A few
weeks ago we called Kay to wish her a happy seventeenth
birthday. Kay is a girl we met last summer in Bangkok, who came to
Jesus and was able with some sponsorship to get out of prostitution.
Hearing her soft, shy but happy voice in broken English on the phone
was enough to put us on a plane the next day, if that were
possible-not only to see her, but to get started in the hunt for
more Kay's.
It hasn't been a completely smooth road. Her
father was upset about her leaving the big money that comes with
prostitution, and put serious pressure on her to go back. In late
November he took her to Bangkok and put her to work on a
construction site. For $8.50 a day, she had to carry heavy buckets
of cement in the hot sun. Her father took all of her wages, and kept
reminding her that she could go back to the easy life of bar
work.
Kay was steadfast. Finally her father pressured her so
much that she finally returned to Buri Ram, to the orphanage run by
Roger and Phong Walker who had been taking care of her. Kay's father
called several times, upset, but finally left the family. The
Walkers report that Kay is a great help at the orphanage caring for
the younger children, who all love her dearly.
Such strong
family pressure points to the real purpose of the ministry we are
developing, Women of the Well. It is not only about reaching women,
but also the families who would sell their daughters to meet their
own addictive needs. Recently Anna and I watched a video on the
impact of the sex trade on very poor northern hill tribes in
Thailand. One father said he had too many children, but because he
didn't want to sell any animals, sent his daughter to earn money for
the family. Another heroin-addicted father spoke very casually of
selling his daughter to support his habit. She died in a Bangkok
brothel.
Please consider partnering with us in this great
need and opportunity. We have set a tentative date of July 17 to
head to move to Bangkok. Our monthly support commitments so far are
at about $1700-not a bad start, but we're praying for $5,500 for
Women of the Well overall to cover significant ministry expenses
beyond our personal support.
Other notes:
- On
Saturday Jim and Anna are heading to Bangkok as part of a team of
seven. Jimi Allen, the photographer who did our cool prayer card,
and his roommate Benjie, a freelance journalist, will be going to
work on a story, "What is a Woman Worth?" They are trying to pitch
the story to some magazines, but are going on faith at this point.
For Anna, who turns 18 on February 7, the trip will be an
opportunity to examine God's call on her life.
- Carol
Fujii, a missionary friend in Bangkok who has offered to help with
Women of the Well, arranged for Jim to share the vision in two key
churches in Bangkok on Feb. 29 and March 7. This is very exciting,
given our goal to encourage and equip churches to reach out to
prostitutes and their families.
- A few
people have expressed interest in hosting us for a gathering to
share our vision with interested friends. We still have plenty of
openings, and would like to fill our calendar in March, April and
May. This vision is far, far bigger than us, and we are praying
for people who will help to spread the word and find new people to
pray, give or go. If each of our supporters could find one new
person, that would be tremendous.
Thank you for
praying for and supporting us.
By His grace,
Jim for Team
Larson |
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