Day 3 - Friday

By Kyle Small -


Joe and Becky operate a creative retail business in Bangkok that sells to women in the United States. Joseph (not a real name) is a graduate of Wheaton college and he and his wife, Rebekah, have created a business in the city to help women leave the prostitution and escort industry. There are multiple levels of sex-entertainment, and Joe is engaging the escort and Bar-girl scene, which is a major trade for single mothers. Joe and Becky visit bars and solicit invitations for conversation with the bar-girls. Many of these women are involved in the trade because it pays a decent wage and provides for their children. Joe and Becky invite the women to leave the bars and join their retail business.

Women join Joe and Becky for recovery and creativity. The business creates fine jewelry and clothing that ultimately is exported to the US and sold via the methods of Pampered Chef or Tupperware parties. Joe believes the women are creating high-quality goods for social conscious purchasing. The social side of the business offers counseling following the women’s decisions to exit the bar industry. Additionally, the ministry offers free child-care and housing. Joe and Becky have created a storefront for the work to be conducted, and the hours are aligned to a mother’s schedule. This holistic ministry considers image marketing, exceptional goods, and personal dignity in its desire to rescue women from the dangerous and undignified work of the sex-industry. Ultimately, Joe and Becky want to sell enough jewelry and goods to create jobs for over 100 women at any one time. Their purpose is clear – restoration of women; their methods are also clear – job creation.

If you are interested in this ministry, you are invited to host a party. When We return we can provide you the contact information, as we do not have permission (currently) to post their names of websites online.

We also visited a Buddhist ministry and business committed to recycling and solitude. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

It's been a year(s) - Living The Good News between Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday

By -
Image
January 5, 2021, was the first day of a very long road. To be honest, it is the most memorable day of a road that began several months before as we left the familiarity of Holland, Michigan, and moved to South Carolina.   Madeline received her first of three brain surgeries at Greenville’s children’s hospital on that day. What was a relatively minor brain surgery (if there is ever anything minor related to the brain), turned into a nine day stay with a feeding tube, and a young girl was now worse off than when she first arrived. The pain of the first surgery turned into a second a few months later. The second was better than the first, but headaches, stomach aches, and intense pain clouded any signs of success.    One year ago, today (February 13, 2023), Madeline entered the incredible children’s hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah. We walked the unfamiliar territory of the new hospital in a new city with fear and trepidation. The neurosurgeon is one of the best in the world...
Read more

Returning to the Mitten - Small Family Update

By -
Image
Running - What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger? I went for a run on Thursday morning at the end of April. I was in West Michigan for a consulting project and enjoying a later start to the day. I left my in-laws house to run a route I enjoyed many years ago. Lindsay's uncle has a home on my West Michigan running route, and I decided to stop to say hello while running. I simply wanted to offer a hug and enjoy some connection. It was a delightful pitstop. I said, "I miss you." He said, "I miss you, too. Come home." His demeanor was energizing and directness a bit unraveling. His words fell distinctly on my ears. I continued running and his words wouldn’t leave me. I kept running and wondering if/how I should tell Lindsay about the encounter. Siri called Lindsay while I continued running. I wasn't going too fast (I couldn't if I tried according to my son). I asked Lindsay, "What if I said when we leave for Bethany we will not be returning to South ...
Read more

Moving, Healing, and Times of Transition

By -
Image
               We have a spreadsheet for this season. The final column is for the dog. When I first made the spreadsheet, she wasn’t included. Then the plans were made to pack, travel, and move. Everything made sense until we asked about the dog’s whereabouts. I admit it is nice for the confusion to be about a dog. It’s been a  dogged  two years, yet our family is intact; our home is selling; the children are registered for schools; I get to keep my job; and Lindsay has an incredible opportunity on the horizon. But the real news is some we have been waiting for since February. Madeline had her MRI and CAT scan early in the morning last Thursday. A few hours later the results were available in MyChart. Lindsay called to read it to me. She hadn’t yet read it herself, so we were bracing to hear the words for the first time together. I was so anxious and even as positive words laced the opening lines, I was waiting for the “but.” The re...
Read more