Project Thailand
October 14–22, 2008
Twelve NCCers will go to Bangkok Thailand to partner with The Well Ministry as well as Thai Church.
The Well is a Christian ministry in Thailand. Its purpose is to love Thai bar girls and sex workers in the same way that Jesus loved that woman and others like her; to help her see and experience her true value as a creation by God, and to help her, her family and village indeed find their dream of a better life. The Well provides counseling, training, job development and other services to women and their family members.
The Thai people are incredibly beautiful and wonderful people, yet very broken. Domestic violence has doubled in the last year. Prostitution continues to grow. It isn’t to make money – it comes out of a brokenness that can only be healed from the inside out. That’s why we’re here, because faith in Jesus changed us from the inside out and that hope should be shared with this people.
Please keep the team in your prayers!
Latest From the Journal
Far and Near
Dave Schmidgall · November 02, 2008 · 3:32 PM
Sex trafficking isn’t just happening in east Asia or other distant lands.
It’s happening here. In DC.
One way to get involved is get informed.
Prostitutes, Customers, and KFC
Dave Schmidgall · October 23, 2008 · 3:55 PM
Jesus didn’t distinguish between people, he loved them all, unconditionally. That’s what happens at The Well. On the final evening, a team member invited a girl from the bars to The Well for dinner and games. She said she’d come. Many doubted she would.
Well she did. In addition, some other team members had invited a girl to the event and called her that night on the way over to The Well. She answered her phone and said she was actually with a “customer” at the moment, didn’t know how long she would be, but may come along.
Not only was it a bit uncomfortable to hear that she was in that situation at that exact moment, but moments later she called and asked if she could bring her “customer” along with her! Crazy! Picture a few prostitutes, a customer, and a bunch of former sex slaves from The Well hanging out, eating KFC, and singing songs about Jesus.
This is real, raw stuff. This is God on the move.
Names
Joel Schmidgall · October 23, 2008 · 8:25 AM
Will you join with our team praying for some bar girls by name? Below is a list of names that we met at the bars (working in prostitution). These are not the girls at The Well, but we hope to see them there someday.
They have much in common. They’re all poor, none of them like the job, but need it to support family and pay off debt. Many were married, had a kid(s) and their husband ran off or they are often the eldest daughter, supporting other sisters through school.
These three girls came to church on Sunday:
- Oil (pronounced Oy) is 23 years old and is studying at university part time. She works at the call center, bar and has a job at the university as well.
- Nok (Knock) is 39.
- Nang (Nong) is 35. – Nok and Nang are half-sisters. They send money home to their mother.
Others we met on the street:
- May has worked in the bars for two years. Her whole family counts on her supporting them financially. May came to spend time with us at The Well.
- Em and May are very young and good friends.
- Nuk has worked in the bar for three days and looks completely out of place. Her dream is to get back to the country and have a farm. Cori actually gave money towards her first pig. Nuk came to hang with us at The Well.
- Sai worked in the bars for two years (cosmetics before that). She had a husband and children but he left her for another woman. From there, Sai came to the bars.
- Noy is 27 years old. Her husband ran off about two years ago and she has been working a little over a year to provide for her mom and son. She does not like working in the bar.
- Pit accepted Christ with one of our team. Her father died when she was young. She was devastated. Her mother demands much money from her. She couldn’t accept Christ because she felt so dirty. Now, for the first time, she knows the difference between peace and happiness. She needs much prayer. She’s still working on the street and she is so tired.
- Su is 36 years old and has two sons, ages 20 and 15. She is Buddhist. People have prayed for her to accept Christ before (she cried). Pray that she can learn more.
- Bun is from the east as well, has been doing this about 3 years (24 years old) and has a seventh month old. When asked if she liked working there she said no, none of the girls did but didn’t have a choice but they all have people to support.
- Nuk is 21 years old and going to school for hotel management. Her dream is to run a hotel restaurant.
- Aye is 28 years old. She has a six-year-old daughter living with her mother. They live out of the city so she only sees her once a week but must support them with money.
Pray with us
Joel Schmidgall · October 19, 2008 · 7:47 PM
It was great to be with Tai Church yesterday and today. We played games, laughed, and shared about Jesus with a group of young kids yesterday. Then last night we went out for another bar outreach. Our hearts were full of joy today when three of the bar girls showed up at church today. I had our team stand up and included them in our team. Some of the team had an incredible moment to pray with them at the end of service. Will you be in prayer with us for these girls? They were all good friends before working at the bar, but needed money so they started at bars four months ago. They hate their mama-san.
