Sex trafficking & Chiang Mai photography Part 2

 “But if anyone abuses one of these little ones who believes in me, it would be better for him to have a heavy boulder tied around his neck and be thrown into the sea than you face the punishment he deserves!” Mark 9

Hello reader,

I am sending this to you from a nominally-Muslim, small town. Every day the Lord is leading us in so many friendships, sometimes with individuals that don’t even know who Jesus is. Pray, pray, pray for the Lord to move through us and especially for those long-term workers in this plentiful, unreached harvest. I can’t wait to share more about it. I still need $400 to stay on the field. You can partner here! 

Now, I’d love for you to read a story called Redeeming Love it is one of the most moving, beautiful books I’ve read. It’s about “Hosea,” a part of my favorite Book in all of existence. It’s about love that never ceases.

But know that this book is not a fantasy; I met someone – S – on my travels who’s real-life testimony is like that of Angel in the book. She gave us the go-ahead to share her story, but for some reason I didn’t share it by blog until now!

Tricked into prostitution, barely escaping without plan nor money, she found the way out she could not have planned for herself. She found freedom. She found purpose . . . 

S radiates the kind of unrestrained joy you rarely find in a lifetime, the kind of hospitality that will welcome and feed anyone, love and lightness in her eyes. She pours out gratitude for life singing freely wherever she walks.

S stays at our volunteer house with her 7 year old son. You could not have guessed that she had walked through so much including sex-trafficking. 

We sat across the table as she told us her story over a chicken feet lunch.  

S grew up in a small town. Her father passed away, leaving her mom unable to attentively care for six children.

S desired a new beginning. When she met a man who said he could get her a waitress job in another city, she hopped on the opportunity.

Upon arrival, she was to discover this wasn’t a waitress gig. Instead, she would become what felt like an object for men’s pleasure.

Guys buying sex would also physically abuse the girls.  

When her roommate was impregnated and the pimp wanted the baby aborted, S tried to speak up.

A Muslim her whole life, she wondered Why God? Why?

It was time to escape, yet she had no money of her own to do so.

One night a man looking at his selection of girls, pointed at #7: S.

S explained her story and begged the man to help her escape. He said on one condition: you marry me.

She left with him and didn’t know what to do. He thought maybe she should visit her hometown for a while, but she feared going home as she would be asked what she had been doing for five months. In Islam there are ranking of sins, and she was carrying the worst of them.

She ended up getting away from the man. All she had to her name was the clothes on her body and her ID card. Walking the streets with nothing, carrying trauma and fear, she felt a tug to hop a bus that went by.

On the bus was a Chinese woman and some men. She felt a strange tug to follow the woman getting off the bus. The woman asked, “Why are you following me?”

She said, “I don’t know.” S explained her situation, that she didn’t have enough money to stay at a hotel. The woman explained she was a Christian and took S to spend the night at a church.

The next day was Sunday. She wondered “why God have you taken me to a Christian church?”

In her room she sat as Sunday service began. She felt another push, from who she did not know, to go and join the worship, even though it is a big no, no in her religion.

Coming from a place of utter hopelessness, the joy and hope of people worshiping took her by surprise.

A woman pastor spoke of John 8, the woman caught in adultery. She started to cry. Who is this Jesus who doesn’t judge you nor condemn sinners?

The Chinese woman saw the impact of the message on S and offered her to stay and work at the church after some time.

S returned to her hometown hiding a Bible under her pillow, until her sister discovered her secret.

Her family was not happy; she returned to the church.

She grew in faith and knowledge. Staying at the church the Chinese woman became like a sister to her, showing her love that she had not ever received in her life.

An old Australian friend called S back, asking to hang out. She told us her flesh was weak in this time when she felt lonely. She ended up having a child.

S worried what her new church family would think of her, worried what God may think of her. But she was reminded of John 8 again: Jesus the defender.

She learned that no matter what we do or where we are in life, we can always turn to this God to receive a fountain of love.

 And so she did.

S started to waitress and help with ministry. At one point, she did not have enough money to provide medical care for her son, and she got a call from a friend for a secretary opportunity.

She almost took it, but God led her instead to ministry opportunities. She chose to trust God.

Through divine friendships like with our ministry hosts, S has used her deepest pain to bring light and hope to those enduring similar pain.

She ran a Freedom House attempting to provide a way out for prostitutes who don’t have one.

God worked but didn’t seem to show up in all the ways they had hoped; the ministry ended up closing.

She said God reminded her “This is not about you.” And every time we praise her for who she is, she reminds us, “this is not about me.”

She is a minister unto other single mothers. Recently leading one struggling single mother from a Muslim background to Christ Jesus. Today at a prayer service I sat by both women praying sincerely with deep yearning, trust, faithfulness, and love in abundance for God.

Get this! She is following a new God dream:

A salon for girls in sex trafficking to get a free haircut and training. Salons in this country are unaffordable for these victims. S will offer another way out for these women and show them love that only someone who understands, as she does, can. (It just opened recently) Pray for her and her ministry. 

S: the face of hope for the darkest place I have ever been.

Tonight, she led us around as the translator to see the unseen in the lower-class red light district. There is no barrier between S and any human; she connects with them without fear or restraint.

Although sad, we carry the Worship and Kingdom of the everlasting Father in us and His Kindness leaves our eyes as we introduce ourselves in their language and shake their hands.

Never have I looked into the eyes of souls more lost than they. Beaten down, no longer even searching, just waiting in pain for another night to be treated as an object.

A 22 year old, my age, in this environment as her everyday existence. I mean what? $7 is the cost at this lower class place to buy a woman to have sex outside in the forest, $14 for the younger women.

We pray over them, even the woman pimp is open to our prayers. Each of them still carries a little bit of kindness as we speak to them. But one of them reminds me of this orphan I met the other day, hiding with no smile to reciprocate.

THEY NEED OUT. WHAT KIND OF LIFE IS THIS? 

Riding back with Kenia and Em we started talking about how if God calls us permanently to care for the orphans or prostitutes, then we must do it. Just then, our Grab (Asia’s Uber) driver hit another car. We decided to pray as the driver leaves to exchange numbers with the other car.  S’s concern is about the driver’s feelings.

We stop by S’s friend’s café as the rain downpours. Some cow skin, pineapple juice, snails, sate, laughs, and videos later we take off for home.

Weeks after we left S’s country, S sent us a couple videos.

One of the pimp who said just how much she missed us. We sat with them pimp on multiple occasions; we prayed boldly with her even though the only god she knew of was the one of Mohammad’s. We saw her. We saw her heart that knows not what else to do to support herself and her son.

The other video was of one of the women we prayed for on the lower class red light district being baptized by S as she came to Jesus! 

 

I understand it more powerful and essential than I ever had, the Gospel.

 

That God became like us and suffered like us, overcame it all and showed his unfailing love, for the unclean (Matthew 8, in Islam and in Judaism back in the day women on their period are considered unclean, avoid touching them – Luke 8). the condemned to be stoned (John 8). the sick and not the healthy (Mark 2). the lost (Luke 19).

 

Worship music, like Defender by Upper Room, that Kenia is playing right now, never held so much weight…

 

And I say sharing this testimony – DO IT AGAIN FATHER

Love,