Report from Bangkok - Tuesday Oct 23

Hi All:

It's 9pm and Maureen, Sue, Jenn and I have just returned from Patpong with Tui, a staff member from the Home of New Beginnings. I am sad, very sad.
We have seen more than anyone needs to see of the sex industry. Tui faithfully goes twice a week to the bars to love and provide opportunities for women to leave and live at the Home. I don't know how she does it. We went into one bar and at least 10 girls crowded in and made themselves available to us. UG!
We do have good news though....

And lots of reasons for you to pray...

Today we finished decorating the sacred space and it looks beautiful.
Bonita is back at the center and feeling better. We spent some time with her encouraging and loving her. She is very tired and discouraged but thrilled with the feedback she has been receiving from the girls and the staff and of course, loves the splashes of colours that are everywhere around the center.

One of the girls, Plao, who is attending the English class and who also came to our Bracelet afternoon has made a decision to move into the Center. That is thrilling for everyone. She still has to fulfill an obligation where she works so please continue to pray for her. There are also two other women considering this possibility.

Tomorrow is the Big Party and there seems to be lots of enthusiasm in the neighbourhood. Tonight we paid bar fees for a girl to come. We hope to have at least 25 attending. We are calling it a Friendship Party. Maureen and Krista went shopping today for favours, decorations, etc. Everyone is making food and we are going to try and use the pancake mix from Capilano Suspension Bridge and make pancakes on a wok with of course, Canadian maple syrup. The girls are preparing songs and dances and they expect us to do the same. ..we have asked everyone what a party looks like other than a party in the bar and no one seems to know. Hopefully we will be inspired before tomorrow. We are going to teach them the hokey pokey except change the words hokey pokey to "do the Jahweh Sister Dance"...oh well anything goes! We have flags from Canada and Thailand.

Thanks again for your prayers. We are missing everyone but can't believe our time here is almost over. We will never forget our friends here and will forever have in our minds and prayers the women who are trapped in this horrible sex business. It is such a perversion of what God intends for men and women. We are desperate for God to intervene and set the captives free, both men and women.

That's all. (It's been one of our sayings, thanks to The Devil Wears
Prada...)

Gwen and Gang