Because of Tan

Wednesday night was the culmination of what we as a church, Thailand team, and Freedom 4/24 team have been praying and fundraising for, for months. We've been throwing around terms like "Nights of Freedom", "honor and dignity", and "pathway to freedom", and we were able to put those to use in a big way. Wednesday night marked the first of two Christmas parties, where we planned on honoring around 120 girls from Soi Cowboy, one of Bangkok's main entertainment districts.

As I stood on the street at Soi Cowboy today, I looked around and saw countless broken, destitute girls riding into work on the back of motor-taxis, feeling completely alone in this world. As I looked at each face, I prayed, Lord, let us touch her life in some way tonight. And maybe, just maybe, Lord, let it be the last night she ever has to be purchased.

As I walked into Joe's Bar to pay my first two bar fines of the evening, I realized all my preparation, prayers, time, and financial investment, as well as those of my friends, family, church, and community, boiled down to that moment. I was finally "doing" the ministry that was envisioned by Christine over a year and a half ago, and that God laid on my heart in April, and has continued to press on me since that day. It was the strangest feeling, paying a fine that usually brings these girls grief and shame was tonight doing just the opposite.

It was at Joe Bar that I met Tan. She was the first girl we were able to purchase, and I was blessed to share a table with her later in the evening. Tan is 36. She is weathered and torn from year after year spent working in the bars. When I walked in to the bar, her face was expressionless, her eyes dark and without hope. When we invited her to the party, and paid her bar fine, she jumped up and down, hugging us, saying "thank you, thank you, thank you! I so badly want to come!" And so she did. During the course of the evening, we goofed off and giggled like little girls. I realized this was a childhood She never got to have. I saw a spark of hope in her once lifeless eyes. She insisted on serving me at dinner. No matter how hard I tried to put food on her plate at dinne and bring her the honor and respect she deserved, she kept putting food on my plate first, always making sure I was honored. During the message, she was captivated by the speaker, listening with all of her heart. She received a call in the middle from what I think was a customer during the sermon, and abruptly told him "I am busy---I do not want to talk" When the speaker asked who wanted to give their life to Christ tonight, she raised her hand.

At the end of the banquet as I hugged the girls and wished them a Merry Christmas, she handed me her craft from earlier in the evening. Each woman at the banquet was allowed to make a foam snowflake wreath. You know the kind---you probably haven't made one since you were in vacation bible school in the 5th grade. Each woman took such care to make it beautiful, and each was perfect. THis was an opportunity they never had for themselves. She looked into my eyes and said "this..for you." I asked her if she was sure, and she said "Tonight, you have made me very happy. I want you also to be happy."

The craft itself would have been of no value to me. However, with words like that, I will never throw it away. That snowflake wreath, however cheesy and juvenile, will serve as my daily reminder of why I do what I do. I want it to remind me each morning there are thousands of girls like Tan who desperately need to know they are loved and worthy of honor. They need to know there is a man named Jesus who is the only one who can heal their deep wounds. The faces of these girls are the ones that haunt my dreams every night and continue to move me to action. I want the snowflake wreath to remind me each day that these women, who have been forgotten by their culture and their country, aren't forgotten by me, and surely are not forgotten by our Savior. When I breathe my last breath, I want to do it knowing I did everything I could to bring these women to freedom from sex slavery, and ultimately, everything I could do to introduce them to a man named Jesus, who can bring them healing and restoration.

For one night, Tan knew she was loved. She was honored and given a sense of dignity. And maybe, just maybe, someday, she will leave the bars, and never have to be purchased again.

Returning to Bangkok

"Let my heart be broken with the things that break God's heart" -- Bob Pierce, World Vision founder

It's really hard to believe its been 5 months since I was in beautiful Thailand. It seems like just yesterday I was walking Soi 4, eating exotic fruits, drinking Thai tea, and hanging out with a group of women the world has forgotten. As many of you know, I'm not a big writer, and I'm not big on "emotion" or "feelings", but this trip was a major turning point in my life.

It was the first time God completely yanked me out of my comfort zone and showed me about the spoiled brand of Christianity I've practiced for my whole life. Yeah, I knew Jesus, I knew He loved me, I knew He died for me, but I've always been quick to forget that love goes past me, and is an unconditional love for ALL people.

I returned to the states with a new perspective. I was more committed than ever to being a voice for these women I spent my days with, who are exploited time after time, in countless ways. I was less concerned with following a set of legalistic rules that I grew up believing would bring me closer to Jesus, and became more concerned with seeking His heart.



When the opportunity for me to return in December was put in front of me, it seemed obvious to me that returning would be the right decision to make. Yet again, God provided financially, and I'm thrilled to say I'll be returning to Thailand on Sunday. This time, we are taking a team of 12. We have a diverse group of people, coming from all walks of life. We have parents, grandparents, a high school student, college students, those who have never been out of the country before, those who are seasoned travelers, but we are united by one common purpose. We want to live Jesus to these women who have been forgotten by their society, and by the world. We want to, even if for only a day, honor them and let them know they are valued, they are loved, and they are worthy.

