It's Just Beginning. - Sherry

After spending 40 hours in airports and planes I could not have been more thankful for a shower and a nice warm bed last night.   Thank you to all who supported us with prayers and financially as we took this journey of faith.  It was awesome to see God work out every detail.  I was in awe of the connections that we made, and how God orchestrated every aspect of this trip.  To see God connect us with incredible people in Thailand and ask us to support and bless them in their work.  The time and energy that these people are giving out daily for the fight against human trafficking is incredible.  Our team just gave 10 days of our lives, but these people live it every day.  May God give them strength, provide them with finances and bless them as families as they unselfishly give day after day. 

I could write for days about all that transpired on this journey.  And the journey started over a year ago, when a group of us, some hesitantly said, "yes, I will go to Thailand."  We had no idea that stepping foot on Thailand ground wouldn't happen for another year.  But the wait was worth it.  The details of all that we did, all those we connected with could not have happened had we not waited a year.  So, whatever journey God has asked you to say yes to, know that He has the perfect timing in mind.  He knows when it needs to take place.  I still don't believe this journey is over.  Our Thailand story and adventure will continue.  Now, it's time to share all of our stories, all that took place.  I could write forever about what we saw, who we touched, and the life changing experiences that we encountered.  The stories of the girls who are trapped in a world of darkness break my heart as their faces are forever etched in my mind.  The joy that was on children's faces as they played in their dusty streets, not knowing if their future would be bright, or send them into a world of hurt and pain.  We as a group had the privilege of seeing the journey of human trafficking.  Starting in a small village of children who don't have a lot of hope in their future, then journeying into the lives of girls who have been abused and can't go "home" because those who are to care for them are the very ones who have hurt them and sent them away.  And then onto the streets of the Red Light district, where selling themselves seems to be the only way to survive.  Although our 10 day trip is over, this journey into helping end this cycle will never end.  We had the incredible opportunity to end our trip with two beautiful ladies, Angel & Yo Yo.  They are in the process of going back to Angel's home village which lies in the Issan villages and are helping to educate the children there.  This is where it all starts, many of the girls come out of the Issan villages without hope.   They think that selling themselves will bring some income to their families and get them out of poverty, yet, instead a cycle begins of hurt and bondage.  To be able to educate and stop this cycle within the villages is where my heart lies.  To stop it before the hurt begins, the abuse is ongoing, and their sense of worth is shattered. 

This journey for us is just beginning, it didn't stop with us touching down on a plane back in the states.  I don't know what God has in store next, but I'm willing to say yes.  If I can save just one child from the life of abuse it will all be worth it.  The stories that are going through my head I could probably write about for months, and yet to put on paper all that transpired seems impossible; the smells, sounds and emotions can never quite be captured.  Yet, the journey must be shared.  The stories of the people we encountered must be told.  I think all of the group would be willing to say - please let me come and share with you all that happened.  So please, ask us to tell you a story.  To tell you all about this incredible journey.  To share individually, in groups or in congregations, we'd love to give you a small taste of all that God has done. 

Thank you so much for taking this journey with us.  To feel the support of so many back home has been incredible.  To watch the details of this trip come together makes me stand in awe.  I hope your life has been touched as you have shared this trip with us, and I hope that you'll be excited to hear that the journey is not over, that maybe a chapter has ended, but the whole story is not complete.  We hope that many of you will be a part of the next chapters, whatever they may hold.

God Bless,

Sherry 

Friday Night - Mark's View

On Friday night, as others have mentioned, we went to a particular club on Walking Street as a continuation of the Pattaya Praise movement.

I was not sure what to expect.  All sorts of questions went through my mind as the songtao weaved around people, vendors and parked vehicles on our way to the club. 

Did the club owner really understand that he invited a bunch of Jesus followers to worship, dance and rejoice in His goodness?  Were the bands actually going to lead times of gathered worship while "customers" and the girls paired up, inhaled Hookah, closed deals and walked away into the night?  Would the girls pursue me and the other men in our group?  How would we, as men, remain pure in the midst of seductively dressed girls and women?  Was it ok to make eye contact and express my Heavenly Father's pure love with a genuine smile of acceptance?  Would that confuse them?  How would my wife, Cheryl, feel?  What would the women on our team do?  Could they speak with the girls while they were "working"?  Would the club owner kick us out if we tried to interact with the girls and kept them from the "customers"?  What about the language barrier?  

I could go on.

We arrived at the club around 5:30pm while it was still daylight.  During the daytime, Walking Street is actually pretty quiet.  Things were relatively calm at this point, though the sexually overt signs were already bright with neon and lights.  The girls and "ladyboys" were beginning to gather within their respective establishments.  By the time we left around 11pm, Walking Street was in full-on chaos mode.  I don't want to go into any more detail than that.

