I am excited to see my family but I'm not excited to be leaving all these girls behind. They have became my family for the past 30 days. They have been the ones that I look forward to talking to, or seeing that day. They have been my life for the past 30 days. We had our going away party today! We got them all out of the bar very easily, that was one of our concerns. that is such a God thing. And we had 26 girls here! 26, CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT?! We did dessert, gave out goodie bags, and took lots of pictures. This has been the hardest good bye EVER. Not knowing if you are going to see them again, them saying "I hope you dont forget me" or saying "I WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN". What am I suppose to say? "I dont know if Ill be back", "I WONT FORGET YOU". Are they really going to believe that I wont forget them, are they going to remember me IF I come back? Everyone left after a few tears were shead. Then a little while later 3 of the other girls came back. This time with bags. We didnt know anything about this. They brought us a shirt that has a heart and says "I AM THAI, I LOVE YOU" or something like that. They also brought us a sheer shirt that one of them hand made it. Its beautiful. Me and Kalyn got back from doing our last evening outreach and we walked in to 16 girls from the house in our room. They didnt know we were actually leaving in the morning. They wanted to sit here while we packed. We gave them all the things that we didnt want and they were all thankful. we had to once again say goodbye. goodbye, again? really this word is starting to be my least favorite one. I dont know how tomorrow is going to be, or how next week is going to be. I dont know how I'm going to react to things now. I dont know how I am going to even talk about Thailand.
this has been a life changing trip. I'm so glad I got this opportunity. I just hope that I will get to come back, and see these wonderful girls again.
thanks everyone for the support and prayers. means alot <3
Savannah
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Helplessness
To recap, the girls are there to earn money for their parents, their siblings, their children, and even extended family. They are expected to send a certain amount home each time they are paid. So, even though they do not want to be there, they are being forced to be there. Their minds want to get customers because they need the money, but their hearts and souls do not want to get customers because it destroys them in countless ways. As I have been observing and analyzing everything while in the bars, I have realized that most of the girls begin their jobs being very conservative, very timid, and obviously not wanting to be there. After they have been there for a while (it is very easy to tell the difference), they begin to become much more aggressive, more revealing, and seemingly wanting to be in the bar. I have noticed this numerous times in various bars, and I have realized that the girls begin competing with the other girls in the bar for customers. In order to get the customer and earn money, they feel like they have to throw themselves at the men. Along with competing for customers, the girls are comparing themselves with the other girls in the bar and in other bars. They begin to take things personally; feel rejected if men choose another girl over them. They begin to feel like they are not as pretty as the other girls, not as fun as the other girls, not as skinny as the other girls, etc. As much as they do not want to have customers, they want to feel wanted and accepted. I think that this usually happens after the girls have been in the bars for a while, but either way, it is a sad reality.
Last night, as we were walking down the street to Bonita's and Roy's apartment, I saw a white man and a Thai girl, hand-in-hand going down the street. The man kept stopping at the sexual things that are for sale on the streets. The girl continuously shook her head "no" while trying to pull him away from the many things he was picking up. It was disgusting. What kind of person would do that to someone that they just met?! What kind of person would do that to anyone?! She obviously wanted no part of what he was wanting to buy in order to enhance his own pleasure. I was horrified, but I could not do or say anything about it. I am getting tired of not being able to say or do anything about anything. Helplessness sets in very quickly.
We only have four full days left in Thailand. This is unreal! Each day is filled to the brim with busyness and activities in which we will take part. The days are packed but will be exciting!!! We are planning out every minute of every day that we have left, trying not to focus on the actual leaving part of the equation. Wednesday will be a sad day for us all.
Current prayer requests:
Please pray that we can control our emotions during our last few days; it is so hard to tell the girls we have met that we are leaving and to see them immediately become saddened. Pray that God will use us to the max for the next few days. Pray for the leadership of Beginnings; they have a lot in their hands. Pray for the girls in the house, as well. One girl in particular is having trouble with her eyes, and the surgery that she needs in order for her to be able to see, read, and learn English will cost $2,000. Beginnings does not have this money available for her, so they are trying to figure out where to get the funds.
Thank you all for your prayers and support!
Kalyn
Last night, as we were walking down the street to Bonita's and Roy's apartment, I saw a white man and a Thai girl, hand-in-hand going down the street. The man kept stopping at the sexual things that are for sale on the streets. The girl continuously shook her head "no" while trying to pull him away from the many things he was picking up. It was disgusting. What kind of person would do that to someone that they just met?! What kind of person would do that to anyone?! She obviously wanted no part of what he was wanting to buy in order to enhance his own pleasure. I was horrified, but I could not do or say anything about it. I am getting tired of not being able to say or do anything about anything. Helplessness sets in very quickly.
We only have four full days left in Thailand. This is unreal! Each day is filled to the brim with busyness and activities in which we will take part. The days are packed but will be exciting!!! We are planning out every minute of every day that we have left, trying not to focus on the actual leaving part of the equation. Wednesday will be a sad day for us all.
