Abba House

We have been on outreach for four weeks now and it has been quite the adventure!  The past two weeks were spent at Abba House, a home for sex trafficked boys and at-risk girls.  Our time there consisted of:

Teaching English

Teaching Bible studies

Having a fun field day when the kids had a day off school

Having a nail painting/facial party with the girls

Sharing testimonies with the kids and teenagers at Abba House

Sharing testimonies with men at two different local drug rehabilitation centers
Prayer walks through the red light district

Along with the events and ministries mentioned above, I specifically worked closely with the four youngest girls (ages 9-11) and taught their English class.  It quickly became the best part of my day and I had such a blast with these kids and was so sad to leave them after two weeks of working with them and getting to know them.

I feel as though my mother heart has grown three sizes since being in Thailand, and it almost broke it to leave these girls.  It's made me think of how many other children there are out there in the world that don't have a place like Abba House where they can be fed and kept safe and loved.  There are girls and boys as young as 5 and 6 years old that are being trafficked every day, and it breaks my heart.  In contrast I think back to my own childhood and upbringing in a privileged home, being constantly fueled by so much love from my parents and community as I was free to be a child and do things that children do.  I have such a burden on my heart for the children in the world that don't have this and I have been thinking and praying about how I can take action.  In Kona I was starting to feel as though God is calling me to be a mother to many.  This could mean many different things on the vast spectrum including anything from being a teacher, (which was the original plan), to adopting children someday, to opening and finding homes for these children around the world!  I don't know what God is calling me to yet but I choose now to trust and obey him in each step.  If you would like to know how you can pray for me, I would really appreciate prayer for clarity in the area of what God is putting on my heart about motherhood, as well as what I will do after I come home in September.

So far I am thankful that I am getting to see a lot of different ministries and experience a lot of different things, but it is getting harder to leave each place after I develop relationships with people and have established myself there.  I am incredibly thankful for my time at Abba House and I pray that it continues to be a safe and loving environment for these kids!

I wasn't able to take a lot of pictures, but the ones below were taken while I had the chance after English class or at the girl's night we hosted.

Hong Kong By Night

One of the ministries we were involved with in Hong Kong was an organization called Sons and Daughters.  One of the women involved with the ministry led us on a tour through the red light district of Hong Kong to photograph the signage advertising what goes on there in order to raise awareness that this is actually happening.  We were told that prostitution is legal there, with pretty specific laws in regards to how it is done.  What we encountered were many women standing outside buildings with dimly lit signs advertising anything from a "foot massage" to a "full body massage" even though they were really offering sexual services.  They handed out fliers to people as they walked by, listing their prices.  We didn't photograph the women since we didn't want to hurt the trust that this organization has been building up through relational ministry for so long.  We only took photos to show the signs and environment.

The streets were busy and people were milling about their business.

At the door above we saw a guy approach a woman, point to the flier, and then point up.  They both walked up the steps through this door.  It shocked me because it happened literally a few feet in front of me and he looked like a typical American dad, a happy-looking, middle-aged guy wearing a baseball cap.  At first it enraged me, but as I think about it now, the truth is that God loves him as much as the rest of us.

After praying and spending some time in worship at one spot, God reminded me that there is hope, and that he is using these ministries and birthing others to share his light with the world.  Our God is a God of hope, and I fully expect miracles to happen!  Please join me in praying for the red light district of Hong Kong!

My Week in Hong Kong

We just wrapped up a week in Hong Kong and arrived safely in Chiang Mai, Thailand!  This past week in Hong Kong included a lot of prayer, team bonding, street evangelism, and quite a few surprises.  The biggest surprise was arriving at the airport for our flight to Thailand a day early.  We have no idea how all 11 of us didn't realize this!  We all had good attitudes about it though and it actually turned out to be a nice extra day in Hong Kong exploring parts of the city we hadn't had a chance to see and relaxing.

One of the funniest moments from this week was when a guy from the area insisted on taking us on a little tour of the village and basically forced us to try all of the strange asian foods.  Things I liked: dried seaweed and dried squid, things I did not like: being told that I am fat.  (I can laugh about it now!)

Aside from learning to be flexible, I am being challenged to have a different approach to evangelism during these short term trips.  From the training I received in Kona alongside the excitement of being here for missions, I have been teaching myself to see every person that we come in contact with as a divine appointment.  I believe with all my heart that each person we meet is someone that God intended for us to meet!  I am challenged to continue thinking this way, even when I return home.  I'm trying to imagine what life would look like from now on if I truly did see the world this way.  I am also being challenged to step out more in being bold and unafraid in approaching people and talking with them.

All in all, it was a good week, and I feel very blessed to have this opportunity.  My team is incredible, and they are such a joy to be around!  I sweated more than I ever have in my entire life, and had a really hard time remembering to take my shoes off each time we went into our house.  Other than that, I am loving outreach!  So excited for what's to come!

Here are a few photos from the week.  Stay tuned for a post about the ministry we took photos for in the red light district.