For the past week in Thailand I have been working with an organization called ‘The Well’. They help girls who have been working in the bars of Thailand leave the darkness and come into light. They provide the girls with a new vocation in making cards and jewelry, and continually try to pour the love of Christ into their lives. The organization was started by Jim and Judy Larsen and it has been a complete joy to be able to be a part of their ministry. The love that they have for these girls is completely the love of Christ. I have been so encouraged by being around them for the past week and feel so blessed to be working with these women.
Working with The Well has consisted of many different things. During the day I have been involved with working directly at two of the centers in which the women make the cards and jewelry. It has been wonderful being able to sit at tables with these women gluing cards and stringing beads. It is in those times when we get to talk and open up to one another, and I get to see how God is moving. Our conversations usually start with the basics : “Whats your name? Are you from Bangkok? How long have you been here? When did you come to The Well? Do you have children?”. In a majority of my conversations, it is when I ask the question about children that the women start to really open up. Most of these women have gone through so much in their lives that it is unimaginable. A lot of them come from broken homes and places of abuse and work at the bars to make the most money, but end up even more broken and maybe even addicted to drugs and alcohol. Their identities are lost and they dont know how much they deserve to be loved and how much value and worth they hold. The Well provides a place for the women to come to escape the abuse and usually for the first time, feel the love of Christ. It has been a beautiful thing to witness the light that has now entered these women.
Another part of the ministry is to go into the bars at night and witness to the women and try to see which ones God is moving in who would want to leave the bars and hopefully come to the well. I have been out to the bars twice now and I cant even begin to express the overwhelming darkness that we’ve been surrounded by. Our first night out we went with Judy to get introduced to the ‘scene’. We ended up going to two well know tourist spots where men go to meet these women and pay for their services. Walking up and down these tiny streets full of barely dressed women in front of darkened windowed doors grabbing at every man that walks by was intense. My heart just breaks for these women when I see how badly lost they are. Our first night out we talked to around 4 girls. Some of them had recognized Judy, and all of them knew that we were not there for the usual tourist attraction. The thing is, these women are so incredible. They are all very sweet and friendly (and yes, most are paid to be that way), but their is this genuine spirit that comes out when you talk to them and you can catch a glimpse of the beautiful girl that is continually being beat up by the lies of this place.
Our second night out to the bars was spent with Jim. First off, it was incredible to be with him and see how many women recognized him and how many women whose lives he’s been affecting. They know there is something different about him and the comfort they feel when they are around him is undeniable. At the first bar we went to we were instantly approached by this girl named Aoh. She is 26 and has been working at the bars for 2 months. She comes from a province outside the city and is highly educated. So what would make a girl in her position be working here? Every time we asked her this her eyes would well up a bit and she would divert her glance to the ground or the side. She wouldnt look directly at us and I know it was out of fear of breaking down. Whatever happened in her life that brought her to this point was obviously a very recent wound, and we could all tell that she desperately wanted to leave this life. Due to her boss sitting directly behind us, we were at an odd point, but Jim took her number and I know will follow up and try to bring her into a place of safety. It was so clear in her eyes how desperately she wanted out, but didnt know how to ask for it. The rest of our evening with Jim was incredible. We were able to talk to a lot of girls, and my heart just broke for how desperately they all just wanted love. It was unbelievable at points to look around and be surrounded by bars and women and men; peering into any one of the millions of ‘gogo bars’ provided a view of hundreds of girls on stages jerking around to music barely dressed. The place we were at was not only a horseshoe shape of bars, it extended three stories high. The question of ‘how did I get here’ entered my mind numerous times, and always the same answer of God immediately followed.
The night with Jim ended by meeting up with one of the ‘freelance’ prostitutes whom Jim and Judy have been building a relationship with for quite sometime. They had given her a Bible, and when we sat down with her at the McDonalds, she pulled out this list of questions from her purse and went through them one by one with Jim in Thai. Though I dont understand Thai, the look on Jims face said it all. He was so intently focused on her and was pouring into her the truth of Christ. They talked for almost an hour and then we were all able to pray over her. It was incredible. She is so hungry for the Truth, and desires to know it in its fullest. It was an incredible night in which God worked in so many ways.
This ministry had really opened my eyes to this huge issue of prostitution. It plagues the streets of Bangkok as well as all over this world, and my heart breaks for both sides. I am sad for the women who subject themselves to this life, truly feeling like they have no other option. And on the other side, I am sad for the men who think that buying love and attention is normal. These men are so lost in their identity and need to know the love of Christ just as much as the women do. I have only 4 more days of working with this ministry and being in Thailand, and my prayer is that God continues to open my eyes and break my heart into action for this overwhelming injustice.
(You can help support these women by purchasing their handmade cards at www.narimon.org)