Current prayer requests:
Please pray that we can control our emotions during our last few days; it is so hard to tell the girls we have met that we are leaving and to see them immediately become saddened. Pray that God will use us to the max for the next few days. Pray for the leadership of Beginnings; they have a lot in their hands. Pray for the girls in the house, as well. One girl in particular is having trouble with her eyes, and the surgery that she needs in order for her to be able to see, read, and learn English will cost $2,000. Beginnings does not have this money available for her, so they are trying to figure out where to get the funds.
Thank you all for your prayers and support!
Kalyn
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Opened Eyes
Good Morning,
Today we had the privilege of taking the girls at a pool bar whom we had formed strong relationships with out to lunch and get ice cream. We paid each of their bar fines and four of the girls and the three of us road the sky train to a huge mall with a Thai food court, which was very nice! The girls loved it, and just giving them a few hours off to just be out and share Christ love and friendship was a huge privilege for us! I am learning that Bangkok is so much more than a dirty looking city full of sin on display. Within it lie the heart and soul of Thailand, whom I believe are the girls working 28 days a month in a bar, selling themselves to support not only themselves, but their children, parents, brothers and sisters. They endure so much and pay such a high price so their families and siblings never have to sell themselves.
The day out with the girls was so nice, and we have formed such wonderful relationships with them. Kayln, Savannah and myself laughed as we walked down the street and literally had the bar girls shouting hello across the street, then we saw the bakery lady where we get our coffee from waving us down also, just to say hello and give us a big smile. And then a little further down, we ran into some of the girls from the house, and other girls from the bars. It felt oddly homey! And to think this was a place I originally came and wondered "why would anyone come here?" And now, the bar girls look for us, hug us (HUGE in Thai culture) and even the bakery lady and the street venders go out of their way to say hello and smile. It is such an honor and I am learning that if we open our eyes, and look beneath the surface of our surroundings and even the people we meet we will see the light God has placed!
Current prayer requests: The thought of coming home is so bitter sweet. We all miss home and our families, but these girls and this red light district has become another home. And the friendships we have formed, well what now? I know my stomach sinks when I think of leaving and maybe never returning. So please pray that God will help us, that we will rely on His strength and timing and trust that He is and will continue to water the seeds He has allowed us to plant. Also, I know the emotional exhaustion is really hitting us, as the reality of leaving these girls physically behind is beginning to set in. Will you pray that we have greater faith and trust in that God will provide and finish the work He is doing here regardless if we are physically here in Bangkok, or half way around the world back home. I would also ask for everyone to continue to pray for protection; physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. And that we would remember and trust that Christ is in this city and that He is bigger and stronger than anything we see or feel!
I want to thank you all for your prayers and support! We love and miss you all and are having a hard time right now.
Blessings and love,
Trisha
Today we had the privilege of taking the girls at a pool bar whom we had formed strong relationships with out to lunch and get ice cream. We paid each of their bar fines and four of the girls and the three of us road the sky train to a huge mall with a Thai food court, which was very nice! The girls loved it, and just giving them a few hours off to just be out and share Christ love and friendship was a huge privilege for us! I am learning that Bangkok is so much more than a dirty looking city full of sin on display. Within it lie the heart and soul of Thailand, whom I believe are the girls working 28 days a month in a bar, selling themselves to support not only themselves, but their children, parents, brothers and sisters. They endure so much and pay such a high price so their families and siblings never have to sell themselves.
The day out with the girls was so nice, and we have formed such wonderful relationships with them. Kayln, Savannah and myself laughed as we walked down the street and literally had the bar girls shouting hello across the street, then we saw the bakery lady where we get our coffee from waving us down also, just to say hello and give us a big smile. And then a little further down, we ran into some of the girls from the house, and other girls from the bars. It felt oddly homey! And to think this was a place I originally came and wondered "why would anyone come here?" And now, the bar girls look for us, hug us (HUGE in Thai culture) and even the bakery lady and the street venders go out of their way to say hello and smile. It is such an honor and I am learning that if we open our eyes, and look beneath the surface of our surroundings and even the people we meet we will see the light God has placed!
Current prayer requests: The thought of coming home is so bitter sweet. We all miss home and our families, but these girls and this red light district has become another home. And the friendships we have formed, well what now? I know my stomach sinks when I think of leaving and maybe never returning. So please pray that God will help us, that we will rely on His strength and timing and trust that He is and will continue to water the seeds He has allowed us to plant. Also, I know the emotional exhaustion is really hitting us, as the reality of leaving these girls physically behind is beginning to set in. Will you pray that we have greater faith and trust in that God will provide and finish the work He is doing here regardless if we are physically here in Bangkok, or half way around the world back home. I would also ask for everyone to continue to pray for protection; physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. And that we would remember and trust that Christ is in this city and that He is bigger and stronger than anything we see or feel!
I want to thank you all for your prayers and support! We love and miss you all and are having a hard time right now.
