Last night we went to the Red Light District (aka Prostitute Road). See, we found ourselves here due to the previous nights events. While we were walking back to our hostel down Khoa San Road, we were stopped by the sight of 3 street preachers. Both Elijah and I, starved for fellowship and swooned by the Truth, lingered to hear more. When Henry finished Elijah approached him and curiously inquired "What organization are you with?" We were both taken back by his answer "None, we are just here because we love the people." We chatted for a few minutes then departed with a smile, handshake and card with his information on it. That night we emailed Henry with hopes of meeting up again before we left Bangkok.
The following afternoon we arrived via taxi on the other side of the metropolis where we met all- American Henry, his expecting wife Amy and their toddler William. Henry, his cousin Brian and friend Tony (half Vietnamese, half American) go out every night to different part of where ever they are called (currently Bangkok) and preach the Word, straight outa' the Bible. This is all they do! And they aren't the ones who go out screaming "burn sinners burn!!!" So we talked with his family for a few hours then met up with the other gentlemen for dinner and a night on the town.
After a delicous American meal at Gulliver's Travels, we went to Sukumvit Rd where all the Muslims gather. The three of them took turns preaching at the entrances to roads followed by a quick trip to 7/11 for a drink to coat the throat. People respond in all different ways. Most just walk by. Some stop and listen for a few minutes, others have questions, and there's always the one who takes the time to disengage himself from whatever he is currently preoccupied with, to shout "no one's listening!" which i found profoundly humorous due to the fact that he's the one who obviously heard enough to respond.
There were a few interesting things the evangelist told us about the Muslims.
1. Muslims dont turn off when you open the Bible, because they say they "believe" it too. Their version is a little different though.
2. Muslims believe they (or whoever) should die if they loose an argument about their faith. So if you get into a debate with one, he is coming to you with his life on the line. Due to many reasons i dont understand the depth of.
3. If Americans would have begun this war with Iraq and or any other Muslim country from an islamic perspective it could possibly be over. Case in point: Muslims have incredible respect for courage, that is why they blow themselves up in the name of Allah and all that sort of stuff. So when they see American troops with tanks and army protection garb, all they think is how scared we must be "hiding" behind so much armour. They think of us as cowards which makes them want to kill us even more. The real kicker is that if our armed forces threatened to kill any muslim who rose against us with bullet dipped in pig fat, or dig up the bones of the Muslims who have aready died trying and rebury them with pigs, they would back down immediatley due to their belief in unclean food. If we just flew over their country and pushed dead pigs out of the planes it would have more impact than bombs. Muslims can only imbibe "Halal approved" food- pigs being one of the forbidden. They believe if a human body comes into contact with that of a dead pig's, the person will go staright to hell when he/she dies, and the topic of hell is another black hole itself. As difficult as it may be to believe, it worked in Israel when the Muslims were bombing the Israeli's busses, to combat the explosions, they put pigs in their public transportation and the Muslims retired that method instantaniously.
After Sukumvit, we made our way to the land of lust. One by one the preachers projected words of grace and a way out. The crowd here was a little different in that alcohol is as abundant as the area's visitors. People are more inclined to shout and laugh and even make bowing motions as they stumble by. One male came out of the bar to tell Tony to shut up. Another got right in Brian's face sniffed his Bible and pulled on his tie. It's hard not to chuckle. This behaviour just shows an obvious searching for acceptance. The group we went out with prepared us before hand telling us sometimes the people get out of hand. There were many accounts of groin grabbing and other violating acts, so Elijah and i just kinda stood back and caught the action on tape. Fortunately none of that happened while we were there. Most of the people who react just pass by with nasty looks on their faces. There have been other times when the guys have been punched, arrested, put in jail, and all other kinds of threats.
I personally wanted to get into the dirt, so i walked over and tried my best to communicate with some of the hookers. Most of them are my age(21) or younger. They seem like totally normal girls, just going to work. But you and I know somewhere buried inside is a person who has felt like "nothing" for so long they dont feel anymore. We sat and talked until the owner of the hore house told one of the dancers i had to buy a drink or leave. The guys were done preaching so i told the girls to have a nice evening and caught up. I never thought i'd ever shake hands with a hooker, but that was the reason i went in. I just wish i knew Thai better
Elijah got the chance to talk with one of the males who had a female with him. It was blatant the guy had had many guilty arguments with himself by the conversation the two of them had. The male explained how he and all the other males participating would rather be there than home with a nagging wife and kids. He elaborated on how he was providing for the woman here who really needed it and bringing more money to poor Thailand. He wondered why more "men" didn't. It was very disconcerting to see the lack of feeling. I personally didn't feel like i was in a dirty, raunchy place, just an apathetic one.
One thing that was really supreme was that i was scared at first to go. I was instantly filled with rage and jealously when i thought of one of the prostitutes grabbing my husband. I thought i'd either cry at the debauchery or knock someone out, even to the point of abandoning the evening. But when i prayed for courage and wisdom, and went out in faith God All-Mighty filled me to the brim, so much that i even forgot my fear until i looked back on the venture. It was like i could see right to the heart of the splatter. I had a love for them realizing i, in different ways, was still the same at one point in my life and if Christ could love and forgive me & not mention it again, why couldn't i reflect that? There will never be a reason not to.
Tony, before Transformation, was a hate and anger filled pro-kick boxer who knows some of Thailand's dirty little secrets. He told us that there is a maffia that has boys who go and collect money from every person trapped in the filthy ring. Tony said most of the amputies begging on the black sidewalks were made that way by the devils. I guess the maffia cuts their limbs off and comes through at the end of the night and collects their portion of the donations. So instead of tossing a coin in the little plastic cup the preachers buy the people food and drinks instead and pray for them. At one point Tony informed us we had just passed a tuk tuk driver who was selling children. COME ON!!! It gets worse, but the present nausea in my guts kept me from asking. As you can see there is a definate need for a Saviour.
Regretably we forgot to take pictures but will have a lot of footage to show and upload to Utube when we return.
All in all, it was a totally original experience we will never forget. Also, feeling the boundless power of the Holy Spirit was a thrill and addictive. It was as if new blood was pumped through my veins. Our teeth cutting experience in Indonesia paled in comparison to the readiness i have now. Another note that struck my heart strings was if this man can stand on the corner of a counrty that is not his own and shout the Gospel, i can surely be kind to my neighbor and love my enemy- like the scammers in Sape or the taxi driver who just needed the extra dollar enough to short change me. I guess what you receive into your spiritual life will produce into your natural one.
Having said enough, we will try to leave for northern Thailand tomorrow. Thanks for keeping up with us. If anyone would like to email us since the comment posting isn't really working-
Elijah's address is elijahwhaley@gmail.com
and mine is helianthusdch@msn.com
PS, if anyone wants to visit Henry's webpage the address is www.Hispower.org. The testimonials are freeing!
Love, d&e
