When I signed up for the World Race, I imagined I would be trying local cuisine, visiting villages, traveling long distances in the back of a truck, sleeping on floors, taking cold showers, and sharing the gospel a lot. So far, Thailand has been everything I imagined it would be. I’ve eaten chicken foot, intestines, chicken blood, fried grasshopper, tons of sticky rice and I drink bubble tea quite frequently. All my showers are cold and I sleep on a mat on the floor, but I don’t mind because after seeing some of the village homes, I know that I am blessed to have these simple amenities. We travel everywhere in the back of a pickup truck, and we share the Gospel every day at English Camps in the schools. As exciting as this all sounds, it is only the beginning of my adventure here in Thailand!
My team and I arrived in Thailand about 2 weeks ago and so much has occurred since then. When we first arrived, we underwent training in Bangkok for a few days and then travelled 8 hours to a small community named Buriram where we partnered with the Child Sponsorship Program. This organization makes it possible for village children to attend school and it was such a blessing to spend our first few weeks working with them. During our time in Buriram, we taught English in several schools and held a Christmas party where we shared the Gospel. A few days ago, we packed our bags again and left for Korat where we will be spending the next 2 months.
Here in Korat, my team is working with the Tamar Center. The first floor of the Tamar Center is a coffee shop that puts all of their proceeds in a fund towards employing women who work in the sex trafficking industry and helping them transition from a life on the street to a life under the control of the Holy Spirit. The 2nd and 3rd floors of the Tamar Center are where my team lives and to say that I am stoked to live above a coffee shop would be an understatement! While working with the Tamar Center, my team and I will be doing Christmas programs and English Camps in local schools where we will be able to share the story of Jesus Christ to many young kids who are raised in a Buddhist culture. In addition to this, we will be traveling to villages every week where our goal is to share the love of Christ with the village children and let them know that they are special, valued, and loved. Each week, “cell groups” are held with the adults of the village and the gospel is shared with them. The goal of village outreach is to bring mothers and fathers to Christ with the hopes of also saving many children from being sold into sex slavery. Here in Thailand, many families feel forced to sell their children because they believe they have no other way to financially provide for their families. Because of this, it is estimated that children make up over 40% of prostitutes in Thailand. We believe that if we can bring families to Christ, the ripple effects will include the reduction of parents who feel obligated to sell their children.
It is hard to calculate the exact number of workers in the sex trafficking industry, but it is believed that there are up to 2.8 million people who have submitted themselves to selling their bodies day in and day out so that they may feed themselves. On Saturdays, my team and I will be traveling into our city’s red light area where we will minister to the women who work in the bars. Our hope is to build relationships over time with the long term goal of seeing these women walk in the freedom of a life outside of sex slavery.
I am overjoyed to have the privilege of partnering with this ministry and I strongly believe that God has already begun a great work here and He will continue to do so. I know that His plan will be carried out whether or not I am a part of it, but I am beyond blessed that He chose me to be able to partner with Him and love his people so passionately.
God has already grown me so much, and I am looking forward to seeing the situations He puts me in to grow me even further. Please pray that I would continue to grow in boldness and courage and that I would walk even more in the freedom that I have in Christ. Please pray that God would continue to reveal Himself to me and that I would become even more aware of how He is at work so that I can serve Him more fully. Please pray for protection over my team and pray the God would help our hearts be content with His timing. We know that we are only here to participate in a small part of the big picture, so pray that we would not become discouraged but that we would continue to keep our eyes on Christ and have faith that we are being effective in our work here.
My heart is so happy here in Thailand, and I am currently in a season of great personal growth. I’m so thankful to be able to partner with such a passionate group of people and I am excited to see where the Lord takes us during this next season with Him!
