Yep…that’s exactly how I’m feeling these days since arriving to Chiang Mai and starting ministry with Lighthouse in Action’s LOVE ACTS ministry.
My new team, Team Sown in the Spirit, is going out at night to show the love of Jesus Christ to the men & women in the bars of the Red Light District. We go out in pairs, sit down at a bar, order a soda, and wait for God to move. We are not limited to who we talk to, which means we could have conversations with female prostitutes, male customers, lady boys, bartenders, or bar owners.
So far I’ve gone out three nights and had an incredible time just hanging out. It’s crazy for me to stop and think about what I’m actually doing. Just a few years ago, I was getting drunk in bars, and now I’m drinking soda in bars and representing Jesus Christ.
God moves in such unexpected ways!
I want to share with you about a few of the lady boys/girls I’ve met so far…
Nok is a 25-year-old lady boy who works at Marina Bar. He loves to sing and dance, and would like to find a man who will love him and take care of him one day. As much as he desires this dream, I don’t think he believes it will ever happen for him. He’s worked at the bars in Chiang Mai for 3 years and doesn’t seem to mind that this is his life. He has been hurt in the past by men for his being a lady boy, but has an easier time now that he works in a “lady boy only” bar.
Goi is a girl who has been working at the Full Moon Bar for only 4 months. She recently moved to Chiang Mai from Bangkok and prefers the smaller, quieter city of Chiang Mai. She likes to play Jenga and go out dancing. She recently had a bad breakup with her now ex-boyfriend and he has left her with a broken heart. She puts on a good face to pretend that she’s ok now, but her heart is still broken. She is a beautiful girl and really enjoyed our company since she told us, “Most girls who go to the bars stick up their noses at the girls who work in the bars.”
Mine is a precious 23-year-old girl who also works at the Full Moon Bar. She loves to play Connect Four and when she sat down with us the other night, she didn’t say much for about 10 minutes. Then she just started talking and shared all about her recent breakup with a man who did not treat her well. She is very much hung up on this man though, and seems to have wrapped up some of her identity in him. She says that she loves him and would take him back if he ever comes back to Chiang Mai, but at the same time she doesn’t trust him. It’s sad to hear her story and see her heartbreak and confusion.
Over the next two weeks here in Chiang Mai, the women on my team would like to take some of these girls and lady boys out on day time dates.
I would love to have the opportunity to sit down with Goi or Mine outside of the bars…no makeup & no provocative clothing…and chat about life over coffee, lunch, or even a movie. Our goal this month is just to LOVE, so that’s exactly what I want to do with my new friends!
In order to take these guys & girls out on dates, we need to raise some extra money and that’s where you, as supporters, can help financially and become a part of this great love story! The money we need is for lunches, movies, coffee, and possibly paying out the bar fee so they can leave for a couple of hours during their shift. (The bar fee is what men have to pay in order to take the girls out of the bars).
I've listed some examples of how your money will be used to love these guys & girls:
$6 – buys 3 drinks (non-alcoholic for us, sometimes alcoholic for them)
$10 – buys lunch for 2-3 people
$20 – movie tickets for 3 people
$15-$20 – bar fee to take them out of the bars at night
We are only taking donations through Monday September 17, 2012.
If you are interested in helping create dates with our new friends, please go to www.paypal.com and transfer money to [email protected].
If you have any questions about sending money, please email me: [email protected].
