I want to share something with you that is heavy on my heart. The sex slave industry is rampant in society today, especially overseas. There are 1.8 million prostitutes that live in Thailand, 400,000 are children under the age of 16. Each year 7.3 million men come to participate in this sick industry. Severe poverty delivered these girls over to prostitution, and girls as young as 12 years old are being sold by their own families into this horrific industry. The statistics and images are sickening and heartbreaking. Many girls feel as if there is no hope and that this is all they have to give.
My church, Brentwood Church in Lynchburg, VA has a huge heart for missions. The past few years, members of my church and the church staff have been working with an organization in Thailand called Beginnings. Many members of my church have had such a burden for these girls and have gone over to Thailand several times to work with this organization and get it off the ground to help these women get out of the industry. Our people are going into the bars and clubs and reaching out to the girls to show them there is more to life than prostitution, and that they are worth more than this. Our church is partnering with Beginnings and we are launching a new movement right here in Lynchburg, VA called Freedom 4/24. The mission of Freedom4/24 is to raise awareness of the sexually exploited women in Thailand, while simultaneously providing money to supply these women with alternative means of survival. $24 will purchase a night of freedom for a Thai prostitute, which may result in a lifetime of freedom. I am so excited about this! On Sunday March 22, we kicked off this movement at Brentwood and are trying to raise awareness of the severity of the sex slave industry in Thailand but also to see if other churches or organizations want to partner with us in this effort to raise money and help these girls get out, and learn about God.
Poverty in Thailand has forced hundreds of thousands of women into prostitution. It’s estimated that close to 300 million dollars is transferred yearly to rural families by women engaged in prostitution in urban areas. Imagine finding yourself in a situation where your final means of survival for yourself and your family is to sell the very last thing you have left…your body and self dignity. This is precisely what has happened and is currently happening in areas all over Thailand.
LET THAT SINK IN. No really, think about it…
Right now, as you read this, women are sacrificing their dignity and self worth in order to provide for themselves and their families. This is an issue of poverty. Prostitution produces an approximate annual income of 27 billion dollars for the sex industry. So, what do we do about it? Do we let the enormity of the issue evaporate our empathy towards it? No. We cannot. We must not. Edmund Burke once said, “Nobody makes a greater mistake than he who does nothing because he could only do a little.”
In order to purchase a girl for a night in Thailand, the customer must pay what is called a “bar fee.” The customer must pay this fee to the bar owner, in order to have the right to the girl for the night. This fee is approximately $24. The idea behind Freedom4/24 is that you can purchase the freedom of a girl for 24 hours for a mere $24. This money will be given to an excellent organization called Beginnings. The employees at Beginnings go into the bars, purchase this night of freedom, and then tell the girls about alternative means of survival and opportunities for life that they could never have imagined. These opportunities include: Education, Employment, and Health care (Physical, Emotional, & Spiritual). This is an enormous issue that must be addressed on many different levels. But, the end must begin somewhere. Let it begin with $24. We must make this an unavoidable issue. Get involved. It’s because of your $24 that we have many celebration stories. Here is just one:
Pun was an unwanted child. Her mother gave her to her grandmother to raise immediately after her birth. When Pun was four, her grandmother died and Pun moved to her mother and step-father’s home. Desperate for her mother’s love, she would hide in the bushes by the rice fields waiting for her mother to come find her….but she did not. Pun often slept outside all night and would wander home the next day, only to be used, taunted and rejected by both her mother and stepfather.
At twelve, she took the ten hour bus trip to Bangkok where she worked in a sweat shop for four years until she married a man who was never faithful to her. Together they decided to buy a motorcycle. Because the bank required only one signature, Pun’s husband generously allowed Pun to sign the loan. He left her soon after – on the motorcycle.
Overwhelmed with debt, a friend introduced her to life in the red light district. She worked in a bar that required her to take ten customers a month. Weary, ashamed, broken and HIV positive, Pun came to Beginnings for safety, rest and a new life. There she met Jesus, a man who would not reject her, who would love her unconditionally. He became her peace, her rest, her Savior. She is currently finishing her high school certificate. She has a future and a hope!
This issue has stirred something within me. As I watched the videos and heard my fellow sisters in Christ talk about the stories they brought back from Thailand, my heart broke, and I sat and wept! I have committed to do what I can to help these girls. I have bought a T-shirt and given $24 for a girl’s night of freedom and have committed to pray! Maybe all you can do is pray, tell others, and just be aware of this situation, but if you, your church, family, or friends would like to join Freedom 4/24 please visit the website at: http://www.freedom4-24.com/. Also you can contact Steve Petit our Life Development pastor at Brentwood church at: steve@brentwoodchurch.org. Steve overseas all of the missions organizations at Brentwood and would love to talk to you about partnering with Brentwood and Freedom 4/24. You can also visit Brentwood’s new website at www.brentwoodchurch.org or contact me as well with any questions. It would be so great if your local church or organization could partner with my local church and make a huge difference in the lives of Thai girls!
Thank you for listening to something that is dear to my heart. I am not sure if the Lord will lead me to minister in Thailand one day but I know that He has burdened my heart to pray and support them with the means that I have right now. Thanks so much!
Erin
