We left Los Guido in tears after having to say goodbye to the beautiful people that had so warmly welcomed us and loved us in the slums of Costa Rica. As our van drove up the driveway and away from the gym that we’d been calling home for most of April I cried as I waved goodbye.
A few days later, towards the end of our 2nd Debrief, we had team changes. We’d known for a while that this was coming, so it didn’t catch us off guard. As a person who loves change more than most, I was excited to see what God had for me regarding my new team. I am STOKED to introduce to you all…
THE GOLDEN GIRLS!!!!!!!
Jade (Team Leader), Caroline, Jackie, Sarah Kathryn, and April!!
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I am so excited to do life and ministry with these five beautiful women for the next few months!!!! And speaking of ministry…
We made it to Thailand!!! Our travel journey began as we left our San José (Costa Rica) hostel after our debrief; it included a brief change of planes in Fort Lauderdale, FL, and a 19-hour overnight layover in Los Angeles, CA, where I got to spend some time with my mom, eat a home-cooked meal, take a hot shower, lay on carpet (only a World Racer will truly understand the beauty of this), and switch out my wardrobe. After that we boarded a flight to Thailand, via Tokyo (Japan) and Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) ––approximately 18 hours in the air. When we finally arrived in Bangkok, Thailand, some of us still had a 12-hour bus ride ahead in order to get to the island of Phuket, where we will be living for the month of May. A total of seven cities, five countries, five airplanes, two buses, and 81.5 hours of traveling.
This month, Team Golden Girls and Team RAD are working with SHE Ministries (SHE stands for Self-Help and Empowerment), which seeks to rescue women from prostitution and sex-trafficking and help empower them and give them a new life. Our hands-on ministry will be going to bars and red-light districts and talking to the women who work there… Loving on them and showing them that they are worth more.
Last Monday and last Friday the Golden Girls went out to the streets and bars and had a chance to talk to a lot of these women. Most of them open up quickly once they realize that you are not there to use them, and all of the ones we’ve asked have admitted to not liking their job.
More on that on my next blog, but for now please keep us in your prayers, and please keep these beautiful women of Thailand in your prayers as well.
Much love,
Raquel
