a Christian response to sex tourism

I am invited to a meeting next Friday that sparked my interest and made me aware of some ugly parts of my soul that needed to be revealed.

There is a group reaching out to the men who come to places like Thailand and Cambodia for the purpose of pleasure seeking. This group has an innovative strategy. Operating under the belief that God cares deeply about everyone, they go in to the red light districts and build relationships with the clients. Just reading about the MST project challenged me to view these men in a new light; not as predators, but as broken people suffering from the same things that ail me - brokenness, sin, loneliness and a desire to be loved. Reading the stories on their blog sparked compassion in me that did not previously exist.

It also made me realize something else...the invitation to the meeting was a training of sorts, to answer the question: what should I do in the face of this evil? (evil is not their word, but mine) Following the meeting we are invited to go with the group to the red light districts and start up conversations. That scares me.

I've often wondered what to do in these situations. I've wondered how to respond. I am now being offered an opportunity to do just that and my first reaction is to retreat to my safe and hygenic environment. It is a lot easier to look out at these things with morbid curiosity, it is a whole lot more difficult to walk in to the mess and start to get my hands dirty in the work.

God, give me the courage to take this opportunity to learn more about your heart for the hurting in our world. Thank you for challenging my perspective and showing me, once again, how deep your love is for us. Thank you for showing me how you love everyone regardless of where they are at, even those I may not like very much.

The question still remains, can I be one of the few who will stand on the street corner and offer them HOPE? Can you?