I won't be blogging while I'm in Thailand this time, our time will be too short. There will be blogs, hopefully daily, on the Freedom 4/24 website. You can find them at http://www.freedom424.org/blog

Please keep us in your prayers. It's going to be a draining week, both emotionally and physically. We're excited to serve, but we know wherever God's people are working, Satan will most certainly be trying to cause division and defeat. Here are some specific ways you can pray for us in the coming days.

Pray our flights will run smoothly and without delays or complications.
Pray for an easy transition into a new time zone. Bangkok is 12 hours ahead of Lynchburg.
Pray for our team members who are moms. They are having a hard time with leaving their children behind for a week.
Pray for a unified heart, mind, and mission for our team.
Pray for good health for all our team members.
Pray those of us who will be going into the bars will be able to "save face" and be effective in our ministry.
Pray for open, receptive hearts for the women we will be sharing with.
Pray for saftey throughout the trip.

Thanks so much for your prayers! I'm excited to return with stories of what God has done.

In His Freedom,

Martha

Recap of Summer Trip

I know this is about 5 months overdue, but here's a rundown of our Summer trip :) Thanks to all who kept us in prayer and who financially made this trip a possibility.

The month we spent in Bangkok was an incredible learning experience, but was an emotionally draining month as well. The primary focus of our trip was to build relationships with prostitutes, some as young as 12 or 13. We accomplished this in a number of ways.

· Pool Bar Outreach: These young women were pool waitresses by day, with the availability to be purchased by customers. We spent our afternoons each week in the pool bars, building meaningful relationships with these girls.

· Nightlife Outreach: In the evenings, we would take turns going out in pairs to the entertainment districts within walking distance of Beginnings. The level of exploitation in these areas was heartbreaking, and in some places, we saw as many as 4,000 prostitutes employed by various venues.

· English Lessons: Each morning, Beginnings offered English lessons, open to any girl in the city. Since speaking English is viewed as a sign of being well educated and being successful, many of the prostituting women want the opportunity to learn English. We partnered with Puu, a Thai Christian who is bilingual. This gave us an excellent opportunity to expose the girls to the ministry of Beginnings, and gave them an avenue to escape if they should choose to take it.

During our trip, we quickly learned that everything we were encouraging these girls to do was counter –culture. The role of women in Thai culture is to “make face” for the family, and to bring them honor by bringing them money. No job is off limits for this, as we found during our time. Essentially, by telling them to leave their lifestyle of prostitution behind, we were asking them to sever ties with their families and move on from where they are. This was a sacrifice many didn’t feel they could make. However, we gave them a connection to an escape, and we continue to pray that when they reach their wits end, they will go to Beginnings, a place of acceptance and hope.

We also had the opportunity to spend a great deal of time with the residents of Beginnings. These girls, ranging in age from 14-30, had all come from either lifestyles of prostitution, or at risk situations that might lead to such. At Beginnings, they are provided with physical, spiritual, and emotional care, as well as given the opportunity to get an education. They are trained to sew, cook, and clean, and are given a weekly allowance that somewhat compensates for the void left by their unemployment. The house operates like a family, and getting to know these girls, and to watch the power of Jesus Christ as He transformed their lives was an amazing experience.

We were able to help the girls with everything from schoolwork to sewing projects. I know each of these beautiful women have left fingerprints on our hearts, and painted the clearest picture I have ever seen of what redemption is.

One highlight of the trip was the night we took the girls to a dinner buffet unlike any I have ever been to. Every cuisine imaginable was offered, on the top floor of the Baiyoke Tower. After dinner, we took the girls onto a revolving deck where they were able to see the entire city of Bangkok. This is an experience these girls have never had before, and it was quite evident they had never seen that much food in their lives! As humorous as it was to watch them consume plate after plate of food, it was humbling to think something like going out to a fancy dinner was such a foreign experience to these girls. This is something I’m able to enjoy on a fairly regular basis, but for these girls, it was a treat of a lifetime.

We were also able to be present as two of the residents decided to follow Jesus Christ. When we left to return to the United States, all of the residents of Beginnings were Christ Followers. What a blessing to watch the Lord literally transform these situations of ashes in to beauty.

Hearing the stories of hurt and devastation these girls have gone through, it absolutely causes me to praise my awesome Savior, because he can take the most destitute, hopeless situation and bring His love, His mercy, His rescue, and His redemption. The residents of Beginnings are proof of this.

