Thailand: pray it out
Wingapo friends!
Month two of the race we spent in Chang Mai, Thailand. My team and I spent the month working with a ministry that does outreach to the bars and the women that work in the red light district. I wrote some blogs while in Thailand about the outreach side of ministry. Despite all of the stories we have from going out, some of the most memorable (and I suspect impactful) moments were much earlier in the day.
Every morning we got up and prayer walked around Chang Mai. We split off into smaller groups or pairs and wandered around the streets praying over the bars and the women. Many times, these were the powerful moments.
Ministry is a quick way to feel small in a very big world, and bar ministry will do that on a whole new level. Seeing how many people were damaged and effected, seeing how vast the scope is, how many problems there are to address, how much fault there is, but also how little blame can be cast, you quickly realize that anything you do is not going to make a difference. Only God can do that.
Prayer walking was something so simple and in-glamorous, but so powerful. By humbling myself and admitting there was no possible impact I could have; I was blessed enough to have the Lord allow me to see where/how He was already moving in the city.
Every morning, I would walk the streets whispering scripture over the pavement, blessings over the workers, prayers over the customers, and listening for how the Lord was speaking to me that day. He spoke peace and love for the women and children; He spoke restoration for the bars and the city; He spoke of peace and redemption for the customers.
Thailand taught me a depth and a love of prayer that reshaped the way I think of God and intimacy with the Holy Spirit. The simplest thing turned out to be one of the craziest and most powerful moments on the World Race.
