“Today was our first time on Bangla Road. It was sickening.It was literally like walking through Hell. There are almost naked women everywhere, most of them so drunk in attempt to forget. The way that the men look at the woman is so sad. Couples’ walking down the road together but the man is taking pictures of the girls on tables, poles, and cages. Parents with children, newborn babies to 14-year-old boys.

They just don’t get it.

They are so blind to the pain in the girl’s eyes and the pain in the eyes of most everyone walking down the road, but worst of all they are blind to the pain in their own eyes. They are too busy trying to fill the voids with something but just getting a bunch more nothing. The men are too wrapped up in the woman’s bodies to see the numbness and blank expressions on their beautiful faces.

As we walked down the road for the first times, both in the afternoon and again at night, I just prayed and smiled. I looked those pretty girls straight in the eyes and smiled. They can tell that it is different and after a second they will smile back. The joy of the Lord shining from me causes them to smile, a real smile, giving them a second of their own joy. They don’t know why it is different but they know that is. As I kept getting beautiful smiles, all I could think about was how pretty the woman were giving them to me. All I could see was the beauty of girl after girl and tears started flowing. Oh how my heart hurts for them.

They are all so beautiful and they just don’t know it. They don’t know how loved they are and how much worth they have. They don’t know that they are worth so much more. They don’t know what true love feels like and they don’t know that there is a King that has unconditional love for his beautiful daughters. 

Yes, it hurts me but I can only imagine how bad it hurts Jesus.

He doesn’t see anything but their beauty. He doesn’t see the dirtiness; He just sees His sons and daughters, whom He loves so much. He sees the redemption that is coming and the newness He so desires to bring to EVERYONE. He is waiting for them with his arms wide open ready to comfort them and cover them with His astounding love. That’s why He has put us on Bangla road to show people a glimpse of Him. He is just asking me to shine His light and spread His love. He hasn’t put us there as a project or to see how many girls we can get out of the bars.  Yeah that will be awesome but it’s not my job nor am I capable of it.  I am not capable of saving anyone. I am not capable of making someone new. I am not capable of changing the world, Thailand, or Bangla Road.

But HE is.”