Last night I was able to do outreach at Soi Cowboy, one of the main red-light districts here in Bangkok. Although I had been to this red-light district before over the Christmas trip this past December, the scope of depravity and sexual brokenness I witnessed last night still shocked me. Seeing women and young girls being prostituted & exploited by bar owners, pimps & western men isn’t something I’ll ever get used to seeing. Although it was pouring rain last night, business did not slow down like I had expected it would. As I walked down the soi in the pouring rain with one of the Thai girls from Beginnings, the reality of the situation really hit me. The reality that in just that very night nearly 3,000 women & young girls were being exploited & prostituted in that 1 red-light district alone. The reality that women & young girls were being forced to stand on stages or street corners “selling” themselves for a mere $24 for 24 hours to Western men seeking to fulfill their twisted desires. I was hit with the overwhelming sense that in the face of such an enormous & complicated problem with thousands of men as devoted “followers”, what good could 1 girl from America & 1 girl from Thailand really do? If comparing numbers, the odds were stacked against us. As I was praying & walking down the soi, God reminded me of what he always reminds me of when I start asking this question…That my mission isn’t about the large numbers at all, it’s about “the one”. As Sharon Kohn, a lawyer from IJM so perfectly states:

“While there are millions of women & young girls victimized every day, our work will always be about the one. The one girl deceived. The one girl kidnapped. The one girl raped. The one girl infected with AIDS. The one girl needing a rescuer. To succumb to the enormity of the problem is to fail the one. And more is required of us.”

As we walked into one of the gogo bars to do outreach, I knew more was required of me at that moment. As we sat down in the bar, I scanned the room & prayed God would give me an opportunity to reach out to just one girl while I was there. After nearly 20 minutes & several unsuccessful attempts to connect with different girls, I was about to suggest we go to a different bar when I suddenly locked eyes with a girl in the bar whom I recognized from the Christmas party this past December! I knew she remembered me because as soon as she saw me she literally jumped off the stage she was standing on, ran to where I was seated & hugged me! It was such a beautiful moment of hope & light in the midst of such a dark night! To see such a strong response from one girl I invested in, for just one night over 6 months ago, made me realize the power in allowing Christ to show his love through us to just “the one” person he has placed in our path. The girl & I talked & reconnected & other girls I recognized from the Christmas party eventually came over as well! I hope to continue to build on these relationships with the women at this bar as I allow Christ to show His love through me!

Please be in prayer for these relationships! That God will continue to build & strengthen them & that He will continue the good work He began in their hearts over 6months ago.

- Amy