Blessings and love,
Trisha
a little adventure!
today is was the day that we were going on our first outing with the girls we have been building relationships with in the pool bars. we will have a going away party for the girls in the bars and their friends but we wanted to do something special for the ones that we have grown close too. with the help of Bonita we decided to take the girls to the Thai food our at Siam Paragon. yesterday we went to one of our usual girls and asked 4 of them if they wanted to come with us, they all were very excited and said yes. we told them the time we would come to get them, so today we went to that bar at that time to get the girls. Only one was there, I started to get nervous and think that they were not coming. But she told us that 2 of the girls were running late but that they were coming. And another girls didn't come in till later so she was not coming. 3 out of 4 is great though. Two of the girls that went with us, Kalyn had known from the first time she came a year and a half ago. One of the girls asked if her friend from another bar could come because she really wanted to. Since we only had three we agreed and went and paid her bar fine also. We were very nervous about the bar letting us take 3 girls out at the same time. That is something we prayed about big time as we were walking to the bar. And God ANSWERED OUR PRAYER. Because we walked in waiting on the girls and then paid all their bar fines. No questions asked and we left. We 7 had a wonderful time, we ate Thai food, walked around, and then got ice cream. These girls are so precious, and mean alot to us.
Thank everyone for the prayers!
Keep praying for the girls that we have built relationships with them
Pray for Beginnings, and the girls living here
Pray for us as this is our last week and we are having to start planning our goodbye party
<3 Savannah
Thank everyone for the prayers!
Keep praying for the girls that we have built relationships with them
Pray for Beginnings, and the girls living here
Pray for us as this is our last week and we are having to start planning our goodbye party
<3 Savannah
Saturday, June 18, 2011
So Many Thoughts, So Many Feelings
"By faith the church was called to go
In the power of the Spirit to the lost
To deliver captives and to preach good news
In every corner of the earth
We will stand as children of the promise
We will fix our eyes on Him our soul's reward
Till the race is finished and the work is done
We'll walk by faith and not by sight
By faith this mountain shall be moved
And the power of the gospel shall prevail
For we know in Christ all things are possible
For all who call upon His name..."
These were some of the words that we sang in church this morning, the words that touched me the most, and the words that I felt God was speaking straight to my heart. It is so easy to look outside a window or to walk down the street in Bangkok and get very discouraged because we see poverty, we see lust, we see shame, we see dirtiness, we see brokenness, we see pain, and we see sin. We see through the eyes of our flesh. It does not look like God is doing anything in this city; it looks abandoned by Him because there is so much sin, so much evil, so much sadness and misery, so much shame, and so much of Satan's presence in this city. We forget that God works in mysterious ways, many of which we cannot see with our human eyes. The lyrics to this song reminded me that God is working, and we must have faith, knowing that this city is in His hands. Even though we may not be able to see the effects, God sees them, and He continues to work in this place.
Recently, each of us has struggled with our feelings. It is so hard to recognize feelings here, and it is so frustrating to not know how you feel; one minute, feeling like everything is going fine, but the next minute, being filled to the brim with sadness, helplessness, and anger. We are on an emotional roller coaster that never halts to a sudden stop; will we feel like this forever? Everything going on in this city is so painful to think about, that you almost want to be able to cut it out of your thoughts, out of your memory, but at the same time you never want to stop worrying, never want life to go back to "normal," and never want to allow thoughts about anything except what is happening here. How can we continue to live in luxury while these girls are struggling through each day, wishing that they did not have to go to work that day, not because they are lazy but because their work is damaging physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.
Think about it...how insignificant are the things that consume our lives? Cleaning the house. Watching a football game. Voting for our favorite contestant on American Idol. Complaining about EVERYTHING. Trying to reach the top of the ladder at our job. Being the best at whatever we do, just to give ourselves glory. Getting the newest electronic device, just because we can. Searching the world for our "one true love." Finding out the latest gossip by stalking people on Facebook. Putting in extra hours at work instead of being with our families. What does any of this get us? Where will a life like this lead us? Why are we not focusing on what God wants for our lives and on what we can do to better His kingdom? Isn't our purpose to bring glory to Him through our every thought and action? Sure, I am guilty of some of these insignificant things right now, and yes, some of them bring joy to our lives, but I feel like we are all missing the bigger picture. As Americans, we plan out every minute of every day to be consumed by something that probably will not matter in the end. All I am saying is that we should spend less time with what needs to be done next and more time serving God.
So many thoughts and so many feelings are battling for our attention; there is always too much for us to process. Please pray that we will give our thoughts and feelings to God to help us handle them and to prevent them from intruding on our mission here. Pray that we will continue to build relationships with these girls and that they will be susceptible to what we have to say about Beginnings and about Christ. Please pray for the girls in the house, that they will be able to work through their struggles and that they will become closer to God and allow Him to swallow them in true love. Pray for the leadership of Beginnings, that they will be united in decisions and that they will be uplifted by God daily.
Thank you all for your support and prayers; they mean so much to us.