I want to thank you so much for making this trip possible. God has absolutely broken my heart for the exploited women of Southeast Asia, but especially the broken women in Thailand, some of who I now consider my friends. Without your financial support and your prayers, this trip would have been an impossibility for me. I know the Lord will richly bless you for making this trip happen, and someday, I can’t wait for you to meet some of these girls in Heaven, because you allowed yourself to be used by God to bring them not only freedom from prostitution, but freedom to the fullest, freedom that only Jesus Christ can give.

Please continue to pray for us as we advance the mission of Freedom 4/24 to raise awareness of sexually exploited women, as well as providing money to supply these women with alternative means of survival. We will be going back to Thailand in December, taking a team of 12. On this trip, we will be throwing Christmas parties for the exploited women of Bangkok, hopefully providing a night of freedom to upwards of 300 prostitutes. If you are interested in getting more involved with Freedom 4/24 or with the ministry Beginnings provides in Thailand, please visit our website http://www.freedom424.org or contact me by email at martha.heinlein@gmail.com. We would love to help you get plugged in to this exciting ministry.

...to know the love of Christ, which surpasses all understanding...

Greetings from Thailand. The last few days have been a beautiful reflection of Christ's love here at Beginnings. 

Friday night, we were able to take the girls out to dinner at a fancy buffet restaurant. And in saying we, that includes all of you who have supported us financially and are supporting us in prayer. This was an experience the girls have never had before, and would not get to experience otherwise. Janette wrote a fabulous blog about it, I would recommend reading it, because her words sum up exactly what that moment was for all of us. Beginnings in Bangkok Here are some of my photos from the evening!

All of the girls of Beginnings, along with the summer intern team, Bonita, and Roy.

It is wonderful to see the Lord's provision for these girls, and how He turns the most dire, hopeless situations into something beautiful. He has broken chains of addiction and cycles of abusive relationships to get these girls to this point and He continues to work in and through each of their lives. 

I would like to invite you all to celebrate with me as one of our girls has, today, decided to follow Jesus Christ. As scripture promises in 2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." Today, this dear sweet girl, who has endured more in her 17 years of life than what most of us will ever even go through in a lifetime, has surrendered her heart to the only one who can heal those wounds. The Lord promises that she will be made new. Its beautiful to be able to witness the beginning of this transformation. As she offered the prayer for our dinner tonight, speaking with affectionate words to her Savior, my heart was overwhelmed with joy and excitement for this daughter of the King, who will forever be captured by His love.  

That's all for now! I love you all dearly, thanks for your continued prayers. As I write this, I am somewhat sad that the end of my time in Bangkok is drawing close.  However, I am confident the Lord still has a lot of work to do here. I'll keep you all posted!

A slow start...

Hello friends & followers! The last few days have been relaxing, which has been nice. Friday night, I made my first trip into the Bangkok nightlife. Bonita, Jit, and I ventured to Soi Cowboy. It was a difficult experience, although I'm glad I got to see it firsthand. I won't go into detail, but I will say that it is really horrible how these women are exploited. The Lord was definitely with me through the entire experience, and I could feel His calming presence in my life during those moments.

Saturday, we spent the afternoon and evening at Roy and Bonita's apartment. It was a beautiful place, and they took us out for Mexican food. Who knew that you could find delicious tacos in Thailand? I had my doubts, but the place ended up being fantastic! We spent the evening sharing about our experiences thus far, and talking about global missions, and the concept of God writing eternity on the hearts of men. We finished off the evening with mangoes and sticky rice (our new favorite dessert!) and headed back to Beginnings for a night of rest.

Sunday, we had the day to ourselves. Most of the girls went home to visit their families, since Monday-Wednesday were days off of school/work for a Buddhist holiday. Roy and Bonita were so gracious to allow us over to use their swimming pool. Sad day that my bathing suit is still sitting on my bed at my Ferncliff Drive residence in Lynchburg :/ I ended up having some beautiful time to myself to spend with the Lord, and to journal as well. The Lord has really taught me to just be still and know that He is God during this trip. It seems like in America, we always go, go, go, and yes, I spend time with the Lord but it is very scheduled. On this trip, there have been many moments of downtime. I am really learning to treasure these quiet moments and am really learning to let the Lord speak to me. It's been beautiful.

We also were able to go to an extremely nice spa on Sunday and get massages. Bonita encouraged us to have some time just to pamper ourselves, because the work we are doing is draining in a lot of ways, and we need to have time for ourselves. I must say, Thai massages are INCREDIBLE. The one I got was a 4 hand foot massage...but in Thailand, when you get a foot massage, you also get your head, neck and shoulders too. It was a wonderful hour, and extremely relaxing. We finished out the evening at the night bazaar, and I picked up a few more souvenirs.

