Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Talking To Male Sex Tourists

It is never a dull night ministering in the red light districts in Bangkok. Each night we bathe in prayer and worship before entering into the streets. We go in groups of three, with surveys asking questions such as: "How often do you come to this area?" or "Where are you from?" We also carry follow-up packs with us that have information about STD's in Thailand, a story about a bar girl, a story about a sex tourist who both came to know our Lord Jesus Christ. We have collected valuable statistics from taking these surveys from the Westerners down there, but we mostly use them as a toll to engage in further conversation with the men.

My first night taking surveys was amazing. We were standing on a sidewalk close to a bar, engaging a few men in conversation, but never for too long before they went on with their night. Twenty minutes into our night, a man came out of the bar and approached us, asking to take our survey. He was a very friendly chap, and after he was finished with our survey, he remained talking to us for quite some time. James is his name, from the United States. Oddly enough to me, he used to be very involved in the church, leading youth mission trips, leading a small group. But, he has been disillusioned by the church, believing most a hypocrites, unloving and judgmental. But, the amazing part is, James is totally open to hearing our stories and asked for all our testimonies, and asked tons of questions. God is so amazing because we have seen him several times over the past few weeks and he always come and talks to us. Two of our guy students were even able to grab dinner with him one night, had fun, and answered some of James' questions. We are continuing to pray for James that he would find his way back to the arms of the Lord, and see His true character, and forgive the Christians that have portrayed God in a bad light.

A part from James, God has given us many good conversations, however, as I am sure you can imagine, some not so pleasant ones. But, no matter how the night goes, we believe that because of Christ, we are a light to all we encounter even if they just pass us by. God will never quit pursuing His lost sheep, and if we can be even a small part of bringing them back to the Shepherd, we will do what it takes. We still have a few nights left working with the MST Project, so keep checking back for more. If you are interested in more information regarding the MST Project, check out www.mstproject.com.

No comments: