rahab.

[warning: this blog post contains content that may not be suitable for children]

It's daytime and the streets are deserted. The last bits of rubbish are being swept off the curbs and the faint scent of alcohol clings to the air. Men are loading trucks with bags full of empty bottles. None of the stores or shops are lit, the neon signs are taking their afternoon respite. Even without their glaring signage, each storefront is still clearly marked. Posters brag about what can be purchased, bought and sold. Welcome to one of the many Red Light Districts in Thailand.

This morning I went with the Florida Team to Patpong... the Red Light District where Rahab Ministries finds its home. The walk there and back was sickening, even in the day time. It hurt to think about all the women, the thousands of women, who service those two streets nightly. The children who have been trafficked out of surrounding countries and are working as slaves in these districts selling flowers and trinkets to foreigners. The whole area felt heavy. 

I am so thankful that there are ministries like Rahab, in the heart of these dark places, reaching out to the women and providing them with hope. The stories that I heard were both upsetting and encouraging. In the northeastern parts of Thailand it is the youngest daughter's "duty" to go into the city to support the family through prostitution... and if there is no daughter, then the youngest son is deemed a "katoey" or "lady-boy" (the 3rd gender in Thailand) and is raised as a woman and then sent to the bars. That is upsetting. But then there are also the beautiful stories... of women who came to Rahab and decided to commit to getting out of the bars. As they were rehabilitated, they came to find peace and restoration through a relationship with Christ. Now, some of them are working as hairdressers, others make jewelry, and others go back to the bars to share their story of hope with the girls who are still trapped.

While prostitution is technically illegal in Thailand, it is very overt. The pain is real, and the need is great. I don't know exactly what my role with be in regards to this mission field while I am here. I am still praying through where I can serve and how I can minister to these women. Please be praying that God will open the doors for me in the place where He wants me to serve. And please, pray for the missionaries in this ministry and the many others in Bangkok which are working continually to bring hope, healing and Christ to these women.

"Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow." -Isaiah 1:17