It was our first day in Phuket, Thailand. We arrived at out
ministry site and readily left to go for a prayer walk on Bangla Street. As we
drove we were informed that Bangla Street has over 200 + bars on it and within
each bar there is estimated about 6 women who are prostitutes. That is more
than 1,200 women who are being sold for sex.
We stepped on the road and my head instantly felt pressure.
It was a dark place that needed these prayers. We began praying: God lay down
LOVE on this road, lay down GRACE, and bring change in this place.
We walked down a Soi (which is a side street or alley)
towards more bars we would be doing ministry in. While walking I noticed there
was a large sized cage on the outside of a club which is where girls would
dance in, but at this moment in the cage were 2 little girls about the age of
3-4 years old. It broke my heart to see these girls alone and playing in a cage
meant for seduction.
We continued to walk down and turned around to walk back
past the girls. At the same time as my steps lined up with the cage one
little girl ran out of the cage and into my arms. Then the next little girl ran
over and wanted to be hugged too.
Could this really be happening? Just because I was there
walking past they wanted to be in my arms? I thanked God that I was able to
hold them for a second before leaving. There was so much HOPE shown on the
street that day. I felt that God was showing me that as much as I want these girls out of prostitution they want it just as bad. They just need safe arms to run into and help. And that was our arms because we hold Jesus in our lives.
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Our ministry in Phuket, Thailand this past month was
reaching out to these girls in the bars. There is so much I wish I could tell
you but to honor and protect the ministry I worked with I will not be posting a
lot about my time here.
However, I can share that girls from the bars really did run
into my arms and into my heart. One in particular was Bear…. Check out our
story in the blog called “Bear with me”
Here is a video Emily Bouche (my teammate this month and friend fro Wisconsin!) made to show what it is like out at the bars at night…
