February 06, 2014 | Human Trafficking

Not OK: When Something Beautiful Is Used for Evil

This year, we’ve focused on stories inspired by our We Are the World Race Campaign. This month, we’re sharing stories inspired by women on the mission field. (Don’t worry guys, your turn is coming next month!) Our experiences with women worldwide have taught us what womanhood really means. Women are wired for intimate relationships and deep, abiding love. And even when that “love” is used to take advantage of them—things like human trafficking, prostitution, and exploitation, to name a few—women teach us about beauty, femininity, joy, and God’s love for each one of his daughters. This month we want to celebrate all things women-in-missions related, and give you a chance to share your story as well.

This week’s story comes from Gabby McKinley, a past participant in Passport Thailand. Gabby and her team walked streets lined with brothels and heard God whisper his promises of hope and freedom for the girls trapped in sex slavery.

You’re walking down a crowded street, people pushing and asking if you want cigarettes or girls every three steps. You fight to just get down this 100-yard street that holds more than 200 bars. The stench of vomit and alcohol invades your nose. Everything is so loud you can barely hear yourself thinking.

You stand and watch these women with empty eyes trying to make a living for just one more dance or one more night. Some are numb to the fact that they deserve so much more than dancing on tables, filling their bodies with drugs and alcohol, and selling themselves for about $20 USD a night.

Night after night we go out to love on these women of Phuket, and night after night I come back thinking, “God, only you can save this place – please show up.”

The other night it was our turn to prayer walk the streets of Patong while the other groups went out to minister to the women. It is very hard to pray on Bangla Road when all that chaos is going on. So I had my iPod in, walking and lifting up street after street and bar after bar.

All of a sudden we came to a bar where we saw a group of men handing roses to some women working there. It is very hard to describe in words the anger that flooded my body at this moment. These men were handing out something that is so beautiful to these women in hopes that the women would feel cherished for the hour or two that they would have them.

I was so mad and couldn’t understand how these men could taint something so beautiful. I tried to forget it, but I couldn’t because every corner we turned, I saw roses. They were everywhere. There where roses on the street, women carrying roses, roses being sold. I couldn’t get away from this awful thought.

We finished out the night and I crawled into bed, but I couldn’t get the flower image out of my head. I eventually fell asleep and the next morning I woke up, and began reading in the Bible. It’s so funny how God works – I was reminded when reading that crops usually flower before the harvest. I was mad at this image of men tainting the beauty of roses, and God was speaking to me.

He quietly reminded me that the harvest is coming.

Working these nights it is very easy to get discouraged and down at the fact that we aren’t seeing women leave the streets. But by these roses, I remembered God knows the streets of Patong, and he has not forgotten what goes on behind closed doors.

The harvest is coming, and there will be a day where light will flood Bangla Road. Women will have enough confidence to begin to walk out of bars. The harvest is coming, our God is bigger, and these streets will be washed clean one day. Pray that God will flood the streets of Patong with his everlasting light and that darkness will run away. I declare freedom for Thailand! The harvest is coming!

We know these things break God’s heart, and they break ours too. In sharing these stories, we want to bring awareness to the reality of life for 27 million men, women, and children around the world. We believe in faith together that we can end this thing. While we know simple awareness will never end these issues, we also know they’ll never end without it.

You could be the one to answer the Lord’s call to be a voice for the voiceless. Your hands could hold the hurting. Your voice could spread the name of Jesus. Will you go? Click here to apply for a mission trip in Thailand.