Learn More about our Thailand Trip!

In May, I traveled to Thailand with 4 other amazing women from our church, Springbrook Community Church. 

You can see more information about our trip by following one of the following links:

http://www.adventures.org/trips/mission-trips.asp?locID=160&typeid=5

http://www.rahabministriesthailand.com/                               

 

http://www.nightlightinternational.com/

http://www.facebook.com/whereYousendme

June 13, 2013

Five months ago I sat trying to write a letter explaining why I was going to Bangkok Thailand and asking my friends and family for support for the trip.  And now, I sit trying to write a letter explaining what occurred in Bangkok so that you, my supporter and encourager, will know what came of your help. 

It has been interesting since we came home two weeks ago.  For the first time after a major trip, I have been more inclined to just sit and absorb rather than the usual show and tell.  The trip itself was more than I could have ever dreamed, and I am struggling to put into words all that it meant.

      
As I have been contemplating the trip, it boils down to one thing, “Same Same, But Different”.

All over Bangkok we heard this phrase.  Usually by vendors, but in restaurants, the massage parlor, and in many situations we were told that two things we were looking at or discussing were “Same Same”, meaning that they were similar.  Frequently, we would point out that they were not the same.  Hence the phrase, “Same Same, But Different”  or in some cases, “Very Different”.

Why do I use this term for my trip? Mostly because it is how I see myself when comparing the “Before” me and the “After” me.  I am, for all intensive purposes, “Same Same, But Different”!

 



The Springbrook Team (the day we left) 

Me, our last day in Thailand

Physically, to the people I know at work, to my friends, and to you, I am the same person.  Inside, I feel completely different.  People told me again and again that this trip would change me, but I didn’t really understand that until now.  One of the biggest was opening my eyes to what is happening around me.  Maybe the best way to explain is to show you what we saw.

Our first official day, our leader Connie took us to the closest Red Light district, Patpong, and showed us what it looked like in all of it’s stages.

What started out as an empty street became a hub of activity as the market was assembled.  Then, just hours later, an area billed as “shopping” to the tourists is filled with open doors to bars, with agents standing outside offering sex shows for the expecting and unexpecting that were walking by.

Walking down the street during the day it reminded me of many, many, streets around us.  We don’t have anyway of knowing what those same streets will hold in the hours following our visit.



On Monday and Tuesday we visited the local organizations, Rahab and Nightlight.  Each has their own stories and their own methods of reaching into the local Red Light districts.  At Rahab, we had the opportunity to sit down with some of the women who work for Rahab, some of whom had also worked in the district.  They “taught” us a little of their jewelry making trade and shared their smiles and laughter with us.  These meetings started to open my eyes to the reality of this area and the hurt of the women in Thailand.

 

Our whole team (29 strong) in front of Rahab

Photo courtesy of Connie Rock

Half our team making jewelry

Photo courtesy of Connie Rock

Each night we would be split into four groups, a bar team, a children’s team, the prayer walkers, and the home prayer team.  Each day our leader, Connie, would ask if we felt we should be placed with a specific team, and if not, she placed us as she felt led.  I was blessed to spend the first two nights on prayer teams (first walking, then home.)  I say blessed because my entire attitude about prayer – the format, the power, and the realness changed during those first 2 days. 

For those who were on the children’s team (which I was 2 nights), we would wait at one of the local open air bars with children’s activities and use the time to pray for the others and the people around us.  In an unusual series of events, we actually only had children the very last night. 



Photo courtesy of Connie Rock



 

Photo courtesy of Connie Rock

Even when we didn’t have children, we were able to reach out to the vendors around us.  There were several that previous teams had developed relationships with and we enjoyed deepening those friendships, but we also met some new vendors and were able to establish new relationships for future teams.  This was another eye-opening opportunity as I closely watched, and connected with those around me.



 

Photo courtesy of Connie Rock

 

The last team, the bar team, actually went into bars where our leaders had existing relationships with the owners and “mamasans”. (The mamasan watches over the girls and manages the payments.)  Each night was different, even if returning to the same bar.  Each team member carried friendship bracelets as presents for the girls.  A simple way to say that we cared and that we were there for them.  For every girl we reached out to, for every girl who came over for a coke or a bracelet, there were more that didn’t want anything to do with us.  Sometimes the girls spoke ok English, but many spoke little to no English.  We used a lot of sign language and funny sounds (I got giggles every time I told them I had “two woof woofs” – paired with the dog ears on my head of course.)  They seemed to appreciate our efforts, and in some instances, our girls made real connections.  



Photo courtesy of Connie Rock



Photo courtesy of Connie Rock

Some of the stories were heart wrenching (Nic was only 17 – it was her first night, we also met Jewel (16) who was in her first week and another girl who was only 13.)   We also met older women (one was 40 and kept saying “2 more years” as she waited for her son to graduate) who were just trying to support their families.  Some didn’t share their stories; but their eyes spoke volumes – some filled with fear, some with sadness, and some – that were just empty, as if they had given up.



Photo courtesy of Connie Rock

So, my own eyes were opened to their stories, their reality, and to the fact that these things can and do happen everywhere including in my backyard.  It was also a reminder that the sadness, the fear, and the hopelessness we see in others is personal; not just to the person in whom we see it, but to us as well.  It affects me, and I, hopefully, will have an effect on them.

So am I the same or am I different?  I hope the answer is both – and I hope that I keep my eyes open, my heart in prayer, and I follow God into the world around me – to make a difference.

 

Thank you again for your support – I honestly could not have made this journey without you.