Please read Katie's blog post before reading this post. This covers day 2 of the camp while Katie's post covers the first day.
We did not have WiFi while we were at camp so this blog post will cover day 2 of the overnight camp (2 days ago Thailand time). Day 2 of camp was the Olympic finals for our teams!
Billy gave a short teaching after breakfast and then we all headed out to the playing fields. It was hot! Many games were played, they were all very intense. The last final was the soccer final and it was decided in penalty kicks!
After all of the finals had been played, we went into the common area for the award cermony. Medals were presented to the winners of each event. The kids loved it!
Overall the camp was a major success. Billy and Anne put together an incredible schedule that presented the gospel in a unique way to a group of kids who were predominantly buddhist. We have many incredible stories to share in the ways in which God moved at this camp. A few stories in particular will be shared in other blog posts (I do not want to spoil their posts). Billy was greatly encouraged by the camp and we hope that this is the first of many, many more overnight camps in Thailand within Billy's ministry.
After the camp ended we headed back to base for a quick shower and then headed over to Colby and Kayty Helgerson's house for dinner. Colby and Kayty are missionaries in Chiang Mai who graduated from Messiah two years ago. They are fighting against sex trafficking in Thailand, specifically Chiang Mai. Colby and Kayty have spent a lot of time with us in our time visiting Thailand thus far. They do not experience familiar faces often!
Warning: What I write about next may be disturbing but it is a reality of the world we live in. It has to do with sex trafficking in Thailand and if you do not want to read further, I understand.
Earlier in the week, Colby and Kayty had mentioned that if we wanted to do prayer walk in Chiang Mai in the Red Light district we could. We left the decision up to each individual whether they wanted to go. Everybody felt that it was something we should do while we we are here. As disgusting as it was, seeing it has made it real.
Thailand is known to be one of the worst countries for sex trafficking in the world. Chiang Mai is not the worst city in Thailand, but it is known for gay and transgender prostitution. Sadly, many young boys and girls, typically from ages 8 to 13 are being sold discreetly on the streets every single night. While we were doing our prayer walk we saw many perverse encounters between older white men and prostitutes. However, one specific encounter will stick with me for a long time. A little girl, around age 8, walked up to us (at 10:30 at night) and had flowers she was selling. It seemed odd. Kayty told us after she had passed that this is one of the discreet ways that children are being trafficked. A buyer will see the girl and then go talk to the handler to purchase the girl for an hour. As Kayty told me this, my heart broke.
Previous to this trip I had heard of sex trafficking and knew that it existed but last night it became real. It is incredibly difficult to write these things but I believe this is an issue that needs to be talked about. If we are unwilling to face the reality of this issue, nothing will change. What we witnessed last night will be engraved in my mind forever. I ask you to pray for Chiang Mai, pray for Thailand, and pray for our world. Pray that God would bring justice to sex traffickers and save these children, women, and men that are forced to sell themselves every day. Pray that he would restore their identity from being an object to sons and daughters of God.
I am sorry to end this blog post on a somber note, but there is hope.
God is still on the throne, he is still in control, and he can save this city from the corruption that exists. As we continue our journey this week, pray that we can be light in the darkness. Thank you for following our trip thus far and supporting us. Your prayers and support have already saved lives. We love you and miss you all back home.
Josh Good
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