The True Tale of 3 Roses
I was finishing off my coke and interceding for the conversation that was flowing between my teammates and the bargirls when she came up to me… an older Thai woman selling beautiful long stemmed red roses bundled into groups of three. “Would you like to buy some roses?” she asked hopefully. “No, thank you” I replied with a smile. She began to walk away, moving on to offer her flowers to a group of rowdy European men. “Wait,” I yelled after her, “I’ll buy some!” Before, I knew what I was doing I was holding a bouquet of roses in my hand.
Fast forward about 30 minutes… It was pouring. The street was absolutely empty, everyone having taken refuge from the rain in the covered open bars. Our group headed to Soi Crocodile to say hi to some girls we had met before. (Soi means road, Soi Crocodile is a road well known for ladyboys… men who dress like women and/or have surgically altered their appearance to appear like women). We made our way to the back of the street, greeted our friends, then surveyed the scene. Around 200 people were transfixed, watching a ladyboy dance on a table in the middle of the street in the midst of the downpour. Suddenly, I remembered the roses in my hand, and I felt the need to give them away to people on Soi Crocodile. I gave one to Kirsten and Amy, one to Chelsea and the other I kept for myself to give away.
Rose 1:
As we headed down to the mouth of Soi Crocodile. I saw a bargirl staring blankly into the distance, all eyes were on the ladyboy dancing on the table, but she was lost in her own thoughts staring into nothingness. I walked up to her and gave her the rose. She looked confused, but I ccould see a smile playing at the corners of her lips. I grabbed her free hand and our eyes locked. Words began to spill from my mouth. “God, my God,” I said pointing to the sky, “loves you. You are so so beautiful, worthy and pure. You deserve better than this. You are worthy. God wants better for you.” I said so much more, but I honestly don’t remember the exact words. It was as if God was simply using me as his mouth piece. I finally let go of her hand and was shocked by the new look in her eyes. The dark eyes that had previously been a flat and lifeless pool of hurt had acquired a spark that was absent before. There was fight in her, I think.There was hope.
Rose 2:
Our group continued to head out of Soi Crocodile, and once again we passed the dancing ladyboy.To my surprise, Kirsten sprinted through the rain, stopped at his table and held her rose up to him. Around 200 pairs of eyes were on them as he made a show of taking the rose from her. The crowd clapped and cheered when he put it in his mouth and wiggled his hips. As I watched him and Kirsten began to walk away, a sole thought consumeed my mind. She has to dance with him. I ran up to Kirsten and told her what God told me. She seemed skeptical at first, but she bravely walked back to the ladyboy and climbed up on the circular table with him, asking if she can dance with him, but not really giving him the option of saying no. She grabbed his hands and forced him into a ballroom dancing position. He looked a little confused, but the crowd around us was eating it up. They were laughing and clapping as Kirsten and the ladyboy twirled around on the table with the rain pouring down. Even more people came and the crowd grew as they watcedh Kirsten dance in the most pure and beautiful way, prompting the ladyboy to take the lead and dance like a true man. Watching them, I was filled with happiness to the point of laughter. I praised God that he was drawing a crowd to witness the clean Godly dancing Kirsten was doing on that table, something I am sure Bangala Road has never witnessed before. After a few minutes of this Kirsten got off the table, and God put the thought in my mind for her to pray for him. I ran up to her and told her. She immediately got back on the table, grabbed his hand once more and closed her eyes. In front of the very very large crowd, standing on a table in the middle of a downpour, with every eye gathered there on her, Kirsten prayed for her new friend… proclaiming in prayer that this individual who in every way appeared to be a woman was in fact, a man of God.
Rose 3:
We finally walked out of Soi Crocodile and made our way to Soi Easy. There, Chelsea handed her rose to a bargirl standing outside. “For me?” she asked, her face lighting up. “Yes, for you.” Chelsea said, smiling from ear to ear. Chelsea walked away and the girl she gave the rose too simply looked down at it in adorable confusion… completely taken aback at the fact that someone would give her a rose for no reason and expect nothing in return.
I am slowly learning that God works in intricate and sometimes random ways… He told me to buy roses, just to tell me to give them away.
1: To a hopeless and lifeless girl… so He could love on her through me and bring a bit of life andhope back to her eyes.
2: To Kirsten… so she could give it to a ladyboy… so she could dance on a table with him… so God could draw a crowd… so the entire crowd could witness a prayer and see the pure Godly joy in Kirsten’s dancing and to affirm a man who has convinced himself that he is a woman that he is and always will be a man.
3: To Chelsea… so she could give it to a bargirl… so God could show her that He is God and that he sends people to her who want to give and not take.
There are something about flowers that make a girl happy and feel loved, interesting that God used something as simple as a rose to bring genuine joy into this place of superficial happiness. Praise our Lord… the Creator of the oceans and stars, Creator of joy and love, the Creator of roses.
and now these three remain: faith, hope and love.. but the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthains 13:13
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