Down a long street, in the Red Light District, bars line the road.
There is light.
The door read, “Rahab Ministries”.
Vendors fill the street and make a market for night time shopping.
Vendors give their best pitch to sell you the latest knock off item available out there.
This is how they make their money.
From the evening hours into the wee hours of morning, the door fronts of these bars are flooded with girls and Touts, wooing you inside. This is how they make their money.
Many people crowd into these streets.
Some in search for a good deal in the market shops.
Others are in search for a good drink or something to fill a void in their life.
Many of the bars have a stairway next to their main entrance; these stairs lead to another level, something more seductive and sensual. In search of filling a void, many people take the ultimate stairway to hell here. A stairway that leads to destruction of their heart and soul.
And those that woo them in, this is how they make their money.
At the end of the first street, there is a stairway on the right side.
At the end of the open doorway, the stairway leads up.
80 stairs
Each step seems dark.
The walls are grey cement – dingy.
There is a heaviness that overcomes you as you take each step.
There is dust and an open electric box 10 stairs into the climb.
Each floor seems empty; empty of life and light.
When you take the 80th step, you sense something different.
There is light.
There is life.
There is hope.
You hear music and singing in the background.
There is a doorway to the left, and one to the right.
The door on the left is bright, like a ray of sunshine in the midst of a raging storm of darkness.
A storm you cannot see, but you can feel.
It is a storm not of the flesh, but one against the powers of darkness.
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The mission and vision of Rahab Ministries Thailand is “to share the love of Jesus Christ though Friendship Evangelism and Social Concern. To provide practical help and emotional support to women working in prostitution. To provide opportunities for education, vocational training and alternative employment.”
This is done through relational bar visitation with women. If a woman makes the choice to work with Rahab, they offer additional training, discipleship and housing accommodations.
When our team was told about Rahab ministries, it sounded pretty great from a “missions” mindset. They offer help to women who want to get out of the bar life and making money. We were told we’d have a chance to make jewelry with the women. It sounded fun but I doubted my patience level to sit and bead a necklace:)
I had no idea this ministry would impact me as much as it did.
I actually LOVED making jewelry with the women. It was the most relaxing thing I have done all year!!
The heart of this ministry, and these ladies, exude a love and passion for Jesus like I have never seen in all my “American” life. When we returned on our last day to say “see you later”, my heart ached. I didn’t want to go. I didn’t want this ‘dream’ of seeing the true love of Jesus in flesh to end! It almost felt magical from the standpoint that it was so real and authentic – legit.
These women loved Jesus to their CORE.
I didn’t want to go.
We all gathered in a circle for prayer. Connie prayed and it was like an angel speaking. I just love that women and how much she loves Jesus. She said amen and the ladies all pushed us into the circle to pray over us. I expected one woman to pray over our team.
I was astounded by what happened next.
In a beautiful language that I did not know, Thai, many voices lifted up words to our Father in Heaven. To hear many women pray, in a tongue I knew not, was the most beautiful thing on all this earth. You could sense the presence of Him in the room like no other. Tears flowed down my cheeks – to the ground beneath me. The woman on my right squeezed my hand tightly as I sniffled back tears. The Lord Jesus was in this place and these women!
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The door read, “Rahab Ministries”.
You open this door and joy and laughter fill the room.
They are hard working women who smile as they bead, sew and craft.
This is how they make their money.
These women were once bar women.
Ladies who sold themselves to make their money.
Ladies who have now found the love and redemption of Christ
because of the stairway that leads to hope.
