Day 3 in Bangkok – Night of Refuge

The very first “Night of Refuge” hosted by Go International

Article written by Kaitlyn Schmitt, Go Intern

A place of refuge is something each human being longs for, as if it was purposefully placed inside us. I believe this longing for safety was placed inside us by God so we may draw closer to him. Psalm 46:1 says, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea.” What a wonderful thing it is to know that God, the maker of all things, cares enough about you and I to answer when we cry out to him.

Sometimes that cry is answered by an encouraging word from a friend, or from a verse in the Bible, or maybe even by an act of love from a complete stranger. The Go Interns and Staff were able to show the rescuing love of God by creating the very first “Night of Refuge” in Bangkok, Thailand. This event took place at a beautiful restaurant in our hotel that we rented out for the evening, and our guests for the evening were prostitutes.

With a heart for the hurting and oppressed we were determined to give these women a night of rest, and a night were they felt loved and cared for.
Now, to go give our guests their invitation actually took us going down to the bars and “renting” the women for the night. The term “rent” in conjunction with a human being sends a shiver down my back. It only became more real to me when I had to speak to the manager of one of the bars; it was as if he was selling merchandise. Like he owned them. The next bar we went to was the place we found our girls. We invited them to the party back at the hotel and they quickly agreed to come with us. Needless to say we were so happy!

An hour later all the 4 teams combined and brought together a total of 31 girls. Now, it was time to take them to the party, their party.

I wish you could have been their to see us make our way back to the hotel, but since you weren’t let me paint a picture. Imagine 68 people making their way down the street, arm and arm with prostitutes and then watch all 68 people get on the same subway. Everyone is nervously laughing and making conversation unsure of how the remainder of the night will unfold, and the women are still obviously unsure of what they have gotten themselves into. As we exit the subway and make our way down the street, anticipation starts to build. We’re almost there. Hotel in sight, the excitement ensues. Walking through the doors, heads turning as we walk by, we just smile to ourselves knowing what’s about to take place.

The women entered the party apprehensive, still unsure of our intentions, though they began to relax when we served them refreshments.

Next on the agenda for the evening, party games! Never in my life have I seen anyone have so much fun playing musical chairs. The girls were squealing to high heavens, literally throwing themselves into the seat, which caused lots of body collision and more laughing followed. I think it was in this moment we forgot these women’s occupations and realized just how much we have in common with them. It was such a great moment to be apart of. After the most competitive, thrilling game of musical chairs ever played… we did the Cha Cha slide. Oh yes. So much fun! They caught on quickly and loved every second of it. Following this wonderful time of relationship building we invited them to sit down and watch a drama we had prepared. The drama shown was called Bondage, in which the main character, a girl, is bound by a chain. This chain, along with some of the circumstances she goes through in the drama represents sin and its control over her life. The dramas conclusion was met with silence and tear-stained cheeks, the women were identifying themselves with this girl. As she had struggled through life bound by sin, so were these women bound by their own sin. It was then that we spoke to them about the forgiveness found in Jesus; the undying, irrevocable love found in Christ alone. What a beautiful message this was to them.
The girls of Go International then went out to pray with the women. During this unforgettable time of prayer and sharing of our faith 19 of the 31 women gave their hearts to Christ. Remembering this brings tears to my eyes.

To close out the night we all joined together and sang a simple worship song, “Hallelujah”. I had the privilege of leading this time of worship, and the only word I can think of to describe it is breathtaking. Women, who two hours before were giving their bodies for money, were now linked arm and arm singing praises to God.

The night ended with the wonderful men of Go International giving each girl a rose as she left the party. With the last rose given and tearful goodbyes, we looked around at the empty room in complete amazement at what had just taken place. At that point I think the question hanging in all of our minds was, “will they go back to the bars?” Without an answer to that question, we hope the refuge experienced that night by each woman is something she not only holds onto, but also never forgets she can go back to. When each of those women experiences the raging storms of life we know they can find strength in the arms of their Savior.

Check out the videos and photos below of the Night of Refuge!

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