Love to all,
Kalyn
In the power of the Spirit to the lost
To deliver captives and to preach good news
In every corner of the earth
We will stand as children of the promise
We will fix our eyes on Him our soul's reward
Till the race is finished and the work is done
We'll walk by faith and not by sight
By faith this mountain shall be moved
And the power of the gospel shall prevail
For we know in Christ all things are possible
For all who call upon His name..."
These were some of the words that we sang in church this morning, the words that touched me the most, and the words that I felt God was speaking straight to my heart. It is so easy to look outside a window or to walk down the street in Bangkok and get very discouraged because we see poverty, we see lust, we see shame, we see dirtiness, we see brokenness, we see pain, and we see sin. We see through the eyes of our flesh. It does not look like God is doing anything in this city; it looks abandoned by Him because there is so much sin, so much evil, so much sadness and misery, so much shame, and so much of Satan's presence in this city. We forget that God works in mysterious ways, many of which we cannot see with our human eyes. The lyrics to this song reminded me that God is working, and we must have faith, knowing that this city is in His hands. Even though we may not be able to see the effects, God sees them, and He continues to work in this place.
Recently, each of us has struggled with our feelings. It is so hard to recognize feelings here, and it is so frustrating to not know how you feel; one minute, feeling like everything is going fine, but the next minute, being filled to the brim with sadness, helplessness, and anger. We are on an emotional roller coaster that never halts to a sudden stop; will we feel like this forever? Everything going on in this city is so painful to think about, that you almost want to be able to cut it out of your thoughts, out of your memory, but at the same time you never want to stop worrying, never want life to go back to "normal," and never want to allow thoughts about anything except what is happening here. How can we continue to live in luxury while these girls are struggling through each day, wishing that they did not have to go to work that day, not because they are lazy but because their work is damaging physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.
Think about it...how insignificant are the things that consume our lives? Cleaning the house. Watching a football game. Voting for our favorite contestant on American Idol. Complaining about EVERYTHING. Trying to reach the top of the ladder at our job. Being the best at whatever we do, just to give ourselves glory. Getting the newest electronic device, just because we can. Searching the world for our "one true love." Finding out the latest gossip by stalking people on Facebook. Putting in extra hours at work instead of being with our families. What does any of this get us? Where will a life like this lead us? Why are we not focusing on what God wants for our lives and on what we can do to better His kingdom? Isn't our purpose to bring glory to Him through our every thought and action? Sure, I am guilty of some of these insignificant things right now, and yes, some of them bring joy to our lives, but I feel like we are all missing the bigger picture. As Americans, we plan out every minute of every day to be consumed by something that probably will not matter in the end. All I am saying is that we should spend less time with what needs to be done next and more time serving God.
So many thoughts and so many feelings are battling for our attention; there is always too much for us to process. Please pray that we will give our thoughts and feelings to God to help us handle them and to prevent them from intruding on our mission here. Pray that we will continue to build relationships with these girls and that they will be susceptible to what we have to say about Beginnings and about Christ. Please pray for the girls in the house, that they will be able to work through their struggles and that they will become closer to God and allow Him to swallow them in true love. Pray for the leadership of Beginnings, that they will be united in decisions and that they will be uplifted by God daily.
Thank you all for your support and prayers; they mean so much to us.
Love to all,
Kalyn
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Teaching and Reaching
Hello all,
So, today was a jam packed day! We began the day working with a group from California who have been practicing teaching English for several weeks, just for the purpose of coming to Thailand and helping the girls in the house! I have the privilege of working with a lovely lady who is extremely funny and they nick-named her the "trouble maker," which I have also been nick-named since I was a child.
Today we taught the girls how to use "Is, are, am, she, you, I." We also taught them the difference in placing a period at the end of a sentence verses a question mark. Then we would give them either a question or a sentence and they had to tell us whether the sentence was a question or just a sentence with a period. I LOVE these girls!!!! When I began teaching them just a few days ago, I actually taught a 31 year old woman to read her first word. The word was remember, and when she read it, she stopped, looked wide eyed and said that that was the first word she had ever read! And now she is reading sentences and speaking sentences in less than one week!
I am learning that these girls have as much to teach me as I do them. It is awesome because I get to tell them I am learning with them!
Today we also went to afternoon outreach. We got to play pool and establish better relationships with the girls at the pool bars! One of them now, will hug me and give me high fives!
Then we ended the evening by having the group from California do a Bible study. They read from Numbers 6: 24-26. The passage states: "The LORD will bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace."
It was a great message and was a much needed reminder. I learned one thing new. Keep means: 1) To provide for 2) To protect 3) To watch over. The part of the message that really hit me was when one of the ladies said this "keeping us" means that God holds on to us. Because to keep someone you have to know them, so yes, we hold on to Him, but when we struggle, He holds onto us!!!!!!