- Oil (pronounced Oy) - 23 years old. She’s studying at University part time, call center, bar.
- Nok (Knock) - 39 years old.
- Nang (Nong) - 35 years old. Nok and Nang are sisters and they have to send money home to their family.
Note: You may also access this information at http://aoneeight.org.
Quotable
Joel Schmidgall · October 17, 2008 · 10:11 PM
“When is my day coming?”
“One of the girls would tell me each time she saw me, ‘someday you’ll have me’ [as a prostitute]. Now she has me, but it’s as a Dad.”
“The people who helped me at The Well became the family I never had.”
“I had been searching for 15 years for Christ, since I went to a camp as a 15-year-old. I found myself addicted do Meth-amphetamines when one of the other users told me about The Well. It was the place I had been looking for for those 15 years.”
“I don’t like working here. None of these girls like working here.”
Family
Joel Schmidgall · October 16, 2008 · 5:26 AM
I’m so happy to know these members of our spiritual family! This morning we met again to teach them English.
This is Melissa and one of the girls from The Well. I won’t mention her name, but God has really got a hold of her. She has some unique gifts that we are praying and believing can be used for some great Kingdom purposes. She needs your prayers though! She went with us last night on the bar outreach. We went to the street where her old bar was, so she still knew some of the girls and began sharing with them. God is really working in her life, we hope to tell some of her story in the weeks to come.
Colin gave free piggy back rides today. Many of the girls that work in the bars do so because they are single Moms and have no other source of income. So The Well often has little boys like this running around while their Moms are in classes.
The girls need to find a way to generate some income when they come out of street life. Jewelry making is one way that they do so. They also make cards, notebooks, and purses. We will bring a batch home with us if you’d like to buy one and support the ministry.
The Well also ministers to boyfriends of girls that come out of the industry. It’s very encouraging to see God breaking down addictions of those attached to the girls as well.
On the Streets
Joel Schmidgall · October 15, 2008 · 1:08 PM
I don’t think we realized what we were getting into. Tonight, we had our first outreach at the bars. There were hundreds of scantily clad girls lining the streets, beckoning their next customer. There were many eager western men, happy to participate.
One teammate shared that everything became real tonight. “We went from talking about it in the U.S., to hearing someone tell us about it here, to seeing it with our own eyes tonight. It became real in a frightening way.”
Here’s some other reactions from a very emotionally heavy day:
”The only financial safety net for single moms is prostitution.”
”I learned to stop trying to do it my way and let God work things out His way.”
”Tonight made me angry. All those men taking advantage of the situation.”
Here was my range of emotions: anger, rage, disgust, sadness, heaviness. I was praying tonight and Jesus at the well came to mind. The woman kept going to guys to solve her problems. And somehow Jesus looked through her problems. And he shared hope in the midst of desperation and worthlessness. To a woman who couldn’t quench her desires, he offered water that would never leave her wanting. He offered new life. I am praying that somehow in the midst of so much despair and lifelessness, Jesus would bring a “spring within, gushing fountains of endless life” (John 4) for these women. Pray with us!
Day one - The Well
Joel Schmidgall · October 15, 2008 · 4:36 AM
Wow! We’ve only had a morning with The Well and we’re already blown away! Here’s our favorite pictures from today:
We started the day off with pork fried rice for breakfast!! We’ve never done that...and now we wonder why - amazing!
We taught English classes for some of the people that The Well ministers to on a daily basis. They were so much fun!
This is one of the girl’s journal. She keeps notes from English class as well as other teaching that they go through.
This is one of the girls that has come out of the industry through The Well. She is now helping other girls come out of prostitution and trying to build a job base so they can find other ways to financially support themselves. Debt is one of the major factors that leads to many single moms feeling forced into this industry.
The little girls are always drawn to Scott. I think it’s that shaved head!
Mi Yung teaching one of the girls.
This little guy would not leave Dave’s side. He’s our future photographer.
Please keep us and the ministry in your prayers as we go out tonight to prayer walk the bar scene.
Arrival
Joel Schmidgall · October 14, 2008 · 2:44 PM
We’re here! After 24 hours of travel we finally arrived in Bangkok. It’s almost 3:00 am so we’re looking forward to getting some rest and working with The Well tomorrow. We’ll get oriented, teach English, experience some cuisine, and prayer walk the bar scene tomorrow night.
Thanks for your prayers!