Thailand culture is pretty universally upheld. This includes respect to heads (not touching the head of someone older than a child), not drawing attention to one’s feet or showing the bottom of your foot to someone (pretty much means you wish they were dead), ducking and bowing apologetically if getting between someone and who they are with or what they are looking at, not pointing, asking three times to help or when offering something (it would be rude for them to accept you the first time), valuing jokes and games, going to great lengths to keep your (and everyone else’s) self-respect by never showing negative emotions in public. They are very clean. They are tiny. Their music and often women’s voices are very high pitched and child-like. They view pale skin as more beautiful and cover themselves from the sun.
We (my team and one other team of women) were in a touristy area of ChangMai, living at the Zion Cafe under our host, Emmi.
Each morning before breakfast both teams joined to pray. After breakfast we all left to walk and pray around the bars some of us would be at later that evening. Then in the afternoons the people going out that evening to bar ministry went out walking and praying again. Everyone who didn’t go out to bar ministry joined together, while the others were out, to pray and worship for those out at the bars. The ministry is wrapped securely in prayer. It needs it!
This was the toughest month for me so far, probably because of how Emmi challenged me. It was also really hot, though bearable. And ministry lasted till about 11pm (it took me a while to fall asleep after that, but, marvelously, the days I woke early to read my Bible I didn’t feel tired at all – I love things like that!). We ate delicious Thai food at the cafe for most meals. We also enjoyed the luxury and entertainment of stalking 7/11 for food or whatever we needed. The whole inside was full of things I’d never seen before, or something like Doritoes but tuna flavor. I had so much fun trying new things there or at carts along the road (I never got sick from the food btw – but I was selective). A meal of Pad Thai and Rotee (similar to a sopaipilla) for less than two dollars was a favorite.
If you didn’t have bar ministry in the evening, you had another job like getting to walk to the slums and play with the kids for part of the afternoon, or walking to a temple to chat with monks who were trying to improve their English. I enjoyed each of those: the slum kids were adorable and I appreciated watching them interact; they bring so much hope to that place, and it was cool to learn about Buddhism from a monk; apparently their religion is often misunderstood. But my favorite – by far – was working in the cafe with the women and Chat.
Emmi’s story is incredible! She witnessed her dad murder her mom as a child, then her dad turned himself in and went to jail, and she was always unwanted by her family because she wasn’t a boy. She had work translating and she attended church even though she lived to party. But one day she became a Christian. Her heart has been burdened to free her people from prostitution. Three times now she has followed God to start a ministry from nothing. She is one of the wisest, most beautifully spirited people I’ve ever met. She runs a coffee shop that just opened recently, and while we were there she also opened up a hostel above the shop. The location is ideal, in a busy section of town, and the shop itself is a really nice spot to hang out with huge windows and plants and tables outside.
But Emmi doesn’t have much business yet since she just moved recently. At her first shop there were regular costomers. She also had a whole crew of people working for her, but nearly all of them left. She had taken, slowly slowly, women from the bars after very gradually forming relationships with them. And, from money a World Racer raised, she provided housing and food for them for three months, while she taught them a DTS and skills to work in a cafe. But, after all that, only a few remained, with several returning to the bars for the money or because they missed it. Around the time when many of her employees left, she was supposed to pay for the building she is in now, but she didn’t have money or workers after everything. But the man selling the building repeated to her the same phrase God had told her initially – that she had nothing to bring, true, but why was that stopping her?, God was (is!) clearly with her!
So she courageously followed God. Along with Emmi, I would have been useless without the prayer each day. My heart was tempted to get tripped up and not be effective in the ministry; I needed to fully rely on God. Emmi met with us weekly to hear from each of us. She quickly spoke understanding and life and challenge and truth and encouragement and joy. I wish you could speak with her. At one of those meetings she told me to stop ignoring and pushing away emotions and memories but to deal with them. I had thought it was better to not let them even have my time thinking about them. She said I was cowering from them and that I needed to turn and charge them (well … something like that) – that I was letting them have power over me and that they were nothing and that I should address them so they don’t bother me anymore. So I did.
My team was really supportive when I was hurting and trying to figure out how to deal with the thoughts. It was also nice that we all get along so easily.
Ministry Highlights:
-exploring in the dirt with a little guy from the slums
-sitting at the the bars grateful for the opportunity to listen (they love to be heard – which is great for making connections) and to speak value and genuine care, instead of judgement. If they feel hopeless and stuck, I want them to know the hope God’s given me. Wondering what keeps us from just loving people as we did then – but ALL the time. God’s given us the ability through all the love He lavishes on us. It makes me wonder how little of His love we grasp.
-chatting with a friend I made in the shade by the median pools that encircle downtown. She has a little three month old baby. She runs a bar that only serves drinks. She is married to a French man. She enjoyed chatting and that I was interested. She planned to visit Zion Cafe next time she had errands over there.
-One day I was bagging up freshly sliced mango for smoothies, and I was so grateful to be there. Two girls from our teams were out in the cafe meeting with women they had formed relationships with at the bars. The women I was working with (and Chat) were joking with me and accepting me. It was busy and I knew my way around the kitchen to be helpful. (both (being playful and working hard) mean a lot to them) And God was at work: using this scary ambition of Emmi’s to draw the worker’s closer (four of them accepted Christ during the time we were there!), to reach out to more women (we tried to meet up with contacts at the cafe so that they could be connected to Zion and return to attend English classes and potentially hear the gospel – it’s not something you rush if you want it to be up for conversation at all), to bring in more customers, to encourage and bless everyone who steps through the door. I was sure blessed. 🙂
She’s Worth More is a campaign to help Emmi raise funds so she can continue reaching out to her community. It costs about $5k/month to run her shop. Please pray for Emmi, the cafe workers, Zion Cafe, and each of the ministries! Please pray for support and blessing and for the prostitution and human trafficking in Thailand to end.
Please keep my team and me in your prayers. Julie is sick, so after she heals up we head out to our ministry here in Cambodia. We are working in a military tank camp, potentially constructing buildings and teaching about God, because the commander is a Christian! Isn’t that crazy?! It’s stinking HOT!
God Bless you!!!
Meredith
