Frozen

Thailand is beautiful. From the lush green plants to the ornate temples. From the colorful fabrics to the gorgeous tan-skinned babies. This place is covered in beauty.

And this place is covered in filth.

The murkiness has become much more evident to me in the last few hours. After a night of dinner and shopping, my team and I got a clearer look into the darkness of Chiang Mai.

It started with a fabulous dinner of Mexican/American cuisine. For a moment, I felt like I was back at home. Unfortunately those feelings of familiarity were stripped away instantly when a few of us stepped outside the restaurant and caught a glimpse of something that will forever be burned in my memory.

"God will get even for what we are doing here," I heard one old man say to another. The young Asian woman sitting at the table across from them smiled politely.

My heart shattered.

The man in the white linen shirt sipped his beer with a sly smile while the balding man next to him shoved chips in his mouth.

What do we do? What can we do?

Our group was leaving to head to the night market so, feeling defeated, I walked away. As we approached the first intersection, a few of us looked back to see the two men walk from the table over to the bar for a refill.

There it was. An open door.

Should we turn back? Would talking to her put her in danger? Would it put us in danger?

I stood there frozen, completely confused as to what to do. I desperately wanted to help. I wanted to do more than just pray for this poor woman. I wanted to look her in the eye and tell her how beautiful she is. How worthy of love she is.

In the moment we decided it would be best to just move forward and join the rest of our group. We didn't want to put anyone in danger or make the situation worse for her.

As we walked down the street, we approached a big red bridge covered in lanterns. I noticed that only a few of the lanterns were swaying from the breezes that blew by. Many lanterns hung there frozen, unaffected by the wind that surrounded them.

I couldn't help but think back to that moment on the street when we chose to do nothing.

Why is it that among all the wrong in the world, we remain still and silent? Why don't more of us allow the gusts of injustice to propel us to action?

I don't know if we made the right decision or not, but I do know that I refuse to grow complacent to the brokenness that surrounds me. And I pray that for each and every one of us.

(Photo by LaShon Gordon)