This particular club was open (no walls) on two sides; the front side that faced Walking Street and the side that opened to a cross street on the left.  If you walk straight into the club from Walking Street, you step up onto a raised patio with tables, couches and chairs.  This is where most of the working girls hung out.  As you continue into the covered space, there is a pool table, lots of gathering height tables and stools where the girls also sat and moved about.  This is where you also saw the Hookah, a flavored tobacco that is inhaled unfiltered through water using some sort of device.  Many of the girls and staff took turns inhaling at different times throughout the night.

Straight ahead against the back wall is a raised stage with lighting and a serious sound system.  To the right is the bar where all sorts of drinks are available.  The wall opposite the bar (on the left as you enter the club) is open air.  Along this area and on the street are nice tables and chairs for sitting.

A DJ from Holland started things off with his own creative mix of deep, booming bass electronica and uplifting vocal samples.  This was followed by a Dutch band named Salt, who led a time of upbeat gathered worship.  They blew out the subwoofers on the first song!  After a quick system reset, things were back up and running.

Several other bands followed, including teams from the Phillipines, Thailand, a multinational band of students representing 9 countries and Ian Hannah's team from Northern Ireland.  The DJ, Salt and the "Irish team" were my favorites.  Musically, their arrangements were original and truly excellent, which was really important for what we were trying to do.

At one point, I turned to Cody and said, "We are not trying to reach the people who sit in pews."  No, this was a night to bring joy, love, acceptance and a taste of God's goodness to an atmosphere thick with fear, despair, brokenness, loneliness, lust, insecurity and abuse.

About half of the songs were what you might recognize as songs for "gathered worship." Just about everything was arranged in such a way that a non-believer would be able to come in, sit down, order a beverage and enjoy.  It was fascinating to watch... Their heads would start to bob or their feet would start to tap.  Eventually, they would realize that they didn't know ANY of the songs, but a whole bunch of the people there DID and they were singing at the top of their lungs, dancing, laughing and having a great time.  They could see "Seek Jesus" written on some of their t-shirts.

Then they started to catch the words.  For example:

"We are here for you, we are here for you...

Every heart is open

Nothing here is hidden

You are our one desire

You alone are worthy

Only you are holy

Let your fire fall

You're welcome in this place!

You're welcome in this place!

Almighty God of Love, you're welcome in this place!"

I'm actually getting choked up as I type this during the flight from Bangkok to Dubai.

You see, these were people that would NEVER set foot in a church.  If the music wasn't excellent, they would have kept walking on to the next club.  People were drawn in to the party.  It was unlike anything else in all of Pattaya that night.  They realized these bands and the crazy people dancing and singing were worshiping Jesus.  They looked on in wonder as these Christians were not condemning them.  Instead, they were filled with joy, love, celebration and acceptance... in a sex club.

I will never forget the expression on the owner's face.  His eyes were riveted on the bands and the people dancing and singing.

I absolutely HATE what the club facilitates today, but I absolutely LOVE this man.  There was a softness there.  His mental boxes were exploding.  Internal walls were being circumvented in the spirit realm.  (It probably didn't hurt that we emptied the place of Coca-Cola.  About half-way through the night, they had completely sold out!)

There were four or five times throughout the night that the owner and I were able to chat.  Mostly, I just smiled really big, looked him in the eyes struck up conversation with him.  I thanked him for letting us bring the party to his place, asked him where he was from and how long he'd been in Thailand.  We talked about the bands.  "We usually have bands playing AC/DC and Led Zepplin," he said.  "This is different, but this is good."  He told me in amazement that one of the bands was from a town not far from where he was raised.

Toward the end of the night, Lonnie came up to me and said some of the women on our team thought the guys should pray for the owner.  It was a great idea, so Lonnie and I went over to him.  As he saw us approach, he quickly put away the Hookah.  "Can we pray for you?" I asked.  It was loud, so he put his head down so I could speak into his left ear.  "Would it be ok if we prayed blessing over you?" I explained.  He immediately said, "Oh, yes, yes!"

So, we laid our hands on his shoulders and prayed for him. He thanked us and I put my hand on his shoulder and thanked him again for letting us hang out at his place.

Jesus love's this man.  Jesus died for this man.  He is extending His unearned, unmerited favor to him.  "But  God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)

Later, as we prayed together as a team in Cody and Amber's room, we prayed that this man would never be able to forget this night.  We prayed that he would continue to have connection with the band from his homeland.  We prayed that he would be irresistibly drawn to the love of God, that he would surrender and give his life to Jesus.  We prayed that God would give him dreams and visions of a new businesses and a new life.  We boldly prayed that these thoughts and dreams would come night after night until he yields to God's grace.

We prayed that his redeemed life would be the catalyst for the radical transformation of Walking Street and all of Pattaya.  We prayed that God would prosper this man in those "clean" businesses and that God would use him to dramatically expand the kingdom of God.

Can you see it?  It's my prayer that it will come to pass.

The women on our team spent most of the night interacting with a couple of the girls.  One had been there for only 10 days.  I think she said she was 44 years old and came to Pattaya from a village in Isan because she could not find any way to feed her two teenage children.

By the way, the girls/women did not engage us at all.  I think they quickly realized that we were not there for the usual reasons.