Yesterday, again, was slow. Our morning and afternoon were uneventful. Our evening, Courtney and I went to Hillary Bar II, which is down the street from our current residence. It is a pool bar, and we've gone on 2 previous occasions in the afternoon to just hang out with some of the girls, and build relationships with them. The girls have really seemed to enjoy our company, and last night brought a handful of more great opportunities, and we are excited to see where the Lord takes those. I cannot believe we have almost finished 2 weeks here. I love it here, and I am loving what the Lord is doing in my life! Sawatdee ka (that's goodbye in Thai)!

A few reflections...

So I'm sitting on my bed right now, preparing to go out into the bars tonight. This will be the first time I've gone out into the Bangkok nightlife, and I am trying to absorb all that Bonita has told us, as well as what Lynds and Janette have both shared with me. If you want to know more about what goes on in the bars, Janette gave a pretty good picture in her last blog so please read it! 

Anyway, so I'm just praying for wisdom, for a mask so I don't show my discontent with the situation these girls are living in, and more than anything, praying that the Lord will soften their hearts to what we are sharing tonight. Now would be a good time to mention that I'm listening to Shane & Shane on random on my i-pod. A song came on by them that I wasn't familiar with, even though I've probably heard it multiple times. It struck a chord in me this afternoon. I realized this is what the Lord ultimately wants for each of these beautiful daughters of His, who are forced to sell their dignity day in and day out. Its awesome to recognize that even in our states of brokenness and disarray, the Lord still pursues a relationship with us, just so He can display his boundless love. Here are the lyrics & the scripture it is based on. 

ACRES OF HOPE

by Shane Barnard and Robbie Seay

He will allure her
He will pursue her
And call her out
To wilderness with flowers in His hand
She is responding
Beat up and hurting
Deserving death
But offerings of life are found instead

She will sing
She will sing
Oh, to You
She will sing as in the days of youth
As You lead her away
To valleys low
To acres of hope
Acres of hope

Here in the valley
Walk close beside me
Don’t look back
For love is growing vineyards up ahead
You have called me master
And though you’re in the dark here
Call me friend
And call me lover and marry me for good

She will sing
She will sing
Oh, to You
She will sing as in the days of youth
As You lead her away
To valleys low
To acres of hope
Acres of hope

How the story ends is
Love and tenderness in Him
Not safe, but worth it
So the valley’s up ahead
Or the ones we live
We’ll sing together
We’ll sing together

We will sing
We will sing
Oh, to You
We will sing as in the days of youth
As You lead us away
To valleys low
To acres of hope
Acres of hope

“Lord, sustain me in the valley. Give me ears to hear Your sweet tender voice and lead me in to acres of hope in this dry and weary land." 

"Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her. There I will give her back her vineyards, and will make the Valley of Achor a door of hope. There she will sing as in the days of her youth, as in the day she came up out of Egypt. ‘In that day,’ declares the LORD,’you will call me 'my husband'; you will no longer call me 'my master. (Hosea 2:14-16)

Let the Nations Rejoice!

Greetings from Bangkok. Each day we are here, I fall a little more in love with this city. The people here are amazing, and so are the many sights to see. Sunday brought us a trip to church with the girls, and to put it simply, I had the most intimate God moment that I have had so far on this trip. Having never been on a mission trip before, and actually, having only left the country once to go to Canada, I had never experienced a worship service done in a different language. The service we attended Sunday was done completely in Thai. As the worship leader opened the service, I was nervous as to how much I would even be able to understand. My fears were put quickly to rest, as the worship leader began to sing the classic worship song "Above All". As we chimed in with English, our voices blended with the Thais around us, and in that moment I realized, probably for the first time that although we were singing in different languages, we were lifting praises to the same God, coming before Him with the same humble hearts. I realized that although the language barrier has been, and will probably continue to be, one of the biggest difficulties on this trip, that my Lord doesn't have a language barrier, and that He hears the prayers of all of his people. During this time of worship, I began to look around at our girls. Knowing what some of them have come from, it is amazing to me that they can even praise God at all. However, as I looked at their faces, I saw genuine hearts that recognize their Savior, and the unconditional love that He has for them. These girls understand what is to be given freedom from Christ on a greater scale than what I ever could, and to see them fully embrace the freedom they have been given has blessed my heart tremendously. 

On a funny note, all of us American girls ate some bugs for lunch yesterday. Eating a bug was the one thing I said I would not do in Thailand. However, they were one of the 'options' we had for lunch, and the girls talked me into trying it. It really wasn't that bad and actually tasted like potato chips. The only gross part was when the legs stuck in my teeth.

 

We had our first full-blown Bangkok shopping experience yesterday. Ann, the house mom here at Beginnings took us out to a fashion fair and to the MBK center, which was pretty much the most incredible thing I've ever seen. We were able to barter, and to get things that in America would be ridiculously expensive. How fun! It was crazy crowded, but we enjoyed it, and Lyndsey was a champ at bartering. We were definitely ready to crash when we got home. 

That's all for now!