Open Skies Over Pattaya

Pattaya is not an easy place. The city is known for partying, nightlife, the red-light district, and sex tourism. Bar and party districts dominate the cityscape, and crime is rampant. In addition to sex workers, there are so-called “ladyboys”—men who undergo physical transformations to appear as women and also sell their bodies for money. During a mission, our team encountered an 18-year-old ladyboy. He was barely clothed and had nowhere to sleep. We told him about Jesus and prayed for him, as he was struggling with great fear and a deep identity crisis. The young man began to cry and gave his life to Jesus. Christians from a local church who were accompanying us immediately took him in and gave him new clothes. When we saw him again two days later, he was like a different person. The young man now had a beaming smile on his face!

“How did you know that?”
Over the course of several weeks, the team carried out dozens of outreach efforts in slums, red-light districts, marketplaces, and beaches as part of an evangelistic initiative. In the red-light district, we found many open doors in all kinds of streets, clubs, and bars. As a result, nearly 7,000 people heard the Gospel—and many accepted Jesus as their Savior! Over 50 people were healed of various illnesses. A homeless woman was baptized on the beach after Jesus healed her. Before that, she could only stand and walk while bent over. The power of Jesus set her upright.

We distributed over 2,000 “love letters” from our heavenly Father to women and men in the red-light district. There were many moving moments when Jesus particularly reached out to the women. For many, members of our team had words of insight. When we shared these, the recipients' reaction was often an astonished, “How could you have known that?!”

Freed from occult burdens
At a marketplace, we met two girls who had injuries to their eyes and legs as a result of an accident. Our team laid hands on them. Although they initially had pain and swelling, they were suddenly able to move their legs without pain. Their eyesight returned as well! The two girls experienced God's power and gave their lives to Jesus.

During one of our morning beach outreaches in Pattaya, one of our missionaries met a Thai man who was decked out in many chains and bracelets. It quickly became clear that he was deeply entangled in witchcraft and occult practices. A young man from our team told him about Jesus. As a result, the man decided to renounce all witchcraft. He took off his chains and invited Jesus into his life. At that moment, he felt a heavy burden lift from him and a new lightness fill his heart.

Jesus at the Police Station
During our missions in Pattaya, we were able to visit a police station in the middle of the city every week. Every day, new people were detained there—from Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, China, but also from England and Canada. We brought the detainees sandwiches and water. After we had distributed everything, we took time to talk with them and tell them about Jesus.

A man from England was particularly moved and decided to invite Jesus into his life. On our next visit, we were even able to bring him an English Bible. It felt as though the heavens had opened above those prison cells.

From Tarot Cards to Jesus
Our outreach efforts culminated in a large open-air evangelistic event right in the heart of the city. The day before, our team went through the area once more to personally invite people to the event. While doing so, we saw a woman sitting on the beach reading tarot cards. Just at that moment, the police arrived and asked her to stop, since tarot card reading is prohibited.

This opened a door for us to strike up a conversation with her. We told her about Jesus, and she experienced God's love in a very personal way. Deeply moved, she decided to entrust her life to Jesus. She was filled with a joy she had never known before. This woman was searching, and she found Jesus—the One who loves her soul.