Hello from THAILAND!
It has been a crazy ride so far and it's only week 2! Lecture phase in Vancouver was definitely the vacation. There have been amazing moments, like working with Pattaya Slum Ministries. They go out to the slums of Pattaya and minister and help the kids. From cleaning their wounds and cutting their nails to having "Sunday school" lessons and teaching them about Jesus, Angela, her husband Thea, Pin, and Lauren have such a love for these kids. I loved playing with the kids for the first week and half in Pattaya. For some of us, including myself, it was hard to leave them to continue our journey to Bangkok. They definitely stole our hearts.
There have also been very hard moments. Pattaya is a tourist hotspot. A lot of them were Eastern Europeans, like Russia. Where we were staying in Pattaya, Rodem House, was a 10 minute walk from the beach and oh! The food! Don't get me started on the food! But there's a street called soi (pronounced like soy) 6 where one of the ministries we were involved with, the Tamar Centre, is located. Soi 6 is just bars on bars. A lot of Thai girls and trans-gender (lady boys as they like to call them here) prostituted outside these bars. Myself and the other girls on the team would teach English at the Tamar Centre and from the windows, we would witness old, white men buying the prostitutes. The third night we were in Thailand, we were in a taxi on our way back to the Rodem house, everyone was singing Christmas carols, laughing, and talking amongst themselves. I, on the other hand, was observing the streets at night. The taxi had stopped and I noticed across the street a scrawny, white guy, at least mid-40s, buy a young girl. She got on his scooter. And as our taxi started to pull off, so did the guy and the girl. They made a u-turn and had sped past us. When they did, I realized the girl he just bought was at least 16....16. I cried for two days not just because of what I saw, but because I felt God's heart. A heart that is torn apart.
Thailand is known around the world for it's amazing food, sandy beaches on it's numerous beaches but it is also known for it's sex trafficking, prostitution, and sex slavery. It's actually Thailand's main source of money. Billions a year. The girls and I went on a prayer walk one night from the Tamar Centre to the pier where the boys were distributing bibles for Chinese tourist. We had to walk down a street called "Walking Street". It was like walking through hell. Literally. Bars on the main street and down sketchy alleys, peep shows with windows for the public, prostitution, drugs being sold not discreetly. From one end to another, it's a 10-15min walk. The hardest walk I've ever walked. It's overwhelming to the spirit. The girls and I had a debriefing time by the shore to talk about how we felt about the walk. Some were angry, some were sadden, but everyone was asking why. "Why, God?" I wasn't really paying much attention until one of the girls said something that perked my ears but broke my heart. She said (paraphrasing),"I don't see any hope for Pattaya." A couple of girls agreed with her. There was a moment of silence when our leader asked me what my thoughts were. "My thoughts? I think it's heartbreaking to hear you guys say there's no hope. We are not here to judge the johns and the prostitutes or the people that bring their kids to this area. Our job is not to judge. Only God can do that. Our job is to love them. There's no hope? Nathan (coleader of YWAM Vancouver) once told me 'I moved my family from Alberta to BC. Staff have been praying hard for you. And to see the change in you, those hours of prayers was completely worth it.' The staff didn't know me! But they didn't give up on me. Someone had hope in me. Jesus relentlessly pursues me therefore I can't give up on the hope for Pattaya."
Hope is persevering. Mary and Joseph's 70 mile hike from Galilee to Bethleham took them down rocky and uneven roads. The journey would have been tiring for a young man in peak physical condition, much less a pregnant woman. Mary likely experienced moments when she wanted to quit. But, she believed God would be faithful, so when the road was tough and the birthing conditions were not ideal, she could hold onto the promise that her baby was going to grow into the man who would save the world. When our hope in God's promises determines our actions, faith grows. One of my favourite verses, Hebrews 11:1, describes faith as "confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see." By putting confidence in what they hoped for, not how they felt or what they could see, Mary and Joseph persevered. At times, we feel the uncertainty of uneven, rocky roads. We may even feel like we're on a journey that seems impossible. Hope is what allows us to persevere through the fear and the pain. Hope is more powerful than any uphill journey we face today.
- Adriana
The team is currently in Bangkok and will be here until Jan. 3. Please keep us in your prayers during this journey and if you'd like to make a donation for my part of the journey, click the subscribe button! Love you guys and MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THAILAND!
Thailand is known around the world for it's amazing food, sandy beaches on it's numerous beaches but it is also known for it's sex trafficking, prostitution, and sex slavery. It's actually Thailand's main source of money. Billions a year. The girls and I went on a prayer walk one night from the Tamar Centre to the pier where the boys were distributing bibles for Chinese tourist. We had to walk down a street called "Walking Street". It was like walking through hell. Literally. Bars on the main street and down sketchy alleys, peep shows with windows for the public, prostitution, drugs being sold not discreetly. From one end to another, it's a 10-15min walk. The hardest walk I've ever walked. It's overwhelming to the spirit. The girls and I had a debriefing time by the shore to talk about how we felt about the walk. Some were angry, some were sadden, but everyone was asking why. "Why, God?" I wasn't really paying much attention until one of the girls said something that perked my ears but broke my heart. She said (paraphrasing),"I don't see any hope for Pattaya." A couple of girls agreed with her. There was a moment of silence when our leader asked me what my thoughts were. "My thoughts? I think it's heartbreaking to hear you guys say there's no hope. We are not here to judge the johns and the prostitutes or the people that bring their kids to this area. Our job is not to judge. Only God can do that. Our job is to love them. There's no hope? Nathan (coleader of YWAM Vancouver) once told me 'I moved my family from Alberta to BC. Staff have been praying hard for you. And to see the change in you, those hours of prayers was completely worth it.' The staff didn't know me! But they didn't give up on me. Someone had hope in me. Jesus relentlessly pursues me therefore I can't give up on the hope for Pattaya."
Hope is persevering. Mary and Joseph's 70 mile hike from Galilee to Bethleham took them down rocky and uneven roads. The journey would have been tiring for a young man in peak physical condition, much less a pregnant woman. Mary likely experienced moments when she wanted to quit. But, she believed God would be faithful, so when the road was tough and the birthing conditions were not ideal, she could hold onto the promise that her baby was going to grow into the man who would save the world. When our hope in God's promises determines our actions, faith grows. One of my favourite verses, Hebrews 11:1, describes faith as "confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see." By putting confidence in what they hoped for, not how they felt or what they could see, Mary and Joseph persevered. At times, we feel the uncertainty of uneven, rocky roads. We may even feel like we're on a journey that seems impossible. Hope is what allows us to persevere through the fear and the pain. Hope is more powerful than any uphill journey we face today.
- Adriana
The team is currently in Bangkok and will be here until Jan. 3. Please keep us in your prayers during this journey and if you'd like to make a donation for my part of the journey, click the subscribe button! Love you guys and MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THAILAND!
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