As we said our good-byes, I was able to meet eyes with some of the girls/women, smile, waive and say "good-bye."  It was heartbreaking.  I hope in some way that it gave them hope that not all men in the world see them as worth a 200 Baht ($7 U.S.) night of abuse and selfishness.

--------------------------SWIMMING UPSTREAM--------------------------

This particular club was near the far end of Walking Street, so we had to slowly weave against the thick sea of people walking in the opposite direction in order to get back to our hotel.  It was rather symbolic.

At this hour, sexual enticement was on full display, even two stories into the air. The lyrics blasting from some of the clubs was simply foul.  Without speaking, Cheryl and I gripped hands and switched hands/sides depending on where the working girls were most protruding into the narrow street.  At one point, the street was mostly blocked.

Cheryl was exhausted and undone before we even left the club.  By the time we exited Walking Street, she was weeping.  We walked along the beach front road and found it lined with girls/women for sale.  We walked about five or six long blocks before turning up into the city toward the direction of our hotel.  Considering how far it was from there to Soi 6, I suspect that the line of the oppressed continued for more than a mile.

I felt numb.  

Twenty-four hours later, Cheryl described for me what she was feeling in those moments.  

"I've never experienced that kind of darkness before.  Soi 6 was different.  I felt very protected there.  It was a shorter timeframe and I was personally leading and participating for an hour rather than being immersed, observing and interceding in prayer for six hours.

On walking street, there was such a stark contrast between the darkness and the light.  I could feel the deep loneliness and rejection that was within the girls, women and men alike and it was heartbreaking.

My spirit longed for fresh, breathable air.  I felt like a person who had been underwater for too long and just had to get to the surface for air.  Except, I didn't reach the surface until we all prayed together back at the hotel."

--------------------------SO, WHAT NOW?--------------------------

There is a great hope for Pattaya.  His name is Jesus Christ.

As we fly home, we have so many things on our minds and in our hearts.  Strip clubs and sex trafficking is in our backyard in Pennsylvania, too.  Those clubs have owners like this one.  There is brokenness on all sides of the equation in Pennsylvania, too.  They need to encounter the love of our Heavenly Father, too, in the form of regular people like you and me.

So, what now?  How will this experience change how we live?  How will it impact how we prioritize our commitments, our schedules, our life of luxury and convenience?  These are not questions that come from guilt.  Rather, they are honest questions that call for honest answers.

_______________________________________

Our final full day: Friday, November 16th. - Amber

What a day!

We began the day at city hall. As we showed up, the rain began to
pour. Literally, it sounded like skittles hitting tin! Everyone
cheered ... It was awesome! One of the 2 Holland teams closed out our
time together! How cool is it that worship bands from all over the
world are dedicated to come to this event and minister to this city!

Later this afternoon, we gathered to pray about the evening and ask
The Lord how he would direct. We decided (unanimously) who to bless
with our excess funds. We discussed what the evening may look like,
and we prayed power, love, and light into each of us from the spirit.

Then, it was go time. We headed over to the Utopia Bar on Walking
Street. We began with worshipping in this place. We bought drinks the
entire night and ran that place out of coke! Praise The Lord! The
music was wonderful, and again, women were dancing, singing, smiling
to the music! I made eye contact with a few but didn't strike up a
conversation. Mardell was drawn to one of the girls whose name was
"Guy."

Next, our group headed to the pier to bless Yo-Yo and Angel in their
ministry. They were brought to tears. They mentioned their desire to
ask last night about eating a meal together ... So we agreed on lunch
for Saturday before we leave!!!

Some of the women felt a release from needing to walk around and talk
with the girls on the streets, like we had talked about and prayed
about earlier. I hadn't yet felt that and began to ask God to show me
what He wanted for me.

We headed back to the Utopia Bar. When we returned, Guy came over to
Mardell and pulled her up on one of the couches. She signaled for all
of us to come as well. We followed. Soon after, a girl Sherry
connected wifh earlier, Jbab (means little chicken) joined us. The
majority of our time consisted of hanging out/singing worship
songs/learning about their stories/dancing together ... All while
sitting outside of the bar on wicker chairs. This lasted about 2
hours.

During this time, I was able to pray for and bless the women through
eye contacts and smiles. I felt a connection to one girl in particular
... I found out her name was Baa (meaning fish). We had a short
conversation (she had been there for 10 days and spoke only "hi" ,
"bye" and "no English" in English). I hope she received the blessing
of hope, joy, and love that I prayed over her throughout the exchanges
of smiles over the course of the night and our hand shakes.

I wanted to use every second to pour out God's love and freedom for
these girls. God showed me that I don't need to find and pray for
thousands of girls face-to-face. Rather, we are doing what He told us
... Loving and building relationships with these two precious
daughters. I know others were touched by His spirit in a rainbow of
ways. But these two we were able to invest in, share about Tamar,
fight for, protect, love! And none of this we take credit for! To God
be the glory!