Current prayer requests: We all seem to be feeling exhausted for one reason or another. I personally attribute it to our bodies way of working out what we see and feel. So, for us (Kalyn, Savannah, and I) is for us to really lean on one another and seek the LORD intentionally! Also, pray that we continue to trust that the LORD has a plan for these girls who are seemingly trapped in this sex-trafficking industry and also trust that He is working and watering the seeds He is having us plant. Additionally, for protection, and just for us to hear Him more than the outside world which is visibly full or hurt, pain, sin, and poverty.
We are really missing everyone and love you all! And thank you so much for the prayers! I would love to hear what is goin on back home as well as any prayer requests.
Blessings,
Trisha
So, today was a jam packed day! We began the day working with a group from California who have been practicing teaching English for several weeks, just for the purpose of coming to Thailand and helping the girls in the house! I have the privilege of working with a lovely lady who is extremely funny and they nick-named her the "trouble maker," which I have also been nick-named since I was a child.
Today we taught the girls how to use "Is, are, am, she, you, I." We also taught them the difference in placing a period at the end of a sentence verses a question mark. Then we would give them either a question or a sentence and they had to tell us whether the sentence was a question or just a sentence with a period. I LOVE these girls!!!! When I began teaching them just a few days ago, I actually taught a 31 year old woman to read her first word. The word was remember, and when she read it, she stopped, looked wide eyed and said that that was the first word she had ever read! And now she is reading sentences and speaking sentences in less than one week!
I am learning that these girls have as much to teach me as I do them. It is awesome because I get to tell them I am learning with them!
Today we also went to afternoon outreach. We got to play pool and establish better relationships with the girls at the pool bars! One of them now, will hug me and give me high fives!
Then we ended the evening by having the group from California do a Bible study. They read from Numbers 6: 24-26. The passage states: "The LORD will bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace."
It was a great message and was a much needed reminder. I learned one thing new. Keep means: 1) To provide for 2) To protect 3) To watch over. The part of the message that really hit me was when one of the ladies said this "keeping us" means that God holds on to us. Because to keep someone you have to know them, so yes, we hold on to Him, but when we struggle, He holds onto us!!!!!!
Current prayer requests: We all seem to be feeling exhausted for one reason or another. I personally attribute it to our bodies way of working out what we see and feel. So, for us (Kalyn, Savannah, and I) is for us to really lean on one another and seek the LORD intentionally! Also, pray that we continue to trust that the LORD has a plan for these girls who are seemingly trapped in this sex-trafficking industry and also trust that He is working and watering the seeds He is having us plant. Additionally, for protection, and just for us to hear Him more than the outside world which is visibly full or hurt, pain, sin, and poverty.
We are really missing everyone and love you all! And thank you so much for the prayers! I would love to hear what is goin on back home as well as any prayer requests.
Blessings,
Trisha
Monday, June 13, 2011
This morning we taught English for the last time for 2 weeks. A team from California (Roy & Bonita's home church) sent a team of 4 women. They will be teaching English and doing some Evening Outreach. We went to afternoon outreach. We went to H2 because we had not been there the last few days. We saw the girl Kalyn met the first time she was here, but she was with a customer. Kalyn and Trisha then played pool and you could tell that she was embarrassed for us to see her talking to a customer. She did not want to look at us, and put her back to us. We knew her birthday was sometime this week but today she told us it was tomorrow. So Kalyn is going to buy her a piece of cake from the bakery. We left there and went to H1. We talked to our 2 friends at H1 for a while. But then a girl we had spoken to before a little bit came over to me and asked how I was. I told her I was good, but tired and then asked her the same. She got BIG tears in her eyes and said NOT GOOD. I asked her if she was okay, and she said im not. I felt so bad, I asked her if she wanted to talk and she said No. Thai's bottle up their emotions alot. I knew there was nothing I could do because she didnt know much English already. But seeing those big tears in her eyes KILLED me. I felt so bad for her. Our older friend at the same bar told us a few days ago that she was always happy, and we asked her if she could be sad. She said you can be sad for a second but then happy again. Meaning you should not stay sad for long. Thats sad because by doing that she is bottling up her feelings which alot of Thai's especially the bar girls do. After she walked away, I was watching a VERY beautiful girl play pool with a customer. When she came to our side of the table I look down and her legs had cuts and bruises on them. I showed Kalyn and she said that she bet that she had been beat. You never know what these girls stories are. But to them EVERYTHING IS OKAY. But they need to know the difference, someone bumping you on the street is ok, but not being raped, or beaten.
These girls dont feel like they have a purpose, or have a future. Many want to get out of the bars but just cant. Some like being in the bars because they feel wanted by the men. But these girls are worth so much. The girls we have already made friends with already mean so much to me.
These men need as much prayer as the girls do.
Pray for the girls in the house, pray for their safety and well being.
Pray for our emotionally state, as we are getting very emotionally tired.
Pray for our friends in the bar, that they understand what they mean to us.
Pray for us as we are doing outreach everyday, pray for our safety.
love and thanks,
Savannah
These girls dont feel like they have a purpose, or have a future. Many want to get out of the bars but just cant. Some like being in the bars because they feel wanted by the men. But these girls are worth so much. The girls we have already made friends with already mean so much to me.
