Bar Ministry: Perception verse Reality
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I spent a night earlier this week with two of my teammates
going to bars and starting to build relationships with the girls in the red
light district for the first time.
Suddenly, they were no longer images in my mind or girls I
had passed by on the streets; but were friends with faces and names.
This is a blog about my perception verses the reality of
last night:
Perception of the
men: I pictured the men in the bars being happy with the life they have
lived. As if they were relishing in their sin and enjoying the decisions they
have made. As if they were proud of their choices and the life they were
living.
Reality of the men: They
are just as broken as anyone else can be. Some men were sitting with the girls
flirting and putting on a fake cloak to hide their feelings of desperation.
Most of the men were walking around aimlessly or sitting in a dark corner sipping
a beer, their eyes clouded with loneliness and hurt.
Perception of the
streets: I pictured streets filled with smiles, even though I knew those
smiles would be fake. I thought there would be an atmosphere of happiness
cloaked in a dark setting.
Reality of the
streets: Instead the streets were filled with darkness reaching for
happiness, but failing miserably. None of the girls were smiling, unless you
first directly smiled at them. The neon lights seemed old and dreary, almost as
if the brightness of light had been drawn out of them completely.
Perception of the
girls: I perceived them to not want to talk to us and be friends with us. I
pictured them not really caring that we were there but just going along with
the conversation. I thought that when they saw us (white girls walking around
the streets) they would think of us as a worthless amount of time because we
weren’t there to spend money on them.
Reality of the girls:
They are full of love and searching for someone who will see that in them.
I sat down with multiple girls last night and each of them genuinely wanted to
have a conversation. When we gave them our full attention and sat down next to
them they would light up and smile, more than willing to share a tiny bit of
their story. They asked us to play games with them (pool, jenga, connect four)
and when men walked into the bar the girls looked to us and said, “Want to play
another game?” as if stating: I would rather spend my time with you.
Perception of bar
ministry: I thought it would be a hard grueling time going from bar to bar
trying to find a girl to build a relationship with. I pictured the darkness
being too big for the light.
Reality of bar
ministry: There is so much hope to be shared. Most of the girls are so
friendly and want to feel important, to feel like they can be a 20 year old
girl who isn’t seen as an object to be bought. I am so excited for this next month
of continuing bar ministry and beginning to build relationships with these
girls.
Thank God my perceptions have been broken and the reality is
that God is doing a work here. The world would say that the red light district
is too dark and thriving for God to break through. But I know I serve a God who
is jealous for every single heart in the bars: both women and men. Praise God,
He is coming for you Thailand.
