My team and I are finishing up our month in Thailand. I was totally overwhelmed when we first arrived in Bangkok, but I’ve grown to love this city. I don’t want to leave!
We have been busy this month. We teach English every day. We have also been involved with Rahab Ministry. Rahab seeks to help women get out of a life of prostitution.
The red light district is across the street from the school where we teach. Prostitution and sex shows are a normal part of life here in Bangkok. Last week, several team mates and I connected with 2 women from Rahab Ministry, Pey and Manivanh. Both Pey and Manivanh are Thai women who have been involved in the sex industry in some capacity. These women have left the lifestyle of prostitution and now seek to help other women out of that lifestyle.
There are many “bars” in the red light district. It’s understood that the women working in these bars are for sale. A typical exchange is: a man walks into a bar. That man sees a woman he likes and pays the bar a fee to take her from the bar. Then a separate fee is negotiated based on what this woman will do with the man. Pey and Manivanh go and sit in these bars to seek to form trust and relationships with these women. They just talk to the girls when they aren’t “working.”
Last Thursday, my team mates and I went to a bar with the women from Rahab. We walked into the bar. There were about 6 women, standing on a stage. All of the women were minimally dressed. They were dancing and smiling, trying to look their best. I felt sick. Did these women ever have the chance to go to college like I did? Do they have other dreams? Where are their families? I wanted them to see that they are more valuable than this. My team and I all ordered a glass of Sprite and sat there for about 40 minutes.
I felt so uncomfortable I couldn’t stand it. I wanted to run out the door. Several of the women that were not on stage came and sat near us. They were beautiful. They spoke little English and the music of the bar made conversation difficult. So I just sat there, smiled and sipped my flat Sprite. I left feeling like 100 showers wouldn’t wash off the filth that I felt.
A few days later, my team and I went to walk the street and pray for the red light district. We went in the morning, and there were not many people around.
You can feel the sadness, hopelessness and sin on that street.
The weight felt crushing. I only felt it for a brief time, and it was almost unbearable.
Then, I thought, “How much more did our sin, the sin of everyone who ever lived or has yet to live, feel? How much more did Jesus feel as He hung on the cross for us?”
Jesus took all the sin and the shame of the world. I don’t understand how to help women in the red light district. I don’t know how to make it stop, but I do know that God is near that place and He cares for those women.
If you’ve read this far, you must really love me, so thanks! I’m about 900 dollars away from being fully funded for the World Race! Thank you for your love and support over the past 6 months. Next stop: Malaysia!
Picture of Pey, Marivanh and I
