itchy

Two weeks ago we got lice. There was only one lice ever found in my hair, but a few of my teammates’ heads’ were more infested than mine. It was quite a process to wash all of our sheets, pillow cases, sleeping bags, and some clothes. Since the washing machine doesn’t have hot water, we had to boil water and then soak everything in efforts to stop the lice from spreading. As you might have guessed, this takes a long time. On top of all this, we all had to wash our hair with lice shampoo and then search each other’s heads for lice. Oh yeah, and then we had bar ministry that night. It was definitely a full day for us but God gave us the grace to make it through and still love each other. It was quite the experience but I like to think we bonded more through our times of washing, combing, an picking out lice and lice eggs from each other’s hair. (Check out Marisa's blog here for a funny account of our lice experience :)

Yes, that's a picture of a lice.

Helping each other get rid of lice (notice the head lamp - the lighting in our room isn't great).

Now the lice is gone. Thank you, Jesus! But in the past few days both me and Allysha have discovered that we have ringworm. What I originally thought was a bug bite has turned out to be a case of ringworm on my arm. It is very itchy at times but there is no way that I’m scratching it. I google-imaged ringworm and am now traumatized (I don’t recommend doing that…). I really don’t want it to spread. I have been putting some cream on it but have been researching how to get rid of it in other ways. Apparently nail polish works? I don’t know but I’m trying it out. I’ll let you know how it goes…

We don't have any clear nailpolish so I'm using Marisa's green nailpolish - thanks roomie!

Sorry if this post grosses you out. This is my life in Thailand. Just keeping it real...

Note: Ringworm is not an actual worm. It is a fungus. I do not have worms.

Daow

When we first met Daow*, she was very forward and flashy. She loves to dress up and always looks well put together. Hair perfectly straightened. Coloured contacts in. Fake eyelashes on. Make-up expertly applied. Decked out in a fancy dress and high heels.

However, there is far more to Daow than her appearance (although most of the foreigners that buy her for the night wouldn’t bother to look beyond that). Daow has hopes and dreams for her life and doesn’t want to work in the bar forever. She doesn’t enjoy having to get drunk all the time and leaving for the night with customers. She dreams of opening up a salon in Bangkok and having a restaurant with her father.

But Daow has been hurt a lot by different people throughout her life. Her mother left her family when Daow was a teenager and she hasn’t seen her in years. And Daow used to have a boyfriend that she lived with in Bangkok...but he was abusive and caused her a lot of pain. Now she is thankful that she doesn’t have a boyfriend or children because of her past experiences.

Daow has become a good friend of mine. Last week, she painted my nails as I sipped my pineapple juice at her bar. And earlier this week, I painted her nails (red on Valentines Day to match her flashy red dress).

When I visited her bar on Wednesday, Daow ran to a street vendor nearby and bought food for us to share. As we ate our spicy seafood dish (so good!), we chatted and she gave me some presents because I’m leaving soon. She gave me a little mirror and a ring that she often wears. To be completely honest, the mirror is kind of strange-looking and the ring isn’t exactly my usual style, but I will always treasure these gifts because they were given to me by Daow.

Daow shared with me about how she appreciated our friendship. She told me, “Most foreign women don’t talk to me. They don’t talk to girls who work in the bars. But you, you talk to me. You call me on the phone, you are my friend. You have a good heart.”

It was encouraging to hear her voice her feelings and continue opening up to me. Our conversations have made a difference in her life. She has felt cared for and loved. She has been listened to and treated like someone who has great worth.

Pray for Daow – pray that she will hold on to her hopes and dreams. I’ve talked to her a bit about SHE so pray that Daow will think about this option more and will have the strength to leave the bar. Pray that she will come to know Jesus and His amazing love for her.

* Name has been changed

"katie needs a hair cut"

I never expected that my hair could be used as a ministry tool. But in the past two days, God has used my hair to open up doors to connect with girls in the bars and get to know them more.

I was first volunteered to get a hair cut by my teammate Marissa. When she discovered that one of the women in a bar we’ve been visiting can cut hair, she immediately told her…”Katie needs a hair cut! You can cut her hair!” It’s true. I do need a hair cut. And since I’m not super attached to my hair and this seemed like a great opportunity to get to know a woman outside of the bar environment, I agreed.

