Beauty Awaits

For the confidentiality of those written about, I have only used a letter to identify them rather than their full name.

For the last month, our team has had the privilege of living with and working alongside eleven beautiful women who have intentionally left the bars to pursue a relationship with Jesus and participate in the program for them through Samaritans Creations. Being with them so much, we are able to continually pour love into their lives. It is amazing to hear some of their stories and how God has changed their lives in such large ways. Our team has, thus far; made an order of handmade dolls for a church in Korea; made jewelry; learned to cook Thai style; baked things to sell in the coffee shop; taught English and attended Thai language lessons from the women; choreographed a dance for two Thai women to enter a competition; and taught lessons on guitar, ukulele, and piano. This ministry has been awesome at gathering everyone’s talents and using them for use by all. The ministry focuses on this so that we may not only have fun spending time together but also so that the trades the women work will help them in beginning a new life.

Each week we also participate in bar outreach. Our team splits up into smaller groups and we head out to one of the larger streets with many bars. We are able to buy the women a drink, sit down with them, hear about their lives, and make them feel important for who they are. We often ask them if they enjoy their job. While some say, “Yes, very much,” in fear of what we may have to say, others are more honest. They tell us how much they detest working in the environment that they do. When they give that response, we tell them we know of a different place that they can work and live. We also tell them that they can learn English at this job and that usually captures their attention.

There are two lives in particular that have made a large impact on our team.

Patpong is one of the largest red light districts here in Bangkok. During the day, you may miss it if you blink but at night it comes to life. It was during our second week here that my group (Lyndie, Shannon, and Chaney) had the honor of meeting T. We had gone through the routine, sat down, ordered a coke, and began talking with her. She seemed a bit confused at first as to why a group of white girls just came into the bar to sit with her and buy her a drink. In talking, we learned that T (age 19) has two twin sons who are four years old. She told us she did not like her job and she has only been working there for one month. When she spoke about her sons, her face lit up and her whole deminor shifted. It is in talking about what she loves that her beauty was revealed to us. We closed the meeting with a prayer for her and hoped she was really understanding what we were saying. After that meeting we were able to visit her again. She was so excited to see us walk in again that she practically threw herself off the stage to come and give us all hugs. She told us that she couldn’t stop thinking about our group and that she was hoping we would come back to see her. She has recently been contacting us to hang out with her. This is where the real relationship will begin to build. We are praying that there will be an opportunity to spend time with T soon and share more of Jesus’ love with her.

Sam is a Thai, Christian man who we met through Samaritains Creations. He is 25 years old and for the last year of his life has been organizing opportunities for ministry in business much like the coffee shop at Samaritans. This last weekend, he came to us very discouraged. He said that everything he has been working towards has collapsed. The people he was partnering with have told him that the timing is off and that he is underqualified for what he is trying to do. Sam has told us he knows he is young, but he knows that the mighty power of God is much greater than his age. Please keep Sam in your prayers; that he would be encouraged here in his faith and that he would not give up on the plans that God has for his life.

It has been an incredible experience to come along side God’s work here in Thailand. There is no doubt He has big plans for the hearts of this country and He has beauty to reveal to those watching for it.