08th0602rl2 - In Bangkok

I'm not even sure how to begin to explain our first week- but I'm going to try.

Our second day in Thailand we confronted our main ministry here in Thailand: prostitution and sex traffiking. Bangkok holds a major role in the sex industry and trade in Asia. There are actually more than 1 million women involved in the sex industry here. What is truely so awful is that the majority have been forced into the situation because of poverty. Families sell their daughters, husbands sell their wives, it is often the only way families have to earn money here. Wednesday we spent the day in the Nana district which is the main area in Bangkok known for this issue. We walked down the streets known for prostitution, crowded with bars and massage parlors. As we approached the area, hundreds of white men were everywhere. It was shocking to have not seen another white person in days, and then suddenly, when we reached Nana, all we could see was white men. Even though we went in the late afternoon, the bars were already filling. Men were seated at tables while thai girls, some as young as 14 or 15 sat next to them. As we walked, the thai girls came out of the doorways, attempting to get our team to come into the bars. It was truely heartbreaking. The hopelessness was evident in both the thai girls and the men. The men were middle-adged, nicely dressed, many with wedding bands, and they were buying girls that could be their daughters. The thai girls were hopeless, unable to escape, doing all they could to support their families back home. All our team could do in the situation was pray over the area, over the individuals, and over Thailand as a whole. We spent the afternon walking the area, praying and talking it all out. It was hard to see, but it made our mission in Thailand so much more clear.

The next day (Thursday) we were able to see the light in such an area of darkness. We spent the day visiting centers for these young girls. The centers are built around a trade (jewlery making, clothing, etc.) that give the girls a steady income once they leave the bars. In these centers the girls find restoration through Christ. For the women's safety, we can't write about individuals, or the organization, but I can say that it was beautiful. The women were filled with joy, a complete contrast to the desparity we saw the day before. We spent most of the afternoon just living along side the women, helping them with their jobs, and having a great time. We were also able to spend an hour or so with the man who created the organization and founded each of the centers. He helped us all to understand the situation so much more clearly. The main thing he really believes in is that the issue isn't solely the prostitution, the bigger issue is the poverty and hopelessness in the rural areas that forces families to sell their daughters in the first place. This is our true reason for heading to the villages for the rest of the month.

In the villages we are going to be teaching in schools, running VBS, and traveling between areas and presenting the gospel. All of this plays a huge role in the prevention of the hopelessness we saw in the bars. If the women can be shown that they are valued and loved from a young age, they will be less likely to be involved in the sex industry. We have a huge opportunity to help change the face of Thailand- it is so exciting!

So In conculusion, I'll run you through some of the lighter times of our week:

From Thailand Week 1

Playing checkers in the morning and getting to thow the students who attend BIT.

Spenind our evenings on the rook of the school admiring the Bankok skyline

Thai Bunnies! Big adorable balls of fur.

Walking down the streets in Bangkok bowing to everyone and saying a greeeting that sounds something like "Swatika".

Eating absolutely tremendous Thai food three times a day. It is also super cheap (less than one US dollar for a whole meal) so we eat a lot! Also, Jamie likes chopsticks.