the stretch

Today is the first day of our last week...

Over these past weeks we have made wonderful new friends, in and out of the bars.

God has used each team member to sow sooo many seeds of love into the people we have encountered. 

Right next door to where we live is local eatery owned and run by a Thai woman. We lovingly call her Mama and she now cooks us whatever we ask and even gives us Thai price. When we don't eat there she'll tell us in her broken English that she misses us and eagerly looks out for us every time we walk by.....

Our team of 8 is split up into two teams when we go down to the bars. Team 1: Jenna, Jay, myself, and Vanessa. Team 2: Rachel, Breanna, John and Gideon. Now when we go out we are greeted by hugs and squeals of delight. When we go to new bars the women have told us they have seen us before and are more open to just talk and play a game. Its awesome to see that they've noticed us and see that something about us is different....

Please continue to lift us up in our last week....

and thank you for all the prayers you have already sent up on our behalf.

Paul is here!

This week has been crazier than usual. However, our friendships have been blooming. Praise Jesus!!

Jenna, Jay, Vanessa and I have become good good friends with 3 people at this one bar. We've now blocked a day where we're all going bowling. It'll be our first time to talk to them outside of the bar scene. 

I can't believe one month has already been lived here in Patong. It hasn't been easy but looking back it is very encouraging to see how God honors those who persevere. The fruit of our prayers and pouring of love has not been in vain. I (and the rest of the team) are very grateful that our time here has been long. Its given us time to build relationships and sow seeds that maybe we won't see the fullness of but know that something was started.

Yesterday we began our Visa Run adventure which started at 5.30am and consisted of a 5hr bus ride to a dock, some stamps, a 40 min ride on a small uncovered boat to Burma, more stamps, some salesmen, a wet ride back, food, driving and home. We didn't do much but it was so tiring! Half the team is sunburned and all of the team is happy to be back on Thai soil :)

Paul arrived at midnight and will spend the next two days meeting with us and encouraging us...just like Paul of the Bible did :)

We're taking him to the bars tonight.

week 3

As I sit here in the SHE building simmering in the noon-day heat I can’t help but smile at the beautiful stories of grace that I am surrounded by. The fact that they are even here is a miracle! Definitely proof that hope does still exist in the darkest of placesJ.

 

We have been faithfully going to the bars for these past couple weeks and have made friends with the ladies. They recognize us and on most nights welcome us with open arms to have a drink (non-alcoholic, of course), play a few games and talk. All of the women we have befriended dislike their jobs but not enough to leave……yet. The need to survive, to have money for self and family is still strong. We are constantly kept on our knees praying that God will show them that money is not worth selling their bodies for. We’ve invited 5 over for lunch…all agreed to come but none have shown up….YET.

 

The life of a bar girl revolves around their bar. They work 7 days a week, from 8pm to 3:30am. And if they are picked up…that’s another story. Most wake up at 5pm. Just enough time to get a bite to eat and head down to work.

 

Our team has been doing really well. Although we live in close quarters God continues to give us grace to love and look over one anothers annoying habits (smile).

 

 

What do WE do with our days?

 

Well, I’m glad you asked!

Jenna, Breanna and Vanessa were hard at work last week photographing all the jewelry for the SHE website. Sharon and Mark (the leaders of SHE) were SO impressed. They previously had two professional photographers come in to take the jewelry photos but they don’t even compare to the ones the PhotogenX ladies work.

 

 Gideon has been Mr. Fix-it and has just finished making and painting new picture frames for the ladies work certificates.

 

John has been playing a huge part in updating and setting up the SHE website. Which has been a huge blessing to the leaders ‘cause they aren’t as technically savy.

 

Rachel and I have been photographing the women, which has been very fun, especially seeing the women’s faces when we show them their photo. At first they’re shy, but they can’t resist for very long.

 

.isaiah 61

 

-the sweating reporter.

 

Thailand

Sawatdii-kah! (greetings from Thailand)

 

We are in Patong, Phuket in Southern Thailand. It took us a 12 hr bus ride (not including our 3hr ride just to our bus station) from Bangkok to get here, but thankfully we are finally here. Safe and sound.

 

This town reminds me of a Brazilian beach town…and then you see the people. The Thai people are a beautiful mix and have many different features. Unlike Taiwan, where everyone has a similar look, Thai people are very diverse.

 

We are staying in a brightly painted, 5 story building that is home (for right now) to S.H.E. (Self Help Empowerment). This ministry was founded by Mark and Sharon who hail from England. They moved here with their family of four children from Africa and have been in missions for 12 years. When God first called them into missions, Sharon didn’t even know what that was. It just reinforces the saying, God can use anyone J.

