To Thailand again!
March 27th, 2009 by Sara Verwymeren
That’s right. We’re headed to Thailand again on Sunday! This is the second time that we have gone on outreach to this nation with several musicians that are part of the School of Music.
Thailand is a beautiful country with smiling faces and big hearts. The people are generous and welcome all who come to their land. Unfortunately, it is also a land ripe with social injustice, particularly in the area of sex trafficking and exploitation. There are at least 200,000 women and children involved in the sex trade in Thailand. Approximately 1/3 of these women are under the age of 18, girls as young as 6 being sold night after night in this modern slave trade.*
We , as most people would be, are outraged by these statistics and frustrated that such a trade exists in our modern world. We are moved by the desperate situations of hundreds of thousands of women and children and know that we are called to do something.
Last year, we worked with several ministries in the cities of Bangkok, Chang Rai and Pattaya that work with children at risk, women involved in the sex trade and other impoverished peoples. There are dozens of places in these cities that are working hard, day and night, to see women and children freed from their circumstances.
We are so excited to be working with these centers again, seeing how we can aid them financially, physically and by making others aware of the work that they are doing. When we travel back from Thailand, we will head down Australia’s coast to bring these issues to light in high schools, youth groups and churches. We know that it can’t just be a few that see the sex trade erradicated, but many. So we are calling the many!
Pray for our safety as we travel and that the Lord would lead us to those who need the most help. Thank you for your support!
*stats found from “Prostitution and Sex Tourism”, www.arches.uga.edu