These men need as much prayer as the girls do.
Pray for the girls in the house, pray for their safety and well being.
Pray for our emotionally state, as we are getting very emotionally tired.
Pray for our friends in the bar, that they understand what they mean to us.
Pray for us as we are doing outreach everyday, pray for our safety.
love and thanks,
Savannah
Friday, June 10, 2011
Hey everyone!
We are starting each day off with teaching English to the girls at Beginnings. The girls are broken into groups based on their skill levels, and we have worked with the same girls for three days now. On Monday, however, a group of ladies from Roy and Bonita's home church in California is coming to teach English. We are going to observe them, take notes, and form a manual of some sort for future interns who teach English at Beginnings.
We have been doing afternoon outreach and are involved in three different bars. We have a couple of girls in each bar that we are forming relationships with, but we are hoping to expand that circle of friends throughout the next few days so that we have more opportunities to share God's love. I was so excited to find one of the girls that I met last year, and I was so surprised that she remembered me! (I was not expecting her to.) Unfortunately, she was not at the bar yesterday during the time that she is supposed to work, so she was most likely with a customer. I was really hoping that this was not the case, but when she told me that she was at home sleeping, I knew it was true. I know that she cannot leave work to go home just to rest. Of course it is hard to see any of these girls be with a man who has purchased her as if she were a piece of meat, but it is so much harder to see a girl that you are friends with be with a man that does not truly love her. We have to be prepared to see girls that we are close friends with be with a man while we are there; it is inevitable.
Tomorrow, a team of 35 people is coming to visit Beginnings for a couple of hours. This is a great opportunity for Beginnings, so pray that it goes well!
Tomorrow night, Savannah and I will head into the go-go bars with Bonita and one of the girls from Beginnings. It will be Savannah's first time into these bars, and it will be my first in over a year. This is a completely different world than the types of things we see every day, so pray that we will feel God's presence and that He will keep us strong.
Thank you all for your prayers and support; it means so much to us!
Love to all!
Kalyn
We are starting each day off with teaching English to the girls at Beginnings. The girls are broken into groups based on their skill levels, and we have worked with the same girls for three days now. On Monday, however, a group of ladies from Roy and Bonita's home church in California is coming to teach English. We are going to observe them, take notes, and form a manual of some sort for future interns who teach English at Beginnings.
We have been doing afternoon outreach and are involved in three different bars. We have a couple of girls in each bar that we are forming relationships with, but we are hoping to expand that circle of friends throughout the next few days so that we have more opportunities to share God's love. I was so excited to find one of the girls that I met last year, and I was so surprised that she remembered me! (I was not expecting her to.) Unfortunately, she was not at the bar yesterday during the time that she is supposed to work, so she was most likely with a customer. I was really hoping that this was not the case, but when she told me that she was at home sleeping, I knew it was true. I know that she cannot leave work to go home just to rest. Of course it is hard to see any of these girls be with a man who has purchased her as if she were a piece of meat, but it is so much harder to see a girl that you are friends with be with a man that does not truly love her. We have to be prepared to see girls that we are close friends with be with a man while we are there; it is inevitable.
Tomorrow, a team of 35 people is coming to visit Beginnings for a couple of hours. This is a great opportunity for Beginnings, so pray that it goes well!
Tomorrow night, Savannah and I will head into the go-go bars with Bonita and one of the girls from Beginnings. It will be Savannah's first time into these bars, and it will be my first in over a year. This is a completely different world than the types of things we see every day, so pray that we will feel God's presence and that He will keep us strong.
Thank you all for your prayers and support; it means so much to us!
Love to all!
Kalyn
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
An amazing God moving day! He is at work!
Hello everyone!
Well, tonight, I went with a girl in the house to Nana Plaza to a GoGo bar. There we had a Jesus filled night as I got to speak with a lot of Issan girls...it was one of those nights everyone needed and was getting talked too! We spoke with 5 girls and out of the 5, 1 is planning on coming to beginnings tomorrow night, and another is "thinking about it." And one 22 year old who spoke English very well said she couldn't come out of the bars because she has to support her brother through school and her sisters (not uncommon in Bangkok's girls). Anyways, God totally led our conversation and I ended up sharing the Gospel with her and she is planning on coming to church THIS Sunday!!!!!!! How amazing! In the midst of seeing so many girls being numb, God allowed us to keep talking and HE only worked this out.
Savannah and Kalyn went with another girl in the Beginnings house to a pool bar. They actually got drinks for free because they loved the girl at Beginnings so much!
My night was mind blowing! God is TRULY hearing your prayers, my prayers, and is being actually attentive to them.
Prayer requests are the the 2 girls actually come to Beginnings, and deciding to get out of the Industry would be the best! Also, that my new friend would show up at church this weekend! Our bodies are so tired, and I am pretty sure we can all tell its mental stress. However, we are all grateful to lives the lives we do...Serve the LORD, and be attended for His voice!
