Smiling faces, carefree innocence, and teaching English is what we’re used to. It’s what a normal ministry day in Thailand used to look like. Going into schools and churches, or maybe even to a prison. Quiet, calm, and simple enough. But now each night we face chaos. We look demons in the eyes as they take over drunken bodies. We watch as tourists take photos of woman after woman. Bar after bar. Pole after pole. Drink after drink. These people are just out to have a fun time. But they don’t realize that it’s not so much fun for the employees.

Bangla Road. Famous for it’s nightlife. Tourists flood the streets of Patong beach. Vendors selling everything from bracelets and toys to photos with their lima monkeys and iguanas. There are strippers, prostitutes and ladyboys. And my personal favorite, Burmese shop owners and Swedish/Danish bar promoters. Oh, and us of course. A group of Christian girl missionaries not out to party and drink. With what seems like endless invitations to parties and bars comes with endless “no thank you, we don’t drink”s and endless surprised and confused “why?!”s and endless explanations of why we don’t drink and what we are there doing. Our ministry here is to go to Bangla Road and make friends.

As I was going into this I understood that we were to go into the bars, order cokes, and make friends with the bar girls, and try to get them to come to SHE where they can have another job besides selling themselves. So the first night when I only met one girl, I was a little down. But as we continued ministry each night God put the Burmese on my heart. We have made friends with many of the shop owners so recently we have just been going, sitting in a few chairs and talking with them. There is one group of two women and three men who ask for prayer multiple times a day. These people see tourists everyday. They even talk to them everyday. But no one really cares. They are just out to buy a souvenir or just to look. But with us, they know they can talk to us. That we won’t ignore them or be rude to them. Even the Thai’s in their culture don’t have much to do with the Burmese. (That’s a long story and I don’t feel like typing a history lesson, so go to Google for more info haha). They want to talk just like anyone wants to talk. And I want to listen.

This entire trip has thus far consisted of God directing my eyes towards those who normally get pushed aside, and sometimes even stomped on. He has given me supernatural love and passion for listening to others and earning about their lives. Don’t get me wrong, there are some amazing stories I have from Bangla road and the bars and the girls but God has made it clear to me that that isn’t exactly why I am here. It is, however, part of the reason, but not entirely.

I will write other blogs with stories and such but for now I have only one request. Simply to pray for all of the people I have, will, and continue to be in contact with. That God will open their hearts not only to the love that I have for them, but the love He has for them.