame and misery. I looked to the right and to the left and there were women of all different cultures and walks of life all doing the same thing. They all were shamed and so sad. Then, I felt sand in my hands and looked up and the whole ground had turned into sand. Jesus came and walked in front of me and drew a line in the sand. On His side of the line He wrote in big letters, “YES!” and then He invited me to come on to His side of the line.
Through bar ministry, the Lord has given me further revelation about what that dream meant. It not only meant that His children can physically step over the line and say “yes” to the things of God and “no” to the things that keep us burdened and sad. It means that He invite us to step into PROMISE that is SECURE.
1Corinthians 1:20 says, “For as many are the promises of God, in Him they are yes; therefore also through Him is our Amen to the glory of God.” That means that every promise of freedom, DELIVERENCE, every opportunity to love and live life to the fullest is made COMPLETE through Jesus. When Jesus wrote “YES!” in the sand it wasn’t just that He wanted me to agree with Him. “YES!” meant that there is inheritance of the fullness of joy to come. All it takes is for us to believe what He says is true. My God does not lie.
I believe in the promises that God has for every single person involved in trafficking. I believe that He offers them life outside of the prison they find themselves in. I believe that God invites even the worst of sinners into the inherit promises of God and in faith I will believe that lives will continue to be restored and that God will continue to work in the darkest of places. I’m so glad to serve a God of mercy, justice, and faithfulness.
