Stop the Sun

December 11, 2011
Stop the Sun
(Johanna Calfee)

How ugly the exposure of light can be.

It’s hard to imagine a place more filthy than Nana Plaza by night. But, it is in the glare of daylight that it reveals its true grit. Abandoned and silent, the sun’s rays show the red light district’s filth, engrained down to the drywall.

The religious shrine that sits in front of the spread of Go-Go bars is part of the sick irony of a culture of people who sell their daughters in order to elevate their sons. A culture that declares prostitution “illegal,” yet turns its head to the realities of two very profitable, very tourist-driven red light districts. A culture that celebrates “Christmas” at every turn, yet neglects the teachings of a loving, freeing Christ.

It’s been said that darkness comes before the light. But light can only make itself known in the midst of darkness. Perhaps that is why Nana Plaza by day gives the illusion of hope despite of its best efforts.

In Joshua 10, God make the sun stand still to drive out the darkness until the enemies of Israel, the Amorites, could be defeated by Joshua’s army:

3 So the sun stood still,
and the moon stopped,
till the nation avenged itself on its enemies,
as it is written in the Book of Jashar.

The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. 14 There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the LORD listened to a human being. Surely the LORD was fighting for Israel!

My prayer is that God will listen once again to a human–the ones who are rising up to fight against the injustice of sexual slavery and exploitation. May He “stop the sun” until this nation of Thailand, and those who love the least of its people, can avenge its enemies. Then and only then will the true light remain, along with the hope of a new day for those who know no other existence than one filled with artificial light meant to temporarily illuminate and distort the darkness.

God, stop the sun for these girls; these precious girls that were created to be your daughters.

****To see full blog post with images, go to www.calfeesinthailand.wordpress.com