I shared with you the last time I visited Thailand’s red-light districts why I keep coming back here … why I continue to choose the darkness … even though it’s heartbreaking.
I would rather work here in the midst of unspeakable atrocities than to stay in my comfort zone where I can’t see the darkness at all. I need to be reminded that the 50,000 women in Pattaya’s sex industry are more than a statistic — they are real people who are suffering. And my prayer is you will be reminded of this, as well.
The red-light district’s bright neon lights and the flashing signs are blinding. But when I look into these working girls’ faces, I can see they are living in complete darkness.
Then, I step into the new Pattaya Freedom Center. The thumping music and the shouting voices on the street fade away, and I notice a young woman holding a beautiful baby girl.
“I’m Min,” she says. And she smiles — not the kind of fake smile I see on hundreds of girls outside as they try to meet their quota for the night. The kind of smile that only comes from knowing the true joy of freedom.
There is no darkness in Min’s eyes … only light and hope.
Women like Min are the reason I can’t stay away from Thailand. They are the reason I’m writing to you today. Min’s story represents the kind of transformation and life-changing hope you can provide when you give to help a girl regain her freedom.
It’s hard to believe that the Pattaya Freedom Center was just an empty building when I was here this past January. Now — thanks to generous donors — it’s a functioning home where women like Min can receive a second chance.
Instead of working in the bars, Min can now train to become a seamstress or pursue another trade that will build a better future for herself and her children. She has comfort knowing her infant daughter won’t have to grow up surrounded by the dangers of the red-light district. And she is learning every day about the One who will never leave her nor forsake her.
But there are many women who are still longing for what Min has — waiting for their own chance to escape.
The world calls them prostitutes … but I call them victims of cultural slavery because these girls are chained to this lifestyle simply to provide for their families. And in so many ways, it’s a sacrifice.
Many of them work difficult factory jobs for at least eight hours a day before working through the night in the bars. They have little time to eat or sleep. But it’s the only way they know how to survive.
You can change that. For just $50, you can help one girl regain her freedom.
You can give a girl the joy that Min is experiencing today. And you can bring true Light into the darkness.
Rescue a life — give the gift of freedom.