"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." -Philippians 4:6-7
A big part of our ministry consists of going down to the red light area of the city and building relationships. Our goal is to start English and Bible classes. Crowds of young girls stand along the streets and lure people in to have a drink with them or get a massage. There are about 75 massage parlors and bars in less than a two kilometer range. The area we minister in is mainly targeted toward older white foreign men. We will often be sitting in a bar or a massage parlor and see a young girl slip out with an older man. Most of the "extra stuff" happens off of the property of the shop, but the relationships (or interests) start within the place of business. The sex trafficking is not something that is talked about or advertised; it is just an understood industry.
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| One of the bars during the day |
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| Spirit house at the local grocery store |
But, since this city is predominantly Buddhist, there are temples everywhere. The city is overshadowed by a huge temple that is on top of a mountain. You can see the tops of the temple from pretty much anywhere in the city. Most people just accept that they are Buddhist and we are Christians and they don't see anything wrong with it either way. It is their culture, not just their religion. How do you tell somebody that their culture is wrong?
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| Buddhist statues in a temple |
We have struggled getting classes and relationships started. But, we have been in constant prayer. We have to remind ourselves of Philippians 4:6 daily, staying in prayer and not becoming anxious. We tried to start one class with a group of ladies at a massage parlor and when we showed up on the day of the class, they told us that they did not have time and that nobody wanted to learn English. Then we successfully started another class and 10 people showed up! But, the next day it rained and their roof fell in, so we had to postpone class. Then we started one more at a bar, only to get a text the day before cancelling. It has been a bumpy road getting in to the ministry down there but things are starting to look very promising! The devil is working hard, but we are working harder! Our army of angels is too strong to be defeated that easily.
Please pray...
- That the Lord will open the hearts of the girls in the red light area.
- That we will have the endurance to keep going, no matter how many times are attempts are rejected.
-B and Kat