Since I still felt led to prayer walk ... We walked down walking
street and beyond until we reached our hotel. I can't describe the
warfare, the sights, sounds, smells ... It was unlike anything I've
experienced. I asked God, "What is happening?" and found myself
searching for the end of the road. A massive wave of emotion ... The
change from a place of feeling God's love pour down through us and our
worship into the streets, to the realities of the evil that still
lingers.

I felt the need to process together ... Since I didn't even comprehend
what was happening. We gathered, prayed, cried, and gave everything
back to our Savior. We trust and know His amazing grace, power, and
love can and will change this nation! - Amber

Our last night in Pattaya

It is hard for me to try to start writing this. All of the emotions that welled up inside of me last night. All of the anger, forgiveness, confession, empathy, impotence, sadness... Deep deep sadness.

We gathered in our room to pray beforehand. Earlier in the day, after eating lunch as a group, I nonchalantly made the comment, "it's our last night here, so don't leave anything on the table." Walking through the mall to get to beach street, I am not sure any of us understood just what we were about to experience.

I drank a coke and 4 sprites - our tickets to be there.
The bar sold out of coke before the night was through!

We made it through the mall to Beach Road. There, we looked for a nearly empty songtao (these are the trucks with a big metal frame on the back, and two benches that run over each wheel well - it's how everyone gets around). We negotiated the price: "10 baht per person to Utopia bar?" The driver nods his head. 

We drive two blocks to Walking Street. The songtaos are allowed to drive down walking street during the early hours of the evening. We enter walking street and slowly honk our way around delivery trucks, people walking, and street vendors. Soon amber sees it: Utopia Rock House.

We pay the driver as the DJ sets up his system.  A few Pattaya praise teams had been given permission to play here. The owner, Steve, is from Northern Ireland, just like one of the bigger bands. 

I'm just going to have to skip to our debrief time after the night was over.  Amber suggested we gather to debrief and pray before bed. Mardell called it, "get cleaned," which really resonated with me. I started to gather us in the downstairs lobby for a quick prayer circle, but we quickly realized that wasn't going to work. In our room, as a group, tears quickly began to pour. We wept. 

As soon as I entered our room, I felt a strong desire to wash my hands. 

The women in our group had spent almost the entire night hanging out with the bar girls. They had made deep connections with 2 of them.  They had invested their hearts in these girls hearts. We men had prayed for what we saw happening the entire evening. We prayed for the women from our team, for the customers arriving, for the bar owners, for Pattaya - for the bar girls.  I didn't realize how broken my heart was until we sat down in the room. 

I first confessed my anger to the group. It had gone from 'righteous anger' to hatred, and I needed to be forgiven. It was the transition from that emotion, to the severe impotence I felt sitting in the bar. Anywhere in PA, if I was on a bar, and saw a man treating a woman like that, I would ask him to stop. I would make him stop. Here, I sat there praying. I tried to remember that this is her job, but that only made it worse. 

The emotional transition moving from that impotence, to deep sadness for the life of the bar girls - that's when I broke. I began hysterically crying in our room. Sherry prayed over us that we were walking with Jesus on a beach, glowing in white. I prayed in my head, "but Lord, what about the girls?" The Lord showed me Guy, a bar girl that Mardell had made a strong connection with, walking down the beach, holding Jesus hand, walking. 

 This image in my mind didn't make the pain to away. For awhile, it made it worse. That image was in such stark contrast to the images I had been seeing all evening that it took quit some time for the dissonance to be worked out. 

This is my prayer for Pattaya and the world, please pray it with me:

Our Dad in heaven, set apart is your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. I declare that no man in the world will come to Pattaya to buy a woman. That the world will be filled with good men, with good hearts. Please help me to teach men to teach men how to be good men. I declare that this city, Pattaya, becomes a center of worship for Jesus Christ. That this city would be known throughout the world as the city that worships Jesus.

We leave today at 1:30 after lunch with Yolanda and Angel who work in Isan in the area of prevention. Our flight leaves from Bangkok at 8:40 your Saturday morning. 

Thank you so much for your prayers - we have surely felt them and continue to feel them and rely on God. 

As others send me their perspectives of our last night here, I will post them, and you will get different angles.

