The Banquet

 “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.
Luke 22:8-10


The banquet
A few nights ago, I was privileged to be able to attend a banquet hosted by an organization called Tamar.  This organization focuses its efforts primarily on providing a way of escape for the the women and men who work in the bars around Pattaya.  They offer a a solution for escape by providing shelter, job training,  and repatriation programs that help the women who are willing to return to their villages and educate others on the truth about the life they were rescued from.
One of the out reaches they host is a banquet.  Prior to the evening they reach out to the bar girls with invitations to come.  The ones who agree are picked up the night of the event.  The bar fee is paid to their owner for the evening and they are brought to a hotel where the banquet is prepared.  I was able to join the group as we went around and picked up the girls.  Some were a bit scared at first bit they quickly realized we were truly just there to bless them.  The banquet was lovely.  We played games-  the kind I used to play in my old junior high ministry days.  They laughed their heads off and it was good to see smiles on their faces.  The meal was elegant and many of the girls at my table had three or four servings.  We spoke through an interpreter and I learned much about their lives.  One girl had just arrived and desperately wanted to go home.  There was a ladyboy at my table.  Ladyboys are actually men who have been hormonally and sometimes surgically changed to resemble women.  Their stories are the most tragic for me.  The face of this ladyboy tugged at my heart.  Such brokenness behind all that makeup.  So much sadness behind the smile.  We had all made jewelry earlier in the day to give to them and when the time came we were able to present them with bracelets and necklaces that had been made especially for them.  The room erupted in tears as we surrounded them and prayed for them.  Many of the girls just sobbed in our arms.  There is not much unselfish kindness shown to them on a regular basis so even the smallest gesture of this is powerful for them.
The great thing about Tamar is that they have everything in place to offer immediate help if the girls want it.  Many of the women who work with the organization came right out of the bars and so they are able to help these girls walk the difficult steps to freedom.
Two days later we were preparing to leave for Cambodia.  Our team was in the lobby of the hotel ready to go when one of the team members mentioned that there was a girl who said she would come to the hotel because she wanted out.  The time she was supposed to arrive had  past and we had a decision to make...go or wait? We decided to wait.  Nothing was more important.  We prayed for her and sat in the lobby just waiting and hoping to see her.
Wen she walked through the doors, we literally cheered and clapped.  She fell into the arms of one of our team members and we all just hugged her.  This was the bravest thing she had ever done.  She came with only the clothes on her back!  Before leaving, we were able to take her to the Tamar center and get her checked in.  The report today is that she is sooo happy to be there.  She is doing well and walking her steps to freedom.  Seriously, I feel so privileged.  Who gets to see this?  A life completely changed.   So many of the girls at that banquet are now taking part in the drop in English classes and job training.  The ladyboy at my table prayed to receive Jesus in his heart.  He wanted to receive and feel the love of God  and that is a prayer I know God answers.
It is important to note that all the girls at the banquet were invited to come by precious women who took the time to seek them out, connect with them, and prepare for them.  I think we can do this.  We often pass people on the streets who look very different from us  like that ladyboy, or who are behaving in a manner that is not suitable to us, like the bar girls, but what if we decided to stop, connect and prepare to show them kindness.  What would happen in our communities?  I encourage you to prepare a banquet of kindness today for whoever God puts on your heart. Remember God leads with kindness and we would do well to follow in His steps.

Love from the road,

Julie