From Ministering To to Ministering With: Mae's Story (Part 8)

I would like to share with you a teammate's multiple-part blog about part of what God is doing here in Thailand. For more of her blogs, check out emilytuttle.theworldrace.org.

"Before you read this, make sure to read Parts 1-7 of Mae's Story. I know it's long, but I promise it's worth it to read the whole thing in order.

Sometimes we get to see changes in the lives of the people we minister to on the Race. Sometimes we just plant seeds and pray that after we leave God will send others to water them and they will grow. But rarely do we get to minister to someone, see a change in their life, and then partner with them to help others. In fact, I think it has only happened once. 

If you've been following along with Mae's story, you know that she got to live her dream of helping someone and doing something positive with her life as she partnered with us and with Lighthouse in Action to help get her friend Ning out of the bars too. I will soon be posting a blog that updates everyone on where they are now and how the whole process is going, but first I want to tell you about another of Mae's ministry opportunities. 

As I explained in a previous blog, Mae is HIV positive and has been in bad health for awhile. A few months ago her health declined so much that she could not work or even take care of herself. Somehow she found her way to a home for Burmese women and children who are sick and have had to come to Thailand for medical care. They are all in the country illegally and are receiving the best medical care they can afford, which isn't much. She lived there for five months, and they cared for her until she was strong enough to move on. But Mae hasn't forgotten their kindness. Because she has such a good heart, she goes back there to visit every week or two. She brings snacks for the children, plays with them, loves on them, and encourages the women. After she met with Emmi and made plans to get out of the sex industry and start her new life, Mae invited us to come visit the home with her. "I want you to meet my friends. I want you to see their sickness and see why I want to help them."

So we went with her to the home. There we met the fifteen to twenty Burmese women and children who live together and attempt to care for each other. There did not appear to be much medical care happening, but there was a lot of love. The woman who started the home is extremely kind, and she is doing the best she can with what she has. Several of the women have breast cancer, the children have tumors, cancer, and other illnesses, and many of them are blind. It's a tough group to care for, but there is a camaraderie and a spirit of community there that's hard to describe.

We visited twice. The first time we met the women and children and then the classic World Race scenario unfolded. "What do you have planned for us?" they asked. Of course...they wanted us to have something to say to them, some game to play, or a song, none of which we had. So we sang the Hokey Pokey, Father Abraham, and a few other children's songs. At the end we asked Mae if it was ok if we prayed for them. Even though she is not a Christian she said that it would be wonderful if we prayed, so we did.

The second time we came, Ning came too. We brought snacks for the kids, sang the songs again, and sat talking with the women. Mae translated all of it between English and Burmese. At one point, I looked over at her and said, "You know Mae, you could be a translator!" "You really think so? I not think I smart enough. You really think I can do it?" "Yes," I told her. "I've been a translator and I know what it takes. You are definitely smart enough, and you're doing it right now!" Her face lit up. She's so hungry for encouragement and for someone to believe that her dreams are valid and possible. 

At the end of our time there we decided to sing the song Healer. We sang it over the women and children, and the few who knew a little English tried to sing along. After we told them goodbye and were making our way to the taxi, Mae was humming the song. I heard her softly singing some of the words to herself...

I believe you're my Healer.

I believe you are all I need.

I believe you're my portion.

I believe you're more than enough for me.

Jesus, you're all I need.

Nothing is impossible for you.

Nothing is impossible for you.

Nothing is impossible for you.

You hold my world in your hands.

"I like this song," she said to me. "I want to learn all the words." Mae, who is HIV positive and says she does not believe in God, was singing the words to this song over and over. She brought us to visit her friends, told us how much she wants to help them, and then translated for us as we explained our faith, The World Race, and how we believe that prayer has power because God can heal. But she says she doesn't believe any of it. We'll see about that Mae.

To be continued..."

You Can Help Write The Ending: Mae's Story (Part 7)

I would like to share with you a teammate's multiple-part blog about part of what God is doing here in Thailand. For more of her blogs, check out emilytuttle.theworldrace.org.




"Before reading this, make sure you read Part 1 through Part 6 of Mae's story. I know it's long, but I promise it's worth it.

There are more than 15,000 prostitutes in Chiang Mai alone. In all of Thailand, estimates run between 200,000 and 2.8 million. More than 500,000 people in Thailand are living with HIV/AIDS. These numbers are overwhelming. They are paralyzing. I'm just one person...what can I really do to help a situation this monumental? 

During our orientation at Lighthouse in Action, Emmi told us not to think about the numbers. After all, statistics dehumanize the pain of the individuals anyway. Instead, she encouraged us to pray for God to give us one person. Just one person to help. My team and I prayed that God would send us the one, and instead he gave us two. Out of the 15,000...the 200,000-2.8 million...the 500,000...we have Mae and Ning. They are our two.

If you haven't yet, PLEASE take the time to read their stories, told in this entire series of blogs. This is not the last installment. Things are still happening, and I'm writing the story as it unfolds. I don't know how it ends yet, but I do know that I need help in order to write the next chapter. 