Worship in Pattaya - Chris

Our time finally came to lead worship here in Pattaya.  I had been really looking forward to it and to see how God would move and He definately did not dissapoint!!  Our first set was on the Bali Hai Pier down at the end of "Walking street".  I was in awe and extremely humbled that I (we) would be given the opportunity by God to lead worship in a foreign country where the enemy has such a strong hold on the people when it comes to their religion and the most popular tourist attraction in Pattaya, human trafficking.  We had a sweet time at the pier but our next stop was in the heart of the darkness on a street called Soi 6.  Here is where Tamar ministries has a small outpost of hope for the girls.  Soi 6 is one of the most popular trafficking streets in Pattaya. The street itself must be about a half mile long with absolutely every inch of it lined with girls waiting to go to work.  My heart was broken and I was ready to pierce the darkness with worship!!  Cheryl did an awesome job leading us and we sang worshipped our hearts out.  I have to say it was one of the sweetest worship experiences I have ever had and I really felt the presence of the Lord in a mighty way.  I am pretty sure there was not much business going on there that night!!  One of the local ladies, who by the way is starting up a ministry to stop the issue of human trafficking at its roots with children and families, was there and shared with us that as she was worshipping she saw a picture of Jesus with a big urn of pure water at one end of Soi 6 and as we began to worship Jesus took the urn, lifted it up and whipped the water down the narrow street. The water came through like a raging flood and began to wash away all the crud.  As I really thought about this and how cool a picture it was I felt like God gave me more to the picture. As Jesus did this He was also washing away loneliness, sadness, emptyness, pain, and a host of other things that go along with this type of darkness.  Then it got really cool because Jesus didn't just leave them like that.  He followed up the flood Himself walking down the street passing out forgiveness, acceptance, peace, joy, hope and especially unconditional LOVE.  We hope pray and expect that this will happen soon on the street of Soi 6, the city of Pattaya, and the whole country of Thailand

Thank you again and again for those that especially covered the worship times in prayer.  There was no doubt that those prayers were answered in an awesome way.

We are sad we are leaving tomorrow because there is so much work to be done here.  We know our time is done (for now) and are anxious to see our friends and family again. 

Please pray for safe and good flights as we head home.

Blessing,

Chris

Mark's Lens: Pattaya Highlights Through Thursday Night

I don't even know how to begin this blog entry.  The first eight days of this journey have been an incredibly rich and layered experience.

Top of mind, here are the highlights from our time in Pattaya (through Thursday night):

SOI 6

Soi 6 is what we might call "6th Street" in North America.  It is a long two-block stretch that runs from the ocean front street to the next main in-land street.  With one glance from either end, you immediately know what this street has to offer.  In short, it is a street lined with girls, women, boys and young men for sale.

This might sound strange, but after forty years on the planet, this has been my favorite place to worship God, pray and intercede.  Worshipping Him there was as natural as breathing.  It was as comfortable as I've ever been anywhere--as if that was our street, or at least the part in front of the small shop and space owned by "Tamar Soi 6."

As I played the drums, there were large chunks of time where I actually forgot where we were.  It didn't matter that prostitutes were sitting, listening and watching from 10 feet away, or that their customers stopped, listened and lingered.  At the same time, it COMPLETELY mattered that these precious people were right there with us.  We simply worshipped God and proclaimed His goodness, love, compassion, majesty, power and beautiful grace to them.

The people of Tamar Ministries, both in Pattaya and Korat/Issan, are regular people.  They have chosen to live and work among the poor in spirit.  They often feel alone in the work.  Funding is a struggle.  Almost no one knows their names.  People don't write books about their work.  But someday, the story will be told about how this city and nation was radically transformed and Jesus will be given all of the glory.

Two women named Angel and Yoyo were also there with us.  They are working together as farmers in a village in the Issan region and working to prevent girls and women from thinking that leaving the villages to sell themselves is the only way to provide food for their children.  They, too, feel alone.  The work is very hard.  They need prayer, funding and other believers to join them in the dirt.

We are meeting with them for lunch on Saturday before driving back to Bangkok to catch the flight home. (It's now 2:45 AM on Saturday morning... I started typing this on Friday morning.  Unfortunately, this entry attempt was interrupted by a stream of water pouring down from our ceiling.  That's a story for another day.)

CITY HALL

"There is something special about worshipping in high places overlooking the city," said Ian Hannah on Thursday.  Ian has been coming to Pattaya Praise for eight years and brought a team of 34 people from Northern Ireland.

As he made that statement while we worshipped on the open air roof of City Hall, he encouraged all of us to spread out to the edges of the roof on all sides. As the "Irish Team" band continued to play, we all prayed over the city as the Holy Spirit led us.

The locals tell us the city is beginning to change and we believe it.  On the surface, however, it looks like a hopeless situation.  The volume of sex clubs is overwhelming.  At night, even the beach-front sidewalk is lined with prostitutes from the edge of "Walking Street" (full of sex clubs itself) to what seems like a mile or more to the north.

We continue to pray that God's great grace would be made known to Pattaya and that He would draw every person to Himself with chords of loving kindness.  Some day soon, we believe Walking Street will be a place where people and families stroll among shops, restaurants, good clubs and street musicians lining the streets.

Soon, I expect you will see entries from other team members about Friday night.  This was a very challenging night, filled with both good moments as well as painful, heart-wrenching moments.  There is much I'd like to say, but it's now 3:15 AM here with the start of a 25 hour trip ahead of us tomorrow evening.  

Thank you for continuing to pray for us! We are so humbled and grateful!
-Mark

Pattaya Day Two - Lonnie, Sherry, and Amber

Click on the Name to read their perspective! Or just read them all.  There's a rad video in Lonnie's.

