Thailand and its story.

 

(photo above by Kristen)

 

February of 2011, Kristen and I walked the grounds
of one of the hundreds of Killing Fields outside of Phnom Penh, picking our way through the clothing, decomposing teeth, and pieces of bone that
still rise out of the earth more than two decades after the genocide of
the Khmer Rouge Regime, which birthed sex trafficking in Cambodia.

 

For Thailand, it was the Vietnam war. With Thailand being so close
to a country torn in two, western soldiers would travel for a night–or
two–in search of escape.

 

Decades later, it’s a cancer the entire country breathes in, day
in, day out. In Pat Pong alone, over 4000 women work the bars and the
streets. The majority of them are from Northern Thailand, from a place
called Isaan, and entered prostitution as a way to work off their
families’ debts. Culturally, Thai women are the moneymakers. Their
families depend on them, just as the responsibility falls to the males
in Western culture. 

 

We discovered some interesting facts about trafficking in Bangkok.
First of all, for many of the women, it was a choice they made- or their
families made for them. It’s likely the families know exactly what the
women are doing, but they don’t talk about it. There are cases of
extreme abuse, where the women aren’t able to leave, are starved,
imprisoned, beaten, etc. But for the most part, at least the places we
went, the women are free to leave–whether that’s to go to another bar
or to leave the Red Light Scene altogether. The sad truth is that there
are many more women available to replace them, traveling to Bangkok
every day. But for many, the money they make dancing or “servicing”
customers pays the bills in the way a regular job can’t. If they have
children, they often send the children to live with their parents (the
kids’ grandparents), while they continue to work to pay the bills.

 

In short, a woman who works in a bar can make anywhere from $200-
$300 a month. They get 2-3 nights off a month, total, working from 7pm
to 2am all other nights. If a man buys a lady a drink, she gets 60% of
the cost of the drink as pay (which is why we went in and bought the
ladies’ drinks… because then the girls will sit with you and you have
the chance to talk with them). If a lady leaves the bar, the man who is
taking her has to pay the bar manager for the cost of losing her for the
rest of the night, which is a minimum of $18. After that, whatever he
“purchases” her for is negotiated between her and the customer. Now,
this is for the “less seedy” bars, if there is such a thing. After
all… everyone has a debt that needs to be paid.

 

 

Many of those working in this industry become calloused as a way of
protection. If they are going to be used, then they will give it the
best they can -and get as much money as they can. It’s the sad result of
a fallen world desperately seeking Paradise.

 

Many of the women we met didn’t want to be there. We had
conversations with women, teens, and even girls who tried to hide their
tears behind smiles. They welcomed the words that Jesus loved them as
healing water, for they don’t know what real love even looks like.

 

 

There are two ministries in Bangkok that we worked with. They each
focus on one of the three main Red Light Districts in the city. The
first one, Rahab,
works in the Pat Pong District. Our teams were met with Rahab and
shared a meal with them, heard a presentation on the ministry of Rahab,
had the opportunity to get involved, and even shop!

 

Rahab works directly in the women in the bars of Pat Pong, often
doing outreaches after the bars close at 2am or meeting with girls
before the night begins. For those who wish to leave the bars, they
provide a place for them to learn a trade (jewelry making, or crocheting), as well as learning life skills like
typing or speaking English. Rahab provides a home for women to live as
they transition out of life in the bars. For many of these women, it’s
the first time they’ve had a bed or a room of their own!

 

But Rahab doesn’t stop there. For the women who choose, they will
take away on a retreat. This is a BIG deal because this is mainly for
the women who are still in the decision process of if they want to leave
the bars. In order for them to go on this retreat, it means they are
choosing not to work for several nights… meaning they will lose
possible income. But if they choose to go, Rahab pays the “nightly fee”
of taking a girl from her bar for a night. And over that weekend, they
are taken out of Bangkok to a place they are safe, can relax, and open
to being introduced to the gospel.

 

And… Rahab also takes the women on missions trips! To those who
want to, they take a team of the Karen tribes (pronounced Corrin) of
Northern Thailand. This tribe is most popularly known to the Western
world as Burmese refugees who live just across the border from Myanmar.
They are so remote that it takes hours of driving to reach them. And the
women in at least one branch of the tribe practices wearing series of
rings on their necks, arms, and legs, like the picture below taken during my most recent trip to Thailand.

 

While in Bangkok, our teams were able to shop at Rahab’s physical
store, but I wanted to give you all a chance to support the ministry as
well. So click here to see there beautiful jewelry! And the prices are in baht, so just divide by 30 and you’ll know the price in USD.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(above 4 photos by Kristen)

The second ministry we worked with was Nightlight,
which also has a base in Atlanta. Nightlight focuses on the influence
of Business as Mission (both as a business and as a non-profit) in
Bangkok, bringing women in and teaching them a trade so that they can
find means of alternate employment. It’s a great ministry with a big
heart and influence. 

 

Each team went on a night outreach ministry with Nightlight, going
into bars in the another Red Light District. They also were able to do an outreach during the day in
that District, giving away free brownies, and cupcakes, inviting
people inside to make crafts, and handing out balloons.

 

Nightlight also teaches their women to make jewelry, as well as
screen print t-shirts, make Christmas ornaments, and silk flower
arrangements. To visit their store, click here. These prices are in USD. 

 

Below are pictures of this District and ministry with Nighlight:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 (above 4 photos by Kristen)

The photos on the bottom left and the bottom right are of the same
Bar District, first during the day and the second at night.

 

This October will be the third time I return to Thailand, our fourth Adventures team. We hope to add a week in Cambodia following the week in Thailand. Should you be interested in joining us, please email me. You wouldn’t regret it – but your heart will be broken.