So I’m now done my second week of my internship at NightLight! Eventually, my roles will include coordinating guest groups, giving tours, and doing sales of NightLight jewelry here in Thailand. So far I’ve done lots of random tasks, sat in on tours to start learning what I’ll be saying, and sold jewelry at a church here in town. I went on my first night of outreach last Friday and helped with a medical clinic last week as well. I’m just trying to take everything in, learn as much as I can, and do a good job!
Outreach was one of the most significant portions of my week. Thank you to all who were praying for and during that time! We’ll be out again this Friday night, which will be Friday morning for most of you. Prayer is especially important during these times. I haven’t been here long enough yet to have huge deeply profound things longing to break out of my soul through words, so I’m just going to describe to you what I saw and felt. We (two others and I) started the night with prayer and worship. Two women from NightLight were also there to sing and pray with us (bilingual worship, yeah!)
The street is crazy crowded with vendors and people at night, and lights and music blast out of the bars. Through a thick black curtain, into more music and neon lights. The women stand on a stage in the middle of the room, wearing a bikini at most, probably less. They are supposed to be dancing, but really they are just stepping from foot to foot or moving their hips. Their facial expressions range from bored to disengaged to desperate. It’s their faces that I haven’t forgotten. There certainly isn’t anywhere else in their direction that I can look without feeling incredibly awkward. But not looking at them would do nothing to acknowledge their humanity. We sit and order soda. One of my coworkers who is able to communicate in Thai begins a lively conversation with one of the girls. I sit. I take it all in. It sinks into the depths of my soul that this is truly happening in front of me. Extreme emotions don’t hit me- because I can’t show them here, but realize after awhile that my shoulders are getting tight, a surefire sign that I’m feeling something that I can’t yet express. That time, I didn’t end up (attempting) to talk to any of the girls, I just took everything in.
I sat in that club and prayed. I prayed for the conversation going on beside me, I prayed that God’s kingdom come in this dark place, I prayed that the girls before me would see themselves as beloved daughters of the King. And as I prayed, God gave a tiny piece of His heart to me too. His heart sees hope in deep darkness. His heart knows those women by name, not by a number. Being in that club hurt, literally on a physical level in my body I felt the darkness, BUT His hope shines brighter. This was only my first of what will most likely be many trips into the club. Join me in praying for these women, against the darkness that surrounds them. Pray that the light of Jesus would break through in this place. Pray for my team and I, prayer is so incredibly necessary in what we are doing.
All in all though, city life in Bangkok is fun right now. Liv (my roommate and coworker) and I take motorcycle taxis to the train most mornings to come to work. In the evenings, I take a song taew home from the train- that’s a pickup truck with the back converted into bench seats and handrails and packed full of people. I love just walking around to get wherever I’m going and all of the street food and random things that I see. There’s even a golden retriever on the way home who I’m working on becoming friends with because, well, goldens are just the best. That's all for now!
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