We prayed up and headed out to Pat Pong late Wednesday night with expectant hearts to love the hurting, care for the afflicted, and to be Jesus to every heart we encountered. It’s humbling to know that the Lord sees all; the beginning from the end and His perfect master plan always prevails. All night the Lord had been at work aligning my Spirit with Betsy’s. As we walked up and down the streets praying the Lord revealed multiple times that she and I were praying the same prayers and He was using the both of us to confirm His answers to those prayers.
While sipping a coke, Ali and I were approached by the sweetest Thai girls who were selling children’s toys. Their faces were so full of joy and they radiated with light. Both girls were 15 years old. Here in Bangkok that is just about the age the girls begin prostituting and working in the bars. I asked one of the girls if she wanted one of my bracelets and she smiled but declined. Then she set her basket down and took off the bracelet she was wearing and tied it around my wrist. The bracelet said, “I love Jesus”. I asked if she knew Jesus and she smiled so vibrantly and said “yes! I love Him” then proceeded to point up toward the sky and say “God”. It was in that moment that I knew these two were a divine appointment and a huge encouragement from the Lord. Here we were, 16 Americans who are crazily in love with Jesus on a mission to love and bring light to the darkness and I was the one being blessed.
The darkness has not overcome the light.
About an hour or so later, Crock and Torres asked Betsy and I to join them and Ali to Super Girl (a bar). Betsy and I shared a booth with Kristen. Once again the Lord knitted Betsy and I together as we were both praying for the same girl. I motioned for this sweet girl to come join us so we could buy her a coke and share the love of Christ with her by asking her of her life and her interests. As we looked beyond the tiny-framed sister we all felt an awkwardness dwelling in our booth. The 16 year old kept anticipating us to ask her for a sexual favor or something of the sort and we just wanted to talk with her, to ask her about her day, to show her love. After 10 minutes or so passed Betsy asked her if she knew Jesus and the young girl shook her head no. Betsy proceeded to ask her if she wanted a bracelet and she smiled and said yes. She picked out a green bracelet and was really excited. Several minutes passed and she noticed I also had bracelets on my wrist. We offered her another one and she immediately without a second of hesitation pointed to my new bracelet that read ‘I love Jesus’ on it. I tied the bracelet on her wrist and prayed the words would become true to her heart and that she would know the love of Christ.
“I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name. This is my command: Love each other.” – John 15:9-17
“You didn’t choose me, I chose you”. She didn’t know who Jesus was but He chose her. He sent those two sweet girls to Betsy and I to bless us and provide that bracelet. He pressed on our hearts the sweet girl dancing on stage. He appointed that bracelet to wrap around His daughter's wrist.
She may not have known the Lord but He chose her.
Photo by Connie Rock.