This morning we had a meeting with Emmi to debrief our time in Chiang Mai and to plan the next steps to take in the plan to rescue Mae and Ning. Emmi's goal is to have them out of the bars and into a safe place by June 30th...five days from now. Apparently when God moves, sometimes he's in a hurry! The first step in the process is to get them both legalized in Thailand. They are Burmese, and both are illegal here. In a later blog I will share the details, but some amazing doors have opened up in the past 48 hours to help Emmi know how to get them legal, what to do with Ning's little brother, and how to treat Mae's HIV. God is so clearly guiding their journeys, and now it's my joy to invite you into the story.

My teammate, Tiffany, wrote a blog yesterday (tiffanyprater.theworldrace.org) that examines the harsh reality that often here in Thailand a human life gets sold for as little as $100. That's how much a person is worth in this industry. However, we know that as God's children, all people are priceless. Our real freedom was only able to be purchased with the ultimate sacrifice of the Son of God dying in our place. So that sets the bar pretty high for how much it might cost to free someone from sex slavery, right? When we first started all of this, I was worrying that we would get to the end of the road and then need a staggering amount of money in order to get them out. But it's really not that much, and since all the money in the world is God's anyway, we know that he is going to provide.

Here is what we need in order to give Mae and Ning their new lives:

$500 each for legalization/immigration procedures and fees ($1,000 total)

$300/month for a year to sponsor the living expenses and salary at the coffee shop or guest house for Ning

$400/month for a year to cover the same expenses plus HIV medication for Mae

And, ideally, $300/month for a year to pay for an on-site counselor to live with the girls and help them transition into this new lifestyle and learn more about God

The total need is $13,000 over the next year to give two girls their lives back. For less than it cost for me to come on this trip, two people can have their self worth, their dignity, their freedom, and a community that surrounds them with the love of God. Amazing.

IMPORTANT: The initial $1,000 that covers their legalization is needed IMMEDIATELY! Emmi is literally waiting on these funds to pull the trigger on getting them out of the bars and somewhere safe. If you would like to help with this and are able to give right now, please send me an email so I can give you the information about how to transfer funds directly to Emmi's account. My email address is emily.tuttle@my.wheaton.edu. This option for giving is not tax deductible, but the need is very urgent. 

If you would like to contribute to the monthly support for these girls, or if you would like to give a one time gift that will go into the account to fund their monthly needs, there are several ways you can do that.

Option 1-Donate online, go to  http://www.ywamsf.org click "Donate." Fill out your info, select "other," and designate it for "Lighthouse in Action--Mae & Ning." This option is tax deductible in the US.

Option 2-Donate by check, payable to "YWAM." Include a separate note stating it is for "Lighthouse in Action--Mae & Ning." Send checks to: YWAM SF Donor services, P.O. Box 60579, Colorado Springs, CO. 80960. This option is also tax deductible in the US.

Option 3-To donate in a way that will get the money to Emmi faster, you can use PayPal or make a one time or monthly direct deposit. To do this, email: khanthanak@gmail.com with your name and home address. We will have a form sent to you ASAP to get automatic monthly direct deposits set up. This option is not tax deductible yet, but it's faster.

Option 4 (for Canadians)-Donate by writing checks payable to "YWAM." Include a separate note stating it is for the "Lighthouse in Action--Mae & Ning." Send it to YWAM Donor Services, P.O. Box 57100, 2480 E Hastings Street, Vancouver BC V5K 5G6, Canada. This option is tax deductible for Canadians.

If you want more information or you want to review these options, they are all detailed on Lighthouse in Actions's website, under the "Contact" tab.

VERY IMPORTANT: No matter which option you choose or how much you wish to give, we need to know about it! As soon as you send in your gift, please send an email to emily.tuttle@my.wheaton.edu and lighthousethai@gmail.com with your name and the amount and frequency of your gift. We need to keep track of these gifts as they are being given since it takes awhile to get the money to Thailand and the plan to get the girls out is dependent on knowing that the money will be there.

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Thank you so much for reading these stories and for caring about these girls. What started out for me as an overwhelming problem and a list of horrific statistics is now an amazing story of how God can use people who are willing to make huge changes in the lives of people who are open to them. Mae and Ning are no longer just two in a string of numbers. They are my friends, and I can't wait to see how God finishes writing their stories. Thank you SO MUCH for your responses to these blogs and for praying us through this situation. We have been so encouraged by knowing that hundreds of people around the world are literally praying as things are unfolding here. We can feel your prayers, and I told my teammates last night that I feel like I've been living in a parallel universe this past week. My life feels sort of transcendent...I guess the best way to describe it would be to say that more than any other time in my life, I'm sure that I know what it feel like to live in the place where heaven invades earth. This week we've been constantly praying, "Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven," and we have been getting to see what it feels like to be there when heaven comes to earth for a moment and releases freedom. Your prayers have been a huge part of opening all these doors and releasing the Kingdom here in Thailand, and our prayer now is that your financial generosity would be the key to the next door that God is going to open."

...Loose the chains of injustice 
   and untie the cords of the yoke, 
to set the oppressed free 
   and break every yoke...

Isaiah 58:6