wait...WHAT?!

     I can't believe we've been in Thailand for a month already! In so many ways I feel like I've just got off the bus and yet I'm beginning to feel present in this place. It's hard to blog and to know what to write because these past two weeks have been so incredibly jam packed.

    Last week was our first week of full on ministry and we finally got into a routine. We went out to the bars 4xs and out into the neighborhoods to do kids ministry a couple of times. We've gotten to know the girls here at SHE better and they us; we've gotten to know Mark and Sharon a bit more as well; hearing their heart and vision is stirring us all up. 

Friendship Beach

    We had a beautiful weekend last week; we went to Kata beach and the glory of God's creation soothed whatever aches we felt from being in the bars. The next day we went to church with Mark and Sharon and afterwards they took us to this resort and the resort was open to the most beautiful beach called, "Friendship Beach"...it's a view that you could just stare at for hours and never tire of it. We had a delicious lunch there at the resort, swam in the pool (which was still within looking distance of the beach)....it was just incredible. At one point we looked around and we said, "What kind of outreach are we on?! This is paradise!" But it's so essential for you to get out and see beautiful places when you're doing work amidst such darkness; it's so good to see the beauty of God reflected in creation when all you see sometimes is evil and filth. It was also really good for us to see that Thailand isn't all bars and prostitution, that there actually is a lot of beauty here in this country. 

     Tuesday of this week we kind of closed our time in Patong on Bangla Road. Mark and Sharon really want to utilize us since we're here for so long and help them expand their territory. So we probably won't be out on Bangla Road too much more, just to show the new teams around and whatnot but will be spending our ministry time on new bar strips; preparing the way for future teams. But what I thought would be an easy and welcome release from Bangla Road turned out to be so much harder than I anticipated. 

     There's a girl in one of the bars, who will remain nameless, who was introduced to us by the previous World Race team; they introduced us to her and told us that she was going to be moving into SHE in January. About a week ago she comes over to me while I'm on Soi Ganzo and she remembered me so we talked and just caught up and I asked her when she was coming to SHE and the story has slowly unfolded over time. At first she would say, "Soon." but after we kept asking her why not now, she told us the rest of the story. She told her boss she was quitting and her boss has since been withholding her paycheck from her. Well since the her pay day has been drawing closer, he's now added that she must find someone to take her place before she can leave- this was the news that shook me up on Tuesday. I want this girl out so bad, I have a relationship with this girl; but in order for her to come out someone else has to come in?! It's a fact I was well aware of, that for every girl that leaves someone just rises up to take her place, except it's not just a fact anymore...it's a face...it's a story...it's a life. I was so overwhelmed and held back the tears for as long as I could until I couldn't anymore. But on a good note: we spoke to Mark about her boss and action is going to be taken if she does not get paid on Friday. Pray she get's paid and leaves immediately! Another thing that was hanging on my heart that night was when a 17 year old girl who's working as a prostitute hugged me, tightly, as if she was begging me to not leave her....17 years old.....that's younger than my sister. Yeah that messed me up a bit. But God really spoke to me in that moment that He was there with her before I got there and He's there with her still. 

     Wednesday we went out to map out the new bar strips and it was so different from Patong; it was quiet and hardly anyone was there. Well, there were hardly any people out but there was definitely stuff going on there. The feeling of that place was just the feeling of desperation and the darkness was like reaching out after you. There's so much going on behind the scenes there and it was just very sketchy and scary. 

     

     We may not be directly working with human trafficking in ways that you might expect but it's definitely all around us; within walking distance actually. There's a bar at the end of our road that is suspected to be a brothel in the back that holds girls who are trafficked. Plus the amount of Russians here is insane! Nothing against Russians just that they are a major target for trafficking as well as being traffickers themselves; so their thick presence here is very suspicious. Mark and Sharon are working on being involved in the prevention process alongside the restoration side of their ministry. So their work with that will hopefully give them authority to put a damper on trafficking as they have with prostitution.

Prayer Requests:

1) Pray that this girl will get paid and leave the bar tomorrow!

2) Pray for SHE as it's making plans for expansion this year

3) Pray for confirmation (just some various things within the team and school that need confirming)

4) Pray for health for our team 

5) Pray for safe travel for Josie

Thank ya much! Blessings!