SOUTHEAST ASIA MISSIONS TRIP Lauren and I are so grateful for the privilege we have had to travel to S.E. Asia this past September. Thank you so much for being a dynamic part of our journey. We designed this pamphlet to tell our story; the following are testimonies and pictures from our experiences. Our hope is that they will fuel your fire for intercession, provide greater insight into the problem of human trafficking, and cause you to rejoice in the fruit of your support and prayers. CHIANG MAI, THAILAND Mam and the Northern Hill Tribe girls Our first stop in S.E. Asia was the beautifully lush city of Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand. Upon arrival our hosts were eager to take us straight to the mission field we would be working – the bars and karaoke clubs. We drove through town observing place after place that offered the same coveted commodity – teenage Thai girls. This is no secret as Thailand has gained international notoriety for their sex-tourism industry. Consider this government- sponsored advertisement: “The one fruit of Thailand more Photo by Danielle Mitchell delicious than durian [a local fruit], its young women.” It was a sad scene to observe as the girls were situated in front of the karaoke clubs anxiously pulling their mini- skirts down to cover just a little bit of skin. Chiang Mai Karaoke Club Our hosts in Chiang Mai operate a home primarily for “at “girly-bar” to risk” girls, that is, girls at risk of being trafficked. In addition talk with some of the prostituted they have a smaller house in the back of the property that girls. Our hope was to discover ones who were looking houses several girls who have been previously prostituted. for a way out. After some brief conversation we took a girl Joyce and David Moore gave up their retirement six years named Mam to go get a foot-message. We figured this was ago to come start this home now called Abba House a safe context to converse and find out her story. What we Foundation. In our initial conversations with them about learned was very insightful. It turns out that she, like nearly coming to visit we talked about looking for opportunities to all these girls, was from the Northern Hill tribes of Thailand. rescue girls and even boys out of the sex-tourism industry. She explained to us (as did many others) that people living Joyce and David eagerly offered their place to house any that in the Northern Hill Tribes do not receive Thai citizenship, we rescued. and that without Thai identification cards it is virtually impossible to get a job. Unfortunately though, this is only On our first night out my friend Angel and I went in to a the beginning of their problems. explain what exactly she was hoping for – what her greatest desire was. Her answer really touched me because I felt her sincerity and the depth of her bondage. She said she just wanted to have “good parents.” Mam was visibly overcome with shame, had an obviously broken spirit, and seemed very desperate. Feeling significant compassion for her, I finally decided to clarify our true intentions for taking her out. Photo by Danielle Mitchell Danielle by Photo I first explained to her that although there is no true “forgiveness” in Buddhism, Jesus loves her, can forgive her, heal her, and make her whole again. As I shared these words with her I felt the jealous passion of Jesus rise up in my soul. She was immediately overcome with emotion and turned away in tears. It was evident that the Holy Spirit was manifesting the love of God to her in a powerful way. Nearby Joyce was waiting in the car, so I went and got her so that she could explain to Mam that Abba House offers bar-girls a way out. In Thai Waiting for Benji and Angél to come out with Mam. culture it is expected There was an obvious barrier of fear and distrust that we of children to provide for their parents. had to work through, but it was amazing to see the shift that This burden falls particularly heavy on the girls, as the happened when she finally believed we were really there parents are often willing to make sacrifices so that boys can to help her. From eyes filled with shame, I could now see go to school, believing that the boys have some inherently a glimmer of hope. Mam accepted our offer to come take greater worth. Thailand is ninety five percent Buddhist, and a tour of Abba House, and was greeted by our entire team in Buddhist thinking girls cannot achieve the highest levels as she arrived out at the vehicle. During the time we spent of spiritual enlightenment. Their best hope is to earn enough with her our team just fell in love with Mam, it was really merit in their current life to be born a male in the next. The something special. The most difficult part was taking her expectation to provide for parents is an enormous cultural back to the bar at the end of the night. She said she wanted pressure that cannot be over-exaggerated. Families from the to come live at Abba House, but when she called her boss, Northern Hill Tribes frequently send their girls to the big they convinced her that she was like a daughter to them and cities looking for work in order to send money back home. they needed her for just a “few more months.” At the time we caught up with Mam she appeared to be In Mam’s case, her dad contracted cancer when she was just about 17 or 18. Her dad has been dead now for a few years, a young teenager. With medical bills piling up Mam felt a so she continues to work to support her mom. To hide the responsibility to help her family; that is when she came to shame of her profession she tells her mom she works at a Chiang Mai looking for work. She quickly discovered that shop. We are praying that God would deliver her from this employers weren’t just handing out jobs to girls with no systemic form of cultural enslavement. Thai identification. As she began to grow discouraged, a door of hope suddenly opened to her. A couple stepped in Since our experience in reaching out to the girls in Chiang to offer her a job working in one of the local bars; a couple Mai, Joyce has decided to modify their program for she now says “loves her like their own daughter.” As it turns prostituted girls by offering them the opportunity to work out, this job entailed serving a lot more than drinks. It also at Abba House during the day as opposed to requiring that included the expectation to provide “special services” to the they live there full-time. We are hoping this day-program customers. With financial pressure mounting on her, the will afford more girls the courage to take advantage of an situation with her dad’s cancer, and nowhere else to turn, she opportunity to begin a new life. There are many issues to found herself selling the only thing anybody seemed to want work through so we believe this more subtle transition will from her – her body. make coming to Abba House a safe and inviting option. The key factor for them is discovering who Jesus is and His great I asked Mam about what Buddhist feelings were toward girls love for them. This is what will ultimately help these girls who worked in the bars. She acknowledged that they looked make a decision that is simply too difficult to make on their shamefully upon them, but she hoped that by providing for own. her parents she would earn enough good merit to cancel out her bad deeds (we later verified this line of thinking in an interview with a Buddhist monk). She openly confessed to us that she did not want to do this kind of work, but had accepted her plight in the hopes she would have a better predicament in the next life. At this time I asked her to Crisis in the Church asked me to come back the next day. Fortunately when I came back she was available. When we sat down with her On one of the nights that we went out to local bars and she happily told us that her customer from the night before karaoke clubs we were struck with an unexpected and was a Christian. She said he had “a big cross tattoo, and a sobering reality. My friend Aaron and I ventured into a cross necklace.” Once again I was struck by the irony of this club where two “working girls” immediately greeted us and whole situation. On the same night, at the same time, two explained the prices for their services. Wanting to extend Christians converged at the same scene for the same girl our conversation with them in order to find out their story, - one there to exploit her, the other there to rescue her. we sat down and ordered a couple of cokes. In these places they practically force you to sing karaoke, so naturally it was I read one pole recently that documented a startling statistic Aaron who got stuck singing, “It’s My Life” by Bon Jovi. – 76 % of Pastors struggle with pornography on a daily basis. In another article I read how that there is a direct correlation between pornography and prostitution.