We sat in a room all seven of us and asked the Lord where to go in Thailand. We didn’t have anything planned yet accept flights out of Chiang Mai on March 7th. I got a word that Chantai would get the word for our direction. I looked up from the prayer to see her beaming smile ready to tell us everything the Lord had just downloaded to her.
She resounds to the Lord through art in a journal of paintings, pictures and magazine clippings. She said she got the word to “build your house upon the rock” and she cut out pictures of cactuses and painted two strange shapes in her art journal. She researched “famous rock in Thailand” and found images of rock formations in Phuket that perfectly matched the shapes she had drew. She looked up the definition of cactuses: “Spiky plants with uncertain identities.”
It was clear, we were going to Phuket. If it weren’t clear enough, Kelsey then spoke up and said she heard, “If you go to Phuket, I will take you to the woman at the well.”
We heard about a World Race contact there from Chantai’s old teammate that was going to be there at the same time – Joe and Sarah Nelson with Calvary Church Patong. I called Joe and asked if we could come. He said yes and that they would be having an all female team from K Squad.
That was it. We booked bus tickets.
While we were there, the church and the team were taking part in a special Valentine’s Day event. They passed out more than 1,000 roses and gift bags to the women working in the sex trade in and around the infamous Bangla Road.
We followed around the team as they befriended the women and men working in the bars, strip clubs, and massage parlors.
The team also participated in a volleyball outreach for the gay and trans community in the area. We played with them, but these people were so good and hit the ball so hard; it was terrifying. They also visited a work camp of Burmese “asylum seekers” and showed them a film illustrating the Gospel. We also had the privilege of doing a very raw interview with a Christian refugee. Through his tears, he told us about the struggles his family has gone through after being forced to leave Pakistan. Chantai described it as a prophetic word to a slumbering church.
We felt a thick heaviness in Phuket. There was so much darkness and oppression, it effected us emotionally and physically. It was tough to be there, but as our time came to a close, we looked back and realized how faithful the Lord had been.
He really did bring us to meet the women at the well, so many of them – and He gave us three stories of “spiky plants with uncertain identities.” Three groups the world often ignores. Three groups that Calvary Church and K Squad were embracing with the Love of Jesus. Phuket is dark and we have video to prove it, but the goodness of the Lord is unstoppable and irresistible and that is story we hope to tell you from Thailand.
Hello there!
There are a few members of our team that are not fully funded yet! We’d really appreciate it if you would help!
Head to their blogs and hit the “Donate” button!
Evan: evanwalker.kingdomjourneys.org
Kelsey: kelseytosca.kingdomjourneys.org
Owen: owensiebring.kingdomjourneys.org
Joe: joebarnes.kingdomjourneys.org
Thank you so much!