I will send more later! I sincerely cannot thank each and everyone of you who have been praying for us! I am praying for the El Savador team also!.
I do miss home!!!!! But clearly meant to be there!
Love,
Trisha
P.S. if you know any uplifting Bible verses, please send us the verse! I appreciate all my family, church and best friends who have help this com true!
Well, tonight, I went with a girl in the house to Nana Plaza to a GoGo bar. There we had a Jesus filled night as I got to speak with a lot of Issan girls...it was one of those nights everyone needed and was getting talked too! We spoke with 5 girls and out of the 5, 1 is planning on coming to beginnings tomorrow night, and another is "thinking about it." And one 22 year old who spoke English very well said she couldn't come out of the bars because she has to support her brother through school and her sisters (not uncommon in Bangkok's girls). Anyways, God totally led our conversation and I ended up sharing the Gospel with her and she is planning on coming to church THIS Sunday!!!!!!! How amazing! In the midst of seeing so many girls being numb, God allowed us to keep talking and HE only worked this out.
Savannah and Kalyn went with another girl in the Beginnings house to a pool bar. They actually got drinks for free because they loved the girl at Beginnings so much!
My night was mind blowing! God is TRULY hearing your prayers, my prayers, and is being actually attentive to them.
Prayer requests are the the 2 girls actually come to Beginnings, and deciding to get out of the Industry would be the best! Also, that my new friend would show up at church this weekend! Our bodies are so tired, and I am pretty sure we can all tell its mental stress. However, we are all grateful to lives the lives we do...Serve the LORD, and be attended for His voice!
I will send more later! I sincerely cannot thank each and everyone of you who have been praying for us! I am praying for the El Savador team also!.
I do miss home!!!!! But clearly meant to be there!
Love,
Trisha
P.S. if you know any uplifting Bible verses, please send us the verse! I appreciate all my family, church and best friends who have help this com true!
Monday, June 6, 2011
For all you guys who arent sure who the June 2011 Thailand team is here's our picture! 
Savannah, Kalyn, and Trisha
Today we were suppose to start outreach but were unable to because the girls were busy. We got a extra few hours of training with Bonita, who gave us so much good background information. We learn alot about the culture, and about Thai men. Many were things we have not heard before. Bonita gave us one fact that really stood out to me. She said "70% of the men who come into the Bangkok airport will use the bars at some point of their stay."
We are very excited to start outreach tomorrow, we will also start teaching English, Wednesday to the high school girls.
I want to thank everyone for their prayers and support! We can feel the prayers and it means alot to us! We are sleeping better and adjusting to the heat.
Current Prayer Requests:
Pray that tomorrow we will be rested and ready to build relationships. Pray that we are accepted into the bars by the girls also by the mamsans and bar owners. Pray for the girls again that they will be able to understand our English, and also be able to talk to us.
Also today we learn alot about some of the girls in the house, Bonita asked us to pray for one of the girls as she is having a hard time with her 14 yr. old son, they are not sure if she is going to stay at the house. She is about to graduate and they want her to stay so she will be able to continue and graduate University.
love you guys,
Savannah :)
Savannah, Kalyn, and Trisha
Today we were suppose to start outreach but were unable to because the girls were busy. We got a extra few hours of training with Bonita, who gave us so much good background information. We learn alot about the culture, and about Thai men. Many were things we have not heard before. Bonita gave us one fact that really stood out to me. She said "70% of the men who come into the Bangkok airport will use the bars at some point of their stay."
We are very excited to start outreach tomorrow, we will also start teaching English, Wednesday to the high school girls.
I want to thank everyone for their prayers and support! We can feel the prayers and it means alot to us! We are sleeping better and adjusting to the heat.
Current Prayer Requests:
Pray that tomorrow we will be rested and ready to build relationships. Pray that we are accepted into the bars by the girls also by the mamsans and bar owners. Pray for the girls again that they will be able to understand our English, and also be able to talk to us.
Also today we learn alot about some of the girls in the house, Bonita asked us to pray for one of the girls as she is having a hard time with her 14 yr. old son, they are not sure if she is going to stay at the house. She is about to graduate and they want her to stay so she will be able to continue and graduate University.
love you guys,
Savannah :)
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Processing and making friends
Hello everyone,
I wanted to share with everyone what I feel the LORD gave me personally this morning. To give you all background as to how I was feeling, I was feeling exhausted, frustrated and just upset. What I have been seeing is hard and there aren't words to express how sad, broken, and poverty stricken this country is.
So, I couldn't sleep and got up at 5 am and decided to go down stairs and try and get out international cell phone working. Long story short, we need to purchase another card. After that, I was still feeling a whirlwind of emotions and somewhat discouraged because this city needs so much help. So, I opened my devotional, the title was Resolution and the verse was Luke 9:51 which says "as the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem."
Then the devotional said:
My child, how I long to reach into your hear and take those heaped-up fears and throw them into one huge bonfire. Some days, its all you can do to pull back the covers and wash your face. The dread of another day drains your energies before you ever begin. But I have work for you to do--and blessings yet unclaimed. Just as I accepted My destiny with resolution and joy, you can, too. Se your face toward the Son and see those fears vanish.