Lonnie's Post
... We literally had prostitutes within 10 yards of us, who just sat in their chairs or stood along the streets and watched. They had nothing else to do because they didn't have any business while our groups were there playing. ...

Sherry's Post
... As we worshipped together for Thailand at McBIC last year on 11-11-11 the deep desire to actually declare His glory for Thailand on this ground was so strong, and last night the anticipation of the past year was released as God spoke over us, "now - now is the time." ...

Amber's Post
... Afterwards, many of us shared that we felt like our next stop - Tamar - was going to be big. Tamar is smack dab in the center of a road that is full of bars, lights, and human trafficking.  As we walked down the street, I remember hearing a ton of cheering and thinking, "how will anyone hear the worship music over that noise." Then Cody said, "we are hear." It was Pattaya Praise! ...

Pattaya Day 2 - Amber's Lens

Thursday -The first full day of Pattaya Praise. A day full of worshipping through singing! We started out being led by worship leaders from around the world on the top floor of Pattaya City Hall.  It was a covered but open space and a nice breeze came through the otherwise HOT temps! Raising our hands to bless the city and praising our amazing God from a high place was awesome.

The McBIC team was the first on the big stage at Bali Hai Pier. It was a great way to usher in the presence of the Lord.  As the group sang and worshipped over Pattaya and people began filling the seats, I felt God say that they are echoing over the city the authority and power they have in Jesus.

Afterwards, many of us shared that we felt like our next stop - Tamar - was going to be big. Tamar is smack dab in the center of a road that is full of bars, lights, and human trafficking.  As we walked down the street, I remember hearing a ton of cheering and thinking, "how will anyone hear the worship music over that noise." Then Cody said, "we are hear." It was Pattaya Praise!

When we arrived, the feeling was the coolest thing! Worship in the midst of sin/darkness.  Instantly I felt free to jump and raise my hands to the music.  Meanwhile, prostitutes, Customers, and passers by stare, question, and move to the music! I felt peace, freedom, joy, and love in the midst of all of this and prayed it down both sides of the street.

After our band played, we prayed over Angel and another Yo-Yo (Yolanda from N Dakota) who are starting work in some of the most popular villages which these girls come from! Such a blessing to bless them. As we prayed, Angel shared she saw angels circling above us. She also shared that, during worship, she saw God had a massive hose at the end of the street. It had force and power and washed all the sin away on that entire street! So cool!

Seriously, coolest worship experience! Praising our Savior, covering the street in prayer and worship, meeting eyes with those stuck in this horrible industry. I know that the kingdom was brought down ... The words sung and prayed in that place were heard, the smiles, catching of eyes, hellos ... All had an impact. As I prayed and we sang over that street, I believe God said that there will be a day when this street is saved! What an awesome Savior we serve! I am looking forward to more of that in the streets and bars we go to tonight!  - Amber

Pattaya Day 2 - Sherry's Lens

I have worshipped in a lot of places - but none of them compare to worshipping Him in the streets of Pattaya.  I am humbled to think that God has chosen us to declare His praises here in Thailand.  Joining with 14 countries from around the world leaves me speechless and longing for the time we can do it with every tribe and nation. 

Last night as we began the sound check the enemy was working hard to not make it happen.  We went up on stage to find a little Yamaha keyboard, kid style.  While sound checking we found the cord had a short in it, so it would just stop working.  At this point a few of the leaders had arrived who spoke English so we told them this wasn't going to work and asked if there was any other way to get another keyboard. At first they said no, then looked at the schedule they thought a Dutch team should be finished at Pier 6 and would be headed over to Bali Hai, where we were - they made some calls and about 15 minutes later we saw 2 men from the Dutch team arriving with an incredible keyboard.  God is good - had the cord not had a short in it, we would have made it work.  God wanted us to have something better.  Let the worship begin.  As we were worshipping a freedom filled the stage and we were able to just relax in what we love to do.  At one point I looked up and at the back of the area we had to worship was a large crowd gathered, unsure of whether to enter, they stood in the back drawn to listen.  I was amazed.  During our worship time at Bali Hai I was reminded of the journey God took us on to get here.  That one year ago we were preparing to leave for Thailand - with only 3 days before take off, God said, "stop, thanks for preparing, thanks for saying yes, but now I need you to lay it down."  That was one of the hardest things I've had to do, to let go of something we had carried for so long, not knowing if we would ever see it happen.  As I was worshipping last night it was like I had  been dreaming and anticipating this for over a year.  As we worshipped together for Thailand at McBIC last year on 11-11-11 the deep desire to actually declare His glory for Thailand on this ground was so strong, and last night the anticipation of the past year was released as God spoke over us, "now - now is the time."  Had we made the trip last year we would have come and been able to worship, but just amongst small groups, we would have not had the freedom to declare, to amplify our praises to hundreds.  I am in awe, that that wasn't enough for God - He wanted more - He wanted the many to hear.  Hear me, I think?  Really God??  And humbly with tears hear Him say, "yes, . . .the many need to hear".  So now looking back the frustration of seeing our desire last year not complete all makes sense, for had we come last year, I don't know that we would have said yes to doing it again a year later.  So thanks for walking this journey with us, for supporting us when we couldn't see where God was taking us, and rejoicing with us when all the pieces began to fit in.