 

This ministry is focused on the girls who work at the bars.

What is a bar girl? A woman who feels she has no other option but to sell herself to make enough money to survive or to support her family.

 

Most of the women who work at the bars have a choice, but poverty snatches this choice away. With little education and not many job opportunities the bar seems like the only alternative for these women and their families.

 

What is S.H.E? S.H.E offers women an alternative to working at the bars. Women can come and learn to make jewelry. This jewelry is then sold by S.H.E. and the profit made is used to pay the women. Not only does S.H.E provide an alternative source of income it also provides an atmosphere of love and acceptance. S.H.E. loves Jesus and wants all the women who come to work for her to have the opportunity to love and know the Jesus manJ.

 

The building we are being housed in is also where the girls make their jewelry. They work here every day and have devotionals in the morning, which each team member will lead on a different day.

 

Patong is a beautiful beach town that desperately needs the love of Christ. We will be going to the bars every other night to build relationships with the women we’ve met in hopes that we can share what God has done in our lives. We’ll also be helping to serve the girls and the ministry wherever we can. Whether its taking photos of the jewelry for their new website or cleaning the house.

 

We will be here for 6 weeks so we have lots of time to get to know the locals and take story-filled photos. Prayer walks will also be a big part in what we are doing here. God says in 2 Chronicles 7:14 “Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.” So we shall ask every day until He releases what we’re asking for.

 

Please continue to keep us in your prayers!!  Going to bars every other night is not the easiest thing in the world, also trying to speak and build relationships with these women in this atmosphere is not easy…pray for opportunities to share with them outside of the bar, open hearts, pure minds, and unwavering focus on why we are here. The beach is not far from us and the heat makes for moving around a lot very tiring.

Remember, we are only human. So please, please, please, keep praying for us.

Strength and unity. Grace and love. Joy and Strength!!

 

Much love to all of you…we do miss you J.

 

Pictures (from Taiwan and Thailand) and website address for S.H.E. ministry and products coming soon*

 

MAHALO NUI LOA

 

KHAWP KHUN KAH!

 

(Thank you very much)

**update: she website>> www.shethailand.org

Di Chien Taiwan (Good-bye Taiwan)

down town dan shui (the town we are living in)..people set up shop right on the street. In the early afternoon it's not so busy.

---one of our few team photos. L-R: Rachel, Vanessa, Ling (our new friend and wonderful translator), John, Breanna, Brooke, Jay, and Gideon.

 

Me, Rachel, and Gideon with students and staff after we taught and shared our testimonies at an afterschool program in Beitou.

Our 2 weeks in Taiwan are over. As we prepare to leave this beautiful country I reflect on all that we have been apart of.

During our time here we have been given the privilege of spending time at a convalescent home, the Rock café and an after school program sharing our testimonies and teaching photography. Although we have not seen any salvations we never know what good things will come out of the seeds of friendship and love we have planted.

 

We have seen and photographed some of the sites that Taiwan is well known for and also capturing the beauty that most often goes unnoticed…children playing in the street, a grandpa diligently working, colorful food, the hardworking student….

 

Taiwan has been good to us and has only increased our excitement for what is to come in Thailand. Please pray that we would continue to walk in love and unity for one another.

We made it!

After 3 flights and lots of food we have made it safely to Danshui, Taiwan on Friday evening. We are all very excited to be here and can’t wait to be fully immersed into the culture. The weather is very humid and keeps us burning calories when we’re not even doing anything (aka sweat).

 

It took us an hour and a half by bus to get to our accommodation. Upon our arrival we found out we were staying with 11 other YWAM students in an apartment…on the 5^th floor.  Thankfully we had help carrying our heavy luggage all the way up.

 

This weekend we have been getting familiar with the city and adjusting to the time difference of 18 hrs. It has been nice to finally have time to just be and hang out with each other in a schedule free environment.

 

Ling, a fellow YWAM’er, has been taking us around town and introducing us to the food and hang out spots of the Taiwanese as well as helping to translate for us. The food has been amazing and personally I feel very spoiled for this being a DTS outreach.

 

Today (Sunday) we attended a Taiwanese church. Although worship was in Chinese they sang familiar tunes and was so spirit filled that it didn’t really matter. The service was translated through earpieces that they handed out before service. Awesome Asian food was provided after the service and time for fellowship. Unfortunately not many people spoke English….

 

Tomorrow we will meet with local YWAM’ers and begin the work we came here to do. Which we will find out what that is tomorrow J.