This month, I am having a really hard time blogging. This month we have been partnered with Lighthouse in Action which is an incredible ministry reaching out to the girls who are working in the bars in Chiang Mai’s red light district. My primary ministry has been going into the bars and building relationships with these beautiful girls who have been trafficked, exploited, and disillusioned by broken promises. I know their names, have heard their stories, and seen pictures of their children. I have sat with them, eaten meals with them, been invited into their lives and hearts.
Right now, there are over 27 million people in modern day slavery. That number is HUGE, unimaginably huge…so huge that it’s easy to get overwhelmed and lost in the issue of ‘human trafficking’ and miss the people who are affected. This month, statistics received faces and documentaries became real life. When I go into the bars, I don’t bring my camera or look for the best angle to tell their stories. These men and women have become my friends and I don’t want to expose them to further exploitation in the name of a blog post or ‘awareness’. I don’t want my friends to become the poster child on my blog for human trafficking or prostitution. They have become precious to my heart and I want to share them with you, but I don’t know how to begin. Their stories are worth sharing and their voice is worth being heard. Pray that the Lord would show me how to honor my friends as I attempt to share their stories and introduce you to some really incredible women.
