Be Available

In our lack of traveling experience we had to change hotels three different times in our five days in Mae Sai. We never seemed to explain how long we wanted to the rooms for and since it was a busy time of the year they were pretty booked. We ended up finding a inexpensive but very nice hotel that overlooked Burma and was very close to the border. I was not going to allow myself to get frustrated by all of my mistakes but was going to trust in God and knowing that He works despite our mistakes.

Our whole team was with us at this point and we decided to have a time of prayer and worship one night outside of the hotel. We were praying for our team and for the city we were in and also for people that were involved in prostitution. We were asking God for His heart for these people and didn't really know what we were getting ourselves into. About a half an hour into it I looked up and saw two men taking a young girl dressed like a prostitute into the hotel and up the elevator. I knew what was going on but didn't want to interrupt our prayer time. When we were finished we decided to take a walk and prayer around the area that we knew had brothels.

The walk was very quiet since most of the brothels are behind closed doors and the streets were pretty quiet that night, but we prayed out loud and I brought my guitar and worshipped God. We got back near the hotel and decided to stop and get some snacks before heading in. Outside of the store were about 6 young adults. Some were drinking and hanging out but there was one young girl holding a baby. I stayed outside and played my guitar and the girl with the baby started speaking english to me. She began to ask me questions like my name and where I was from. I ended up finding out that a church payed for her to go to bible school and to speak around America including Ohio!

Another man was there that was also a Christian in the area and we talked about God and what we were doing. Out of nowhere the two guys and the girl I saw earlier walking into the hotel walked right up to us standing there. I was so shocked and nervous that I was standing there with these people. The girl with the baby grabbed the girl that I assumed to be a prostitute and took her home. When she came back she told us about the girl she took home, that her father had sexually abused her and that her mother passed away so she ended up on the street prostituting herself at the age of 15. Our hearts sank as we stood there embracing the reality of the area we were in. We talked more with the girl and she told us that she was praying for the girls in the area and trying to take care of them.

After all of this we stayed for a few more hours talking and also playing some worship songs that even the drunk guys were singing along with! We had no Idea what we were getting into that night but looking back I could see how we got exactly what we were asking for. We wanted to have Gods heart for the area and for the people and we got it. We were thrown right into the life of the people and the reality of their struggles. Our hearts were broken but we could see that this is what God's heart was for these people.

I had a whole new perspective on these Burmese/Thai people of this small town. I was shown that they were so hungry for the love of God and that us making ourselves available that night to just hang out with them and love on them was exactly what God wanted. Our five days in the small border town with no plans gave us the chance to just be available and see what God wanted to do. I didn't just get Gods heart but truly fell in love with the area and the people and hope to someday return to Mae Sai.

"In all their suffering he also suffered, and he personally rescued them. In his love and mercy he redeemed them. He lifted them up and carried them through all the years." Isaiah 64:9