Now, I can't end this without talking about what happened after the worship time at Bali Hai.  The night was just beginning.  After we worshipped at the Pier, we grabbed all our things and headed out for Soi 5, Tamar ministries.  This is located in the Red Light district on the street where the girls line the streets.  We traveled over in a Song Toa and prayed together there as we prepared to walk down the Soi 5 street.  We 4 girls grabbed our guys hand and lead them protect them down the street.  The men kept their heads down while we girls were able to show love to the prostitutes we passed by with a loving look and a smile.  We arrived at Tamar to hear a Thai team giving glory to God.  The atmosphere was electric, the energy huge.  They were worshipping with dancing and singing, shouting and praise, while the prostitutes and johns walked by. 

 Many of the girls from the bar next door couldn't help but start to move their feet.  It was awesome to see.  Then it was our turn.  From the first note that Cheryl sang out I felt our worship piercing the darkness - we did not come to perform, we did not come to be seen, we came to declare the glory of God, and His glory covered and filled the streets.  I have never heard a sound quite like, never experienced worship quite like that before.  Bringing Light to the Darkness is what we were made to do.  How incredible it is to have the freedom to do what we were created to do "at such a time as this". When we were finished, the leaders came up to us and thanked us over and over - saying, "many come for the performance, but we can tell that you guys came just to worship, to declare His name whatever the cost.  your worship is refreshing."  We were then able to pray over a few of the leaders as we blessed them in each of their ministries, which ended our time there perfectly.  God is good, all the time, and all the time he is good. - Sherry

Pattaya Day 2- Lonnie's Lens

It's hard to believe the day has come already for our team members Chris, Sherry, Mark and Cheryl to participate in the Pattaya Praise Event. There first session to lead worship was at 6:30 pm our time, on Thursday evening the 15th, at the Bali Hai Pier. It's a very busy place with what seems like thousands of tourists being bused in to walk around and go out to the end of the pier. I was not actually out there to see what all the attractions are, i just know that there are bus after bus that come in to drop off people. The cool thing is that they all have to either walk right by the area where the worship team is playing or they can at least hear the music from pretty much anywhere on the pier. Most of them looking through the fence to find out what all those crazy people are doing inside there with that loud music. :) Our group had to overcome some minor obstacles before it was there time to play. One of which Cody and I helped out with by  taking a car taxi back to the hotel which took 20 minutes to get a piece of equipment that was needed and then taking a motorcycle taxi back to Bali Hai, which took 2 to 3 minutes. 

It was like being on Amazing Race. Anyhow, our team lead an awesome time of worship at Bali Hai and then we left there to go to Tamar Minsitries which sits in the middle of Soi (Street) 6, which is probably the most popular street in Pattaya for Prostitution. We all knew that it wasn"t going to be easy and that it was a very spiritually dark place, but it was the prayer cover that helped us get through it without any real issues at all. It's even hard to explain the sites, feelings and emotions as you walk down this street, but God had a purpose for us to be there and we were amazed at how he protected us as we set up right there on the street corner and worshipped our hearts out for 50 minutes. We started at 9:00 pm and finished up at about 9:45 or so. Everyone on the street had to pass by where we were and alot of the men that were there to pick up women would actually stop and listen as well for a few minutes. Some would even walk down the street and then come back. We literally had prostitutes within 10 yards of us, who just sat in their chairs or stood along the streets and watched. They had nothing else to do because they didn't have any business while our groups were there playing. When the light comes on, the darkness goes away. Some of them would even start dancing or clapping along with the music. I saw a couple groups of men go into the bars and as soon as they sat down, they literally got right back up again and walked out. The only explanation for that was that God was all over the place. The Prostitutes at some of the bars that we could see from where we were standing would actually run out in the street and grab guys to try to pull them into the bar and these guys would pull their arm away and keep walking. Praise God! There has been alot of prayer going into this event for months and months and God has shown us that he hears our prayers and he is making a difference in Thailand. Tomorrow night 3 more bands are going back to the same area and I'm praying that business is slow once again.:) This 4 day Praise and Worship event will have a positive impact on the city of Pattaya and it's awesome to see and be a part of what God is doing there. There are several other locations in the city where different bands are playing each afternoon and evening, so I hope we will be able to find out all the different experiences that each band had in the places they were playing at. Some of them were going to be in some pretty popular bars that had given permission for them to come and play. I don't think the owners knew what they were opening themselves up for. :) Thank you for your prayers. - Lonnie

Pattaya - Praise & Prayer

Yesterday morning we woke up in Pattaya, but it feels like 3 days ago!  So much has happened!

We were invited to attend the Pattaya Praise orientation at a church in Pattaya because part of our team is leading worship twice in Pattaya Praise.

