Pattaya It is located right on the beach but that is not what draws people, or shall I say men, here. The population is around 70,000 with 20,000 being girls and women involved in prostitution.  Every direction I turn my head I see a foreign man with a Thai woman at his side. I thought in Vietnam it was difficult, but this city tops the cake. It breaks my heart to see these women who do not know their self worth and to see these men who are controlled by lust. It is a town where insecurities are masked by false validation and security. For me, I am constantly fighting the lies of judging those around me. I am no better than any man or woman I see.

I have been here two and a half days now and I am getting used to the constant feeling of nausea. Every minute I look up to see something new that disgusts me and makes me want to slap, shake, and scream until these men wake up. I want to look into their eyes and help them realize that they are worth more than sinking to this level.

The word rescue has been heavy on my heart since being here because that is what every woman here wants. They want to be rescued by a foreign man who can buy them things and provide a life for them. Most girls who come here from villages in Thailand do not even realize what they are getting into until they are here. They think they will just be working at the bars and they will be rescued by their prince charming once they get here. But then the truth of Pattaya life hits them – these men want more. They become women involved in prostitution. But they want to be here because they want to be rescued.

This month, we are working with the Tamar Center here in Pattaya. It is an organization that offers hope, healing, and a new life to bar girls and prostitutes. Several times each week, the staff of Tamar Center (and us while we are here) visit the bars of Pattaya in order to reach out to the bar girls and prostitutes. They work to build relationships with the women and to invite them to an English class offered by the center. Once a year, they also have a three-month training course for the women who have chosen to leave prostitution. During the course, the ladies receive training in the skills of hairdressing or baking, in essence, another way to make a living to provide for themselves.

We have already met some of the women who have left prostitution and chosen a new life. It is beautiful to see how they have moved beyond their past circumstances and are now helping others to do the same. These women have been truly rescued, and I know many others will be rescued through them. It should be quite a month.