Know Jesus, Know Peace
By Madi White
I’ve had a lot of information and culture thrown at me since arriving in Thailand, including everything from culture and language barriers to emotional disconnection among the people. The very first time I walked through the red light district, I walked past a vendor who wore a shirt that said, “Know Jesus, Know peace.” I knew after seeing this that His presence was already in that place, especially as we shared Jesus with bright smiles and free bracelets. Before doing this ministry, I was having a hard time believing that God would be able to use me on such a short mission trip. I quickly realized that he is so much bigger than my idea of him and that he Holy Spirit is CLEARLY moving throughout the teams that Adventures in Missions sends. These people crave the love they receive from from the teams that come through. Most people refrain from smiling and connecting with others in the streets, but when we walk in with bracelets, they light up. We used the joy we have to shine Jesus and people noticed. While getting foot massages at a local massage parlor, one of the men said, “smiling” and pointed at all of us. We tried to show him we were different so he wondered where it came from.
The first time I went into the bars to sit with the girls, was much different than I expected. I came into this trip with expectations and God has been breaking through all of them. I expected to be overwhelmed and hurting about the horrible evil that was happening, but God was helping me see things through His eyes. I was able to speak with a girl about her life and instead of being angry about her situation, I felt love for who she is. She is so beautiful and loved and cared for by the King of Kings. Even if I wasn’t here to love her, I am confident that God’s hand has been and will be on her more and more. The biggest thing God has been showing me is that even though the population of Thailand is less than 1% Christian, He is still present and moving.
I also had the chance to see God move in huge ways through the ministry in the red light districts. After making jewelry and learning about one of the ministries located right in the midst of the sex industry, I had so much joy about what God is doing. Not only is there a safe place for girls to go, but they are unconditionally loved for who they are with no expectation of returning anything. Even though there are very few Christians in Thailand, the ones who are here are doing HUGE things to serve people and love without judgment. The love God has for every person has been so evident and seeing Jesus in all of them has been so encouraging as an American thrown into a foreign culture. I am continually praying for changed lives and hearts and for restoration in the red light districts here.