Pattaya Praise, I have been explaining, is like a mini "Creation" that takes place all over the city.  Worship teams come from all over the world and lead worship in different locations in Pattaya - The 4th floor of City Hall, The Entrance to Bali Hi Pier, the Bar street where Tamar Soi 6 is located, Utopia Bar and Lucifer Bar on walking street…  You heard that right - we will worship Jesus Christ in Lucifer bar!!

So we woke up early after our late night arrival to get to the church on time.  Only, I had never been to that church before, and since it was called Soi 5 Church, I imagined it was right next to Tamar Soi 6… it wasn't.  We took a Song Toa down there, walked the whole street, and there was no church to be found.  We asked a couple of people, who didn't seem to know what we were talking about.  Finally, a taxi driver told us it was far away from where we were, and he would have to drive us! Since there were 9 of us, he called his buddy to bring another taxi.  We agreed on the price, hopped in and drove what seemed like half way across Pattaya… to the wrong place! We arrived at the Slum Ministry of Pattaya (connected with YWAM).  We were glad we got to see the building, but at this point, we were pretty late for orientation.  The Taxi driver asked if we could call someone to give him directions.  Since I opted not to get a Thai sim card upon arrival, we couldn't do it - but we showed him our friend Reina's number, and he called her!  She gave him directions.  The two taxi drivers laughed a littler bit before we got back in the car to go.  I hope they were laughing at how incredibly needy we were! 

On the way there, Mark reminded me of Joshua 1:3 which was prayed over us: I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. "Well, we just expanded our footprint," he said!

We got to the church in time for the history of Pattaya Praise, worship, and little Thai culture training.  During worship, we sang a song I LOVE to sing in youth that goes, "I am free to run, I am free to dance, I am free to live for you, I am free!"  For some reason, I was the only one doing the motions.  But everyone else there (probably around 100 - 200) made up for it with jumping and congo-lining.

Afterwards, we got some lunch, and took time to rest.  Before dinner, we gathered together to pray over our worship team.  We were all very expectant and excited about the worship leading they would bring to the table.

That evening was opening night at Bali Hi Pier.  It was slightly delayed and had a couple of technically difficulties due to a quick rain right beforehand - but the lord was glorified!!

I just love that the Pattaya City sign is right above the stage.

We woke up this morning and headed to City Hall to worship.  It was a great space, a breeze blew through occasionally, and I spent most of the time praying and meditating with the occasional singing thrown in.  

Cheryl, Sherry, Chris, Jamie, Mardell and I all felt like leaving the worship time a little bit early.  Cheryl, Sherry, Chris and Mark would be leading worship twice later on - and wanted to prepare.  We hopped in a Song Tao and headed back.

Earlier in the day, I went to get waters for the team. On the way there I was alone and was praying - and cried out to God about how sick I felt listening to fear every time I wanted to pray for someone.  Fear of them not understanding me, fear of not seeing the miracle happen, fear of other people thinking I'm weird.  "I am just sick of being afraid," I told God.  As I walked to get the waters, I decided that today would be a day that I would pray for anyone I wanted to, in spite of fear.  Who cares, you know?  

As we rode home on the Song Tao, I saw a smiley man walking with severely twisted bow legs.  He was walking on the walk along the beach.  I wanted him to have straight awesome legs.  I was afraid.  I remembered my conversation with God, and did the only thing I know how to do - I thought about the steps I needed to take to get my body over to that guy and open my mouth.  I played it through in my head.  I will make sure Chris knows how to get home.  I will let them know I feel like praying for that guy.  I will press the stop button.  I will pay the driver.  I will walk back to the guy.  I will say hello…  "Chris," I broke the silence of my thought, "Do you know how to get home from here?"  I always love this point - really.  Because it's the point where you've committed and now you have to follow through!  Cheryl jumped, "are you going to pray for that guy!?"  She had seen him too!  Mardell chimed in, "I'm coming too!"

The three of us approached him and I was so pumped by his massive smile. I used hand motions and talking and smiling to ask him if we could pray for him.  He said yes so we did.  He said it was alright to lay hands on his legs, and he grabbed my hand in his hand so hard, I was just really excited.  We prayed for him twice, with a little walk in between, but didn't see his legs healed.  I always take heart in knowing that Heidi Baker prayed 100 times for 100 different blind people to see before one of them ever saw.  I hugged him and thanked him.  As he walked away, we prayed over him again.  

I envisioned Heaven invading earth - Heaven invading Pattaya - but slowly.  Every time we prayed it would advance.  Think of it like a glowing yellow force field over Pattaya that is prickly.  Each prayer sends a prickly thing down in a little further.  Sometimes the prickly things go really far, and people come to know Jesus or get healed or get saved from a life of prostitution.  And sometimes the prickles only move  couple of feet closer.  Either way it doesn't matter, we are just gonna keep praying! :-D

God bless you!

Thank you so much for your wonderful prayers and words of encouragement!

We will post in the AM (your PM) about the worship time our team lead tonight! I will give you a hint: it Rocked.