So much has happened since I last posted. I’m sorry that it’s been awhile…we’ve been keeping very busy and internet is always questionable. On Wednesday, we went to visit the Tamar Bakery and Restaurant. We met some of the ex-bar girls who left their lives as prostitutes to work with Tamar. All have given their lives to Christ and their stories of faith are absolutely incredible. One, Pi Lai, began her work as a bar girl when she was thirty-five and her husband divorced her, leaving her as a single mother with two sons to support. She prayed one day to Buddha that he would rescue her from this job and that same day she met people from Tamar. After three months of simply trying to turn her life around without any interest in changing her religion, she became a Christian when God miraculously healed her son. She radiates joy and a love for Jesus that lit up the room. One of the other girls was eighteen and had escaped prostitution with her two young children. Their stories are heart-breaking, yet they live with such simple faith and strength.

Thursday was spent doing much needed distraction from all that we’re being overwhelmed with. I went jet-skiing with a group of friends and then we all got Thai massages. Pretty cool. No need to say more about that.

Yesterday, we went to the beach where young Thai men prostitute themselves to other foreigners. We had lunch with them and talked with them. We broke out into spontaneous singing and tried to teach them how to do the Macarena and the electric slide. They in turn taught us Thai dancing and I had to laugh at the difference between our rowdy, awkward display compared to their own elegant style. It was beautiful to see this side of them and to have the opportunity to love them and to be loved on by them. They all desired to know the love of God but don’t think themselves worthy of it. It made me ache for them. Later that day, we met with a couple that works with gay men in prostitution and heard their story. We joined them for dinner where we had the opportunity to see more Thai dancing as we ate delicious Thai food. I’m falling more and more in love with this culture and these people. I can’t believe it’s only been a week that we’ve been here. We have one more day in Pattaya and tomorrow we leave for Chiang Rai. Please be praying for all the people we met here, that God would continue to touch their lives and cover them with His love. Please also pray for a safe journey for our group and continued open eyes for everything else the Lord is going to show us on this trip.