Darkness

We were introduced yesterday to Puket, and the famous Bangla road. For those of you who don't know, on this one street alone, there are 200 bars-about 1500 girls work one street in Puket. At first glance, you might just see a beachy looking town with outdoor markets and people wanting to sell you things....but it literally is filled with so much evil that just walking around down there makes you feel sick and heavy. We walked all around yesterday getting used to the streets where we will be working at night, when we turned down this darker ally looking road filled with markets and vendors. At first I was hesitant because of the feeling I got when we turned the corner. It is very hard for me to sit and describe it to you, but it was like the air was thicker and harder to breath, it could have been cut with a knife it was so thick. Of coarse there were people trying to sell us things, and my team stopped at this one ladies table, where they were looking at dresses. There was a young girl about 19 standing there with dresses, you could tell she was not comfortable asking me to buy something......but she came up and shyly asked if I wanted a dress. Instead of saying, no, I asked, "What is your name?" She was shocked and reacted in a way that was surprising. She said, "Rena" We began to talk and it was like she just needed to talk to someone. She was holding my arm and hands talking with me as if we had been best friends forever. She began to explain that she was from Burma, where all 11 people of her family are. She had come to Thailand to work. I told her we had to catch a bus but that I would be back to talk more with her. She probably didn't believe me, but I can't wait to see her face, when I turn that corner to the ally again. I don't know her complete situation, if she is being trafficked into Thailand from Burma, but I do know that I serve a God that knows. Pray for Rena, and the days to come, I know I met her in the dark ally for a reason. We are light to the dark places...don't hide that light within the walls of the comfortable. Go make darkness flee, and spark light in other people....like Rena.