Pattaya Praise

 

During the worship parade.

Day 1

Pattaya Praise technically started yesterday, but today (Thursday) marks the first full day of the worship festival held in Pattaya, Thailand each year. Starting at 9:00 in the morning and lasting until roughly 11:00 at night. A wide variety of music was offered, but each band made it clear that they were there for one purpose: to worship God. Highlights included a speech from the mayor of Pattaya at around 3:00 in the afternoon, and in the evening there was an exciting change of pace for most Thai’s, when the Ohio Band took the stage with their Southern Gospel Style. All in all, Pattaya Praise offered something for everyone, no matter their language. God was present, and the tourists and residents of Pattaya couldn’t help but be drawn to the music and excitement glowing from the stages.

Day 2

Day two of Pattaya Praise has come to a close. All of the bands from the previous day made an appearance along with a few new acts, and because the rain was only present for a brief moment, the event seemed much more energetic and alive. People from all over the world were present, yet the nights focus remained on the creator. The night’s highlights included an award-winning Christian breakdancing team, a hard rock worship band, and a congo line running 100+ people long. No doubt, the night will be locked into the memories of believers and non-believers for years to come.

Day 3

Day three of Pattaya Praise has come and gone, but not without leaving a lasting impression on the city. The day started with the Worship Parade, which started at Central Mall and made it way all the way to the stage at the Pier. Dozens of Christians, dressed in white and armed with drums and voices, marched and sang their way through the hundreds of tourists and locals, proclaiming the truth. Shortly after the parade finished the worship started, and as each band took the stage, more and more people wandered into the Pattaya Praise area. Prostitutes, drug addicts, families, tourists and native Thais all heard the gospel in a new exciting way, and by the end of the night there was definite fruit. People asked for prayer, took free Bibles, and wanted to know more. All in all, Pattaya Praise accomplished exactly what it intended, to worship God and be a living example to others on how to do so.

For heaps of photographs check out This Link and This Link.

 

 

Child Porn

as we strolled along beach street, we passed plenty of vendors selling pirated dvds. as jordan was looking through some stacks, we soon realized at least half of the selection was pornography if not more. what was even more disturbing was most of it was really young girls. apparently ‘lolita’ is the new rage..child pornography of girls under ten years old.

makes you kind of sick to your stomach doesn’t it? we read an article in the thai news about it. some reporters went undercover to investigate and realized that police know about it, they just don’t enforce any law against it. it’s all out in the open, for tourists and locals to see as they walk down the streets of thailand. i don’t get it..do those policemen not have daughters of their own? do they not realize that they are promoting one of the saddest things that could ever happen to a kid by ignoring the problem..

it’s not fair. i know i can’t expect life to be fair, but this?.. before they’ve even gone through puberty, they’re being treated as a sex object. they’re degraded to nothing more than a momentary pleasure. they are worth so much more than this…and they may never know it.

how do we combat such an evil? jordan and i did some research on how to go about such a thing, and from other reports, oftentimes the people who try to shut down child pornography end up getting in trouble for being involved with it. it makes no sense. it’s all so corrupt and so secretive. but we can’t just let it continue.

i know talking about it and raising awareness helps a little, but honestly—it’s not enough. telling people isn’t going to make it stop. we all know human trafficking is a huge problem. we’ve heard there are more slaves today than any other time in history. we see the commercials with the sad little kids in africa with flies in their eyes. we know it’s out there. so why aren’t we doing more.

these girls need someone to fight for them. they can’t do it themselves. i want to fight. they are worth everything.

By Honor Heindl

For more info, and the articles that we have seen about child porn here in Bangkok, check the links below.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/199391/child-porn-on-streets-stirs-outrage

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/200579/child-porn-on-sale-despite-crac

http://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/200707/get-rid-of-the-porn-displays

Pattaya, Thailand

A little fire escape action helped me get a picture of Pattaya, Thailand’s famous Walking Street, one of the most popular red light districts in the world.

As a major tourist destination in Thailand, you would be surprised how low Pattaya ranks on the “Family Friendly” charts. Although there are hotels as far as the eye can see in all directions except that of the beach, there is nothing about Pattaya that welcomes a typical vacation.

Shops start to open around 10 am, and you can see the tired look in each of the shop owner’s eyes. They worked a solid night that ended only a few hours before. You don’t have to be a detective to notice the countless Thai girls dressed like they were headed to a bar, except at this time of day they aren’t. They are headed home from whatever hotel or guest house their buyer took them too the night before. There is no pride in their eye, or a hope that better things are yet to come. If you take the time to shoot one a heart-felt smile you can’t help but notice the tangible shame in the girl’s faces.

Nobody comes to Pattaya just for the morning though. No. Visitors here are aiming for the pleasure exactly when they want it, and this leaves most of them snoozing late into the morning, only to be up for the next night. You see, Pattaya is a popular tourist destination, but not because of the lovely people or the beautiful beach. This town runs off of sex, and nobody there can argue. The malls and the jet skis and the hotels; none of that would exist were it not for the massive platter of sex available at night.

The moment it gets dark is the moment you need to make sure your kids are comfortably relaxed in the hotel room, because no matter where you are or how fancy of a hotel you bought, when you walk out the door there will be adult content.

Famous for it’s wide selection of “lady boys”, Pattaya brings in some of the most lost and confused men seeking the time of their life, and something about the business and flashing lights helps distract you from the spiritual discomfort all around.

But if you take the time to actually stop, and just look around and try to see what you see through God’s eyes, it’s like a camera panning out and shifting into focus. The entire city is based around sin, but God doesn’t view this place in a “fire and brimstone” fashion. God’s heart is broken when he looks down on Pattaya. They women and men selling themselves to get by, blind to the worth that they hold in the Father’s eyes. The men wandering the streets looking for the best fix for their sexual desires that night; little do they realize that every time they lock their hotel door behind the girl they brought home, they die a little inside. They don’t realize that their true destiny is being shrouded by their instant pleasure. They don’t realize that God’s amazing plan for their life is pushed behind a veil every single time they make another girl their purchase for the night.

I honestly don’t know how to bring this to a close, except to say that God truly does have greater things in store for this city.

Pray that the people of Pattaya would start to realize the truth that they have been hidden from by the flashing lights. Pray that the very few missionaries in the area would be blessed with supernatural endurance and hope for the people there. Pray that No Matter what new lies and trickery the devil introduces to that place, the light of God the Father would always have a way in, setting the people free from their addictions and their chains that hold them back.