Although our original appointment with her fell through, it ended up working out to meet up with her on Thursday afternoon. We met her at the outside bar where she works and she cut my hair right there. And she did a great job! No random bald spots and my bangs haven’t been reduced to just an inch long. Thank you, Jesus! And it was a great way to talk with her and encourage her in her skills.

Getting my hair cut at the bar

I thought that would be the end of my hair ministry. But last night, just one day after my hair cut, we were chatting with some ladies at a bar we’ve just gone to once before. (I mentioned them in my last post – they are the ones who like that we dress differently than the tourists.) They have been very friendly and when I complimented one of them on the curls in her hair, she showed me the curling iron that she had right behind the bar. And she offered to curl my hair. So, of course, I agreed. She grabbed a chair for me, I went behind the bar, and she started curling my hair! They took turns curling my hair. And at the same time, Abbie and Marissa played pool and talked with them.

Getting my hair curled by a friend at another bar

Marissa playing pool with our other friend at the bar

Me with my hair all cut and curled!

We invited them to go out for lunch on Sunday and they seemed really excited. Pray that it will all work out and that they will really open up to us. They are both from Isaan, a poor region of Thailand that many of the women that work in the bars come from. One of them has two sons back there that her mother takes care of and she sends money back to them.

We are so grateful to God for how He opens up doors in unexpected ways! Pray that we will continue to have many opportunities and divine appointments and that these women will have open hearts to receive all that God has for them.

hopeful

I don’t think that most YWAM outreach budgets include drinks at the bar. Ours does. (Don’t worry…they are all non-alcoholic beverages.) J

A few nights a week, our team has been heading out to the bars in the Kata area of Phuket. We split up into three groups – my group includes Marissa, Abbie, and myself. From there, we pray and see which bar God leads us to. We have been building relationships with the girls that work in the bars and have made some good connections already.

But it is also hard work and we are tired. Yesterday my group headed down to Kata early because we had two appointments to meet up with girls that we had met in the bars. They both fell through. We couldn’t get ahold of one woman and the other told us that her friend had been in a motorbike accident so she had to go to the hospital. I don’t know if she was telling the truth or not. Either way, it’s clear that the devil does not give up ground easily.

So we pray. We pray and we keep going and meeting women in the bars. We were all exhausted after being in Kata all afternoon and evening and none of us felt like going out into the bars. But just before we headed out, Marissa was praying and God reminded her of how He sent us halfway around the world for a purpose. She gave us a great inspirational speech and after that we were ready to go! And it was an amazing night! At one bar, we met two women and had a great conversation with them. They told us that they had seen us earlier walking around and had noticed us. We looked different, they told us, we weren’t dressed like most tourists (I guess dressing modestly pays off). We liked you when we saw you, they told us, we like you girls! It was so encouraging to see how God had worked it out so that we could meet these women. He led us to a bar where there were two women who had noticed us earlier and seen something different in us. We got their phone number and are hoping to hang out with them soon.

God is pursuing these women. He is passionate about them and loves them deeply. He longs for them to know Him. And so do we. Our hearts break when we watch a tourist paw one of the women that we have been talking to or walk away with them. We want more for them. We long for the restoration of their lives. I don’t believe these girls want this kind of life for themselves. I doubt that any of them grew up with the aspiration or dream of being a prostitute. But there are few opportunities for well-paying jobs and these women bear the responsibility of supporting their families. They see no other option for themselves.

Some still dream of other jobs and opportunites. One woman would like to open up a laundry business. Another wants to start up a salon. But many don’t see these dreams as really possible because of the high costs involved. Over time, their hopes and dreams die. So we hope for them…we dream of greater things for them. They could work in hotels. They could start up their own businesses. They could go to university. They could gain new skills like baking and making jewellery. They could take these skills and go back to their families. They could take care of their own children, instead of being forced by circumstances to leave them in the care of family.

We believe that God can transform Phuket. We have great hope because we serve a great God.

“The things that are impossible with people are possible with God.” (Luke 18:27)

Our team before heading out to the bars

Beautiful beach in Phuket

A visit from our school leader Jon (and Sean came for one night too)!