Lessons from Chiang Mai

Hello from Chiang Mai! What a whirlwind of days it has been...there are so many thing I want to share with you all! My mind and my heart don't know if I can fully articulate what we have seen, heard, and experienced. But, being on a time restriction this morning, I will do my best to highlight the key things...

As I sit here my heart rushes to Psalm 10. While we were boarding the plane in Seattle, my good friend Tiffany texted it to me...and Barbara and I have started memorizing the whole passage because it so clearly describes what we ourselves have now seen.

"Why do You stand afar off, O Lord? Why do You hide Yourself in times of trouble? In pride the wicked hotly pursue the afflicted; Let them be caught in the plots which they have devised. For the wicked boasts of his heart's desire, And the greedy man curses and spurns the Lord. The wicked, in the haughtiness of his countenance, does not seek Him. All his thoughts are, 'There is no God.'...He sits in the lurking places of the villages; In the hiding places he kills the innocent; His eyes stealthily watch for the unfortunate. He lurks in a hiding place as a lion in his liar; He lurks to catch the afflicted; He catches the afflicted when he draws him into his net. He crouches, he bows down, And the unfortunate fall by his mighty ones. He says to himself,..."God will never see it."...Arise, O Lord; O God, lift up Your hand. Do not forget the afflicted...You have seen it...You have been the helper of the orphan...O Lord, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will strengthen their heart, You will incline Your ear To vindicate the orphan and the oppressed, So that man who is of the earth will no longer cause terror.

Walking along the streets of Patpong was numbing. It was about two long blocks of store after resturant that, when evening comes, solicate countless children. It is said that over 10,000 people a night visit this stretch of the city. As we walked along the streets, during the day when there weren't any children out, it was as though they were setting up for a carnival...vendors, food, excitement, etc. And all the time, the children are locked in the rooms on the floors above the main levels. It is quite hard to put into words really. Numbing is the only thing that comes to mind. But I was telling Barbara that I can only imagine how numb the girls themselves feel. I can only imagine that these children probably have no strength to cry out for themselves anymore, so it is our responsibility to cry out to God on their behalf.

Hours later we boarded a train to travel, for 18 hours, to Chiang Mai...8 hours longer than expected. That was so much fun and exhausting all at the same time! Barbara is saying it was mostly exhausting...haha! And I will spare you the details of the bathroom! Oh my.... There were times that we rested well to the hum of the engine...until the lunging began...we would be riding and then every five seconds the train would jerk forward and almost stop. There was no sleeping... ha!

After deboarding the train we went to the large temple at the top of the mountain outside of the city. Before going, Laurie (she and her husband founded Remember Nhu) shared with us a passage from Hosea 4:11-14(NLT)that could have literally been describing what we witnessed with our own eyes. "Alcohol and prostitution have robbed my people of their brains. They are asking for a piece of wood to tell them what to do! They think a stick can tell them the future! Longing after idols has made them foolish. They have played the prostitute, serving other gods and deserting their God. They offer sacrifices to idols on the tops of mountains. They go up into the hills to burn incense in the pleasant shade of oaks, poplars and other trees. That is why your daughter turn to prositution, and your daughters in law commit adultry. Wy should I punish them? For you men are doing the same thing, sinning with whores and shrine prostitutes. O foolish people! You will be destroyed, for you refuse to understand." Seeing the people at the temple gave us an even deeper look into how religion has played a huge part into the societal issues of their country.

Today we got to sleep in finally. And we are getting prepared to go to the homes in the countryside. Last night we got to briefly meet the girls who live there...what treasures they are and so full of love and smiles!! Today will be a day full of hugs, crafts, and fun times!! These girls are the inspiration of what the ministry is doing. We definitely have a fresh insight of what these girls have been rescued from. So, for now, we are off....our arms are ready and our hearts are big to love on them!