Why go?

You may be asking yourself, "why go to Thailand?" It was a question that I had to answer a lot from people who heard that I was still planning to go to Thailand in the midst of a military coup.  I have to give my mom and dad credit for their faith in God. Not once did they question me going or suggest otherwise.  After returning from a country where the family structure is so different you appreciate having 2 godly parents who support you and your dreams.

I also have to brag on God. There were protests almost daily until the day our team arrived. Once the team joined together there were no protests during the rest of our visit. The lack of tourists in the red light district opened more doors for conversations with the women. Had it been busier we many not have gotten to connect with so many.

I went to Thailand because I have a burden for those who have been or are being sexually abused. Before you tell me, I realize that there are plenty of women in the US that need help and I plan to be more active with those women as well.

You don't have to go to a foreign country to serve, but other countries don't have the resources that are afforded to people in the US. There are all sorts of non - profits in the US. There are government agencies that help fight people's problems. While we do not have a perfect system we do have a lot of systems in place.

You don't go to be a hero. You go with an open heart to help the people of the country with whatever needs physically, spiritually and mentally that they might have. You want to empower the people in the country to help. If we only focus on what we can do its a flash in the pan and has no lasting impact. However, if we focus on forming relationships and meeting needs we can make changes that affect future generations.

If you are interested in doing a trip I would highly recommend checking out Adventures In Missions.  They are a Christian based group that does trips all over the world. I happened upon them by Google. They are based in Gainesville, GA and have been around since the 80s.

Ladies at our pizza party/Bible study.  Five women gave their lives to Christ. Photo by Kristen Torres-Toro

Three of the Touts from one of the bars.  Ed and Tom welcomed us each night.  Photo by Kristen Torres-Toro