"I was sittin at a red light for a while..."

Pr*yer. Is anyone ever actually aware of how impacting pr*yer is? I know I have a difficult time understanding its importance when I consider the sovereignty of God. However, I know it is a command in His Word to pr*y.

So Ky and I have heeded to that command and have spent some serious time doing just that. There is a specific street in our city that is known for its bars and easy access to prostitution. We have gone there to make friends and to intercede that our Creator would bring His light to the Red Light and that He would free people in more than just monetary or physical bondage. In these times of interceding, we have come to know several people who work on said street.

I took some pictures in the day time. It's less rude.

A massage and spa parlor on the street.

One of the alley ways off the main street. The main street has many alleys and lanes with more bars, massage parlors, and mini-hotels.

Some bars
Friends Corner is a ladyboy bar.
Playhouse is known for its beer pong table.

A lane off the main street: 69 bar and Peter's Bar. 

A "club" on a lane off the main street.

Apparently you can buy corn here as well.

A lane/culdesac that is completely lined with bars and ends in a wrestling ring.

Some of these people we’ve met work at a massage parlor. Massage parlors are notorious for doubling as places for prostitution. It makes a lot of sense. The first time we went to this specific parlor, we actually ended up sharing the good news. That was not necessarily our intent (moreso to pr*y), but we asked Him to guide us. In this culture, relationships are immensely important and Buddhism is the major religion, so meeting someone, telling them the good news and never seeing them again hardly makes impact because the sharer has not made an effort to show they actually care about the message receiver.

The first time we went, we saw a transaction go down as an older foreign man came into the parlor. He looked nervous. Then one of the women took him in the back room. Nowadays, we are more aware and see transactions take place often. We went back a few weeks ago to get a pedicure for our birthdays and one of the women we met before was there. She said she was thinking of us a few days before we came. It was a pleasant time for us to practice our Thai and converse about their lives.

Another person we know from that road is our friend who owns a bar. As we pr*yer walk the road, we stop by to see her every time. The first time we met her she was very open about her life and struggles. It was unusual but welcomed by our listening ears. The past few times we went to see her, she was not around or was busy doing something else. However, this last time was different.

Two days ago Ky and I went to visit our friend in the district. When we got to her bar, it was closed. We initially thought “Nooooo! It’s closed and we are never going to see her again [we thought she went out of business]!” But unbeknownst to us, she was sitting at the next bar over, saw us, and then she called us over to her. She was sitting at a **ladyboy bar. So we walked over to greet her. She was with her son and some of the workers from that bar. We found out she was only closed for the day because of a Buddhist holiday. We ended up staying talking with her and her young son for about an hour and a half. In that time we saw two transactions go down as two of the bar workers left with some foreign men. In that time she asked us if we attended ch*rch. I also had an opportunity to talk to her about forgiveness and what it means for a follower of Him. Often when we are with her, she tells us about her dissatisfaction with life and work. She’s broken and longing for something more. We have the More. By the end of our time, she invited us to come play pool with her this week and to a taco party she is having in November (not having tacos in five months- I’m DEFINITELY in for that!). Look at Him. In addition to all that, we realized this past time, that we have become familiar faces in this area. People know us, know we speak some Thai and know that we are kind (at least I think so. Ha!). We are greeted by friendly, not just advertising smiles and conversation, at so many of the places we pass by. May He be glorified. In His sovereignty, He heard our intercessions. We will keeping interceding.

Now we are thinking about when we go home, then what. So Ky and I have been praying and thinking about how this can be sustainable and how someone can still reach her when we are gone. Please be in prayer for her. Her name is the first letter of our alphabet. She has a young son. And we want her to know our Creator. Please pray we could find someone to introduce to her so that she can hear of the good news more when we leave and come to know Him. Please also pray for our safety, as we go there often, and for boldness and discernment. Lastly, please pray for redemption and repentance. Thank you all so much for your prayers, love and support. You can email me or mom for questions.

**”Ladyboys” and “Toms”  are most well known in Thailand. This is a culture with certain defined lines. For example, if a little girl, in her early stages of life, “acts like a male”, her family may begin to treat her like a boy and even dress her like a boy. This culture also has some interesting family dynamics. For example, many families do not have fathers present physically or mentally/emotionally, so a little boy may be raised by his mother, grandmothers, and/or aunts, who end up treating him like they would a girl. They then grow up either in confusion or somehow (but I’m not sure exactly how) convinced they are the opposite sex. Therefore, there exists “Ladyboys” and “Toms”. Ladyboys essentially are women, besides a few key factors. However, even many of them will have multiple surgeries to provide them with female parts and remove their male identifiers. Toms are females who dress and “act like men”. Many couples in Thailand are actually Toms and other girls. Further, the prostitution of ladyboys is a popular attraction for Thailand (I really struggled trying to find a better way to say that). Many foreigners are intrigued by “Ladyboys” who are indeed commonly very beautiful.

I got to watch an American football game (see behind Ky) when we went to eat the other night on the "main street"!