Last Friday was our last day of ministry in Thailand. Again,
it flew by fast. I’m sorry that I did not update you sooner about what we were
doing, but here’s a recap of what we did.
This month we worked with SHE Thailand in Phuket (www.shethailand.org). Our ministry is to reach out to the women who
are stuck in the commercial sex trade in Patong. On alternate nights, half of
us go out to the bars to build relationships with the girls who work there
while the other half stay back and intercede. Once a relationship is established
after a few visits, we hope to tell them about English classes and hotel
training programs conducted by SHE. Or they can have a salaried job with SHE
making jewelry. Basically, a different line of work. Most of the girls come
from the countryside where the only job back home is farming. So they come out,
hoping to earn more money so they can send it home. We were told that many will
first try to find jobs at hotels, but because they have never received any
training and have only schooling until high school level, the hotels will not
hire them. So they end up working at the bars.
The red light district in Phuket.
When I first heard about what we were doing, I was worried.
First of all, I’ve never liked bars, and now to have to go there and on top of
that, talk to these people, I was just like, “God, you have to give me
supernatural strength and endurance.” I
was worried about how the whole environment was going to affect me, that the
images would get to my mind and thoughts. But God is faithful and He answers
prayers. I had asked God for protection and when we walked into the bars with
the girls dancing on the tables, I felt like there was a shield around my eyes,
and I didn’t see them at all. It was also amazing how God allowed me to see the
women for who they are, beyond the makeup and clothes, they are beautiful
daughters of God, His beloved creation. But oh so lost.
Playing Giant Jenga. It’s really fun!
During the day, we cleared and built on a new piece of land that SHE is working on building more housing for the future.
This is Jay, one of the girls we met at the bars. She’s 26
years old and has a 5 year-old son back home in Udon Thani in Northeastern
Thailand. She hopes to only work here for 2 years, save up enough money, and
then go home and open a restaurant. We ended up sharing the gospel with her at
one point and gave her a Thai Bible right before we left. Although she probably
only understood half of the gospel, pray that she would read the Bible, that
His truth would speak so loudly to her.
As I walk away from this ministry, I know that this ministry
has not ended, but God would continue to water the seeds that were planted.
1 Cor 3:6-9
I planted the
seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. 7 So neither he who plants nor
he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8 The man who
plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according
to his own labor.
Sometimes we step into the field and straight away harvest,
because the people before us planted and watered the seeds. Sometimes we are
the ones to plant it, and although we may not see the fruit now, we live by
faith knowing that “being confident of
this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until
the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6)
Heb 11:13
13 All these people were still living by faith when they
died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed
them from a distance.
