Finally, she looked at me and, in perfect English, said, 'Uh, I can't understand you. I don't speak Thai. I'm from the Phillipines.' Whew...I ordered my beef Tex-Mex enchiladas (using English, no less) and we all had a good laugh.
Let me share another experience that has haunted my memory this past week.
There were about a dozen songs in our music library that the Celebration Singers could sing on a moment's notice. They were songs that we loved to sing and were practically memorized by the choir. I called them 'sugar daddies.' I could pull one out and go over it one time and it would be ready to sing for worship the following Sunday. Each one was special to the choir in its' own way. One of these songs was People Need the Lord. Last week, while walking down one of the large, main streets in Bangkok, an experience we had brought the words of this song back to my memory.
As some background information, when walking down a street, if one should meet a Thai coming the opposite way, seldom will the Thai speak first. They will almost never make eye contact, usually just a quick glance and then they'll look back down at the ground. (As bad as the sidewalks are, everyone always looks down to avoid stepping in a bad spot in the walkway! If you've been to Bangkok, you know what I mean.) However, if you speak first and smile and say hello, they will always smile back and most respond with a verbal hello. But prolonged (key word) eye contact with a stranger is never experienced...unlike New Mexico where you can carry on a 10-minute conversation with a total stranger and, by the time you part, you know just about everything in regard to the person you met just 10 minutes earlier, children, job, religion, political party affiliation, etc.
However, last week, I met some ladies who gave me prolonged eye contact and the words to People Need the Lord burst upon my mind. When walking down the street, we came upon some prostitutes looking for their next client. There were 8-10 in this one location right in front of Tony Roma's Ribs, just standing there...waiting...and, as I walked by, we made eye contact but, unlike most Thais that quickly look away, their eyes met mine and they continued with prolonged eye contact until I walked past. (I was very uncomfortable at the moment, to say the least.) They were all young women, every one of them in their twenties and the empty looks I saw in their eyes, coupled with the lack of smile on their faces, easily displayed the hollowness that I know is in the depth of their souls.
Every day they pass me by, I can see it in their eyes. Empty people filled with care, headed who knows where...
Bang!
All of a sudden, the words to that song blasted into my mind, searing themselves deeply upon my heart.
Here were some beautiful young women, each one uniquely created by God, needing to discover the freedom that can be found in Jesus. The awkwardness of the moment was more than counterbalanced by the realization of the truth found in those words.
Every day they pass me by, I can see it in their eyes. Empty people filled with care, headed who knows where...
I am happy to tell you that there is a vibrant, Christian ministry called The Well that was created and exists solely to minister to the needs of the thousands of prostitutes and bar girls in Thailand. If you would be encouraged by reading some of the success stories of how this ministry has literally helped take women off the street, here is a link to get you to the right place.
www.servantworks.com/well
A couple of nights ago, we were at Central Dept. Store. I stopped for a moment just to look around. To my left were some Hindu families from either India or Pakistan. The women were wearing brightly colored saris and had the tell-tale red dot in the middle of their foreheads. To my right were a large group of Muslims. The men were wearing the white, pleated hat and the women had on solid black burqas with a small slit as an opening for their eyes. There were also a number of shoppers from Japan, carrying large bags of clothes from the store. Surrounding us were dozens of Thai Buddhists, each one hurrying to get on with their life. And, of course, there were a few farangs (foreigners) usually from Australia, Germany, New Zealand, Indonesia, or any one of dozens of countries.
Yes, Dorothy...we are not in Kansas anymore... What opportunities continue to await us.
Bless each one of you for your prayers and words of encouragement. To God be the glory.
