Walking back into Pat Pong, the oldest and largest Red Light District in Thailand, it felt like little had changed since May. It was same same but different: different girls (dancers) and Halloween decorations, but the same night market, same vendors, bars, and touts. People recognized us and called out to us—we were back in “our” ‘hood!
The team of 13 spent the week praying, being light in darkness, whether that was in the bars, in “Little Pong” (the children’s ministry at a garden bar), the market, and any everywhere else life took them. Every night we came back together and talked about the day, and as stories were shared, we were in awe. We heard of “chance” encounters, of meeting people and being in places team members had dreamt of months before, of conversations with girls working in bars, of a deaf ministry none of us could have imagined, of how the “Jesus” bracelets we’ve been giving out have become known by name. People are saying His name in Pat Pong!
On the first night in Thailand, one of the team members brought up the story of Rahab, of the scarlet cord she lowered as all the walls around her home, her city—her world—fell down. Jess said she felt it was like a picture of what is and will happen in Pat Pong. As teams keep coming and Christ’s love is shared over and over, cracks appear in the walls. As we walk and pray, we know the Lord is working in Pat Pong; we just need to look for Him!
For instance, on our last night, we met a vendor in Pat Pong who was a Christian. She cried as she talked about how hard it is to sell every night where such evil and pain are nearby. She is alone—no family—and we met her because we saw her reading a Bible, right beside a gogo (dancer) bar.
Or the fact that on this team there was a sign language interpreter and 3 other people who spoke a little sign—and we met deaf person after deaf person, from vendors to tourists. I started laughing—and stopped counting—after the deaf tour guide from Belgium –and his deaf group- stopped to talk with Katy (the interpreter). We even got the names of 3 deaf churches in Bangkok!
*Photo bottom right by Connie Rock.
We noticed physical changes as well—a new bar on the ladyboy street and a new sign near the bridge where they dance. But the biggest, and most exciting changes to us were the bars that were closed. We counted three. But not just any three. One of them, called “Lucifer”, has the highest and largest sign over Pat Pong, like he is looking over it all below. The bar also has a statue. Last trip Connie noticed that the statue had moved from a place of prominence to the shadows. And Monday, when we walked through, the bar was empty, closed up, and the sign completely dark.
That reminds me—Connie took this picture the day the team came. It’s of a “demon” statue noted in the newspaper… under repair at a monument because lightning struck it.
God is doing something in Thailand.
Talking with Sarah at Rahab this week, she reminded us—don’t pray the bars just shut down. Pray they are replaced. Her belief, her dream for Pat Pong, is for it to be a genuine place of commerce with Christian businesses; a hotel to be a training center, and for the bar called “King’s Corner” to be the church.
Let’s pray this will be so!
On a final daytime prayer walk, part of the team stopped outside of the fetish bar, one of the darkest on the lowest level. They tied a friendship bracelet on the lock, the same ones we tied on the arms of women, children, vendors, and anyone who will allow it, and tell them that Jesus loves them at the same time. They also dipped their fingers in lotion and drew crosses on the black metal doors. More than two weeks later, on our final day, Connie and I walked by and tied another bracelet on the lock, praying once again. Stepping back, we realized the crosses were still visible.
May the chains of Pat Pong be broken and its walls fall down. May His Kingdom Come, and upon this rock may God place His Church.
*Since writing this post, we learned that the Lucifer bar had two locations–one on street level and one on the third floor. The one that is closed is the street level, however, though the sign still is unlit, there are signs advertising the bar on the 3rd floor.