For me, as I stated above, yesterday was just a really rough day and I was so exhausted I just fell into bed to go to sleep. But, I awoke and every word applied to how I feel. As many of you know I have some anxiety issues so that was very helpful also.
Instead of wondering why do people come here, I need to focus on why I came here and hold on to the certainty that God has a much bigger and better plan than I can even imagine.
Kalyn briefly updated today, but I just wanted to share this with the church, friends, and family! I am sooooooooo blessed to have you all in my life, and I realize I have taken that for granted.
I hope everyone else is doing well. God Bless the El Salvador team as they leave today! You will be in my thoughts and prayers.
Prayer requests are for us to be confident knowing God has a purpose for us here and seeing the small advances instead of waiting for large ones. And also for the Holy Spirit to give us the peace and direction that is Christ led, not human sought. Health and sleep schedules are a struggle also.
Love to you all,
Trisha
I wanted to share with everyone what I feel the LORD gave me personally this morning. To give you all background as to how I was feeling, I was feeling exhausted, frustrated and just upset. What I have been seeing is hard and there aren't words to express how sad, broken, and poverty stricken this country is.
So, I couldn't sleep and got up at 5 am and decided to go down stairs and try and get out international cell phone working. Long story short, we need to purchase another card. After that, I was still feeling a whirlwind of emotions and somewhat discouraged because this city needs so much help. So, I opened my devotional, the title was Resolution and the verse was Luke 9:51 which says "as the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem."
Then the devotional said:
My child, how I long to reach into your hear and take those heaped-up fears and throw them into one huge bonfire. Some days, its all you can do to pull back the covers and wash your face. The dread of another day drains your energies before you ever begin. But I have work for you to do--and blessings yet unclaimed. Just as I accepted My destiny with resolution and joy, you can, too. Se your face toward the Son and see those fears vanish.
For me, as I stated above, yesterday was just a really rough day and I was so exhausted I just fell into bed to go to sleep. But, I awoke and every word applied to how I feel. As many of you know I have some anxiety issues so that was very helpful also.
Instead of wondering why do people come here, I need to focus on why I came here and hold on to the certainty that God has a much bigger and better plan than I can even imagine.
Kalyn briefly updated today, but I just wanted to share this with the church, friends, and family! I am sooooooooo blessed to have you all in my life, and I realize I have taken that for granted.
I hope everyone else is doing well. God Bless the El Salvador team as they leave today! You will be in my thoughts and prayers.
Prayer requests are for us to be confident knowing God has a purpose for us here and seeing the small advances instead of waiting for large ones. And also for the Holy Spirit to give us the peace and direction that is Christ led, not human sought. Health and sleep schedules are a struggle also.
Love to you all,
Trisha
We have spent the last couple of days trying to get our bodies adjusted to this time zone; it is a difficult task. We have also had the opportunity to become acquainted with the city and our immediate surroundings. Needless to say, it is incomparable to the United States.
Even though we have yet to begin outreach (that will begin on Monday), we are already heartbroken for these girls. Although I have already been here and experienced outreach, I can never get used to the reality here, and I do not think that anyone else could either. No matter how many books you read or statistics you know, you can not imagine the emotions that run through you when you see these men and these girls that have obviously numbed themselves to the pain they feel each day.
Please continue to pray for us; we can literally feel your support.
-Kalyn
Even though we have yet to begin outreach (that will begin on Monday), we are already heartbroken for these girls. Although I have already been here and experienced outreach, I can never get used to the reality here, and I do not think that anyone else could either. No matter how many books you read or statistics you know, you can not imagine the emotions that run through you when you see these men and these girls that have obviously numbed themselves to the pain they feel each day.
Please continue to pray for us; we can literally feel your support.
-Kalyn
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Trisha, Kalyn and Savannah in Thailand safe!
Hello all!
I just want to let everyone know that we have arrived safely in Thailand. We are all 3 currently sitting on our beds, listening to the rain POUR and blogging!
The flights were long, but Jesus has kept us safe. It is nearly 4:30am here, but we seem to all be wide awake.
Not sure what the morning holds, but all is well and I'll give you all more information in the am!
Please pray that we get some rest. I know we are all aching, but very glad to have arrived safe and sound.
Further prayer requests is just preparation for the next steps on our journey here. We are just beginning!
Love to you all!
Trisha
I just want to let everyone know that we have arrived safely in Thailand. We are all 3 currently sitting on our beds, listening to the rain POUR and blogging!
The flights were long, but Jesus has kept us safe. It is nearly 4:30am here, but we seem to all be wide awake.
Not sure what the morning holds, but all is well and I'll give you all more information in the am!
Please pray that we get some rest. I know we are all aching, but very glad to have arrived safe and sound.
Further prayer requests is just preparation for the next steps on our journey here. We are just beginning!
Love to you all!
Trisha
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