Toy comes from a small village in the north east of Thailand, Isaan (Konkean Province) her family are one of the poorest families of the village and many of the locals looked down on them, as they say they must not be blessed because they lived badly in an old life (a Buddhism belief). She has 3 brothers and a sister.
Her mother works land for rice and food and makes around a hundred bart (about £1.10) a day when can work, as work is not always available or is not the season for rice. Toys father when possible would work on building teams in the bigger cities, but now his too old and is not called upon for work as often.
Toy has two children Adrio 10 years old and Tuptop 5 years of age.
Toy left school when she was around 12 years of age to work in the rice fields, in Thai custom it is traditional for the family to pay a dowry to the bride to be family, as Toys brothers got older this was the case and the families savings diminished. Toy was sent to Bangkok to find higher paid work, to be able to send money to the family, she was only 14, she work in sweat shops sowing and cleaning.
Being uneducated and naive she was exploited and only made enough money for her rent and food very little could be sent back to support family.
When Toy reached of age, she was married off; her husband moved her to Konkean city and set up a small shop. Toy had to run the shop clean the house and care for her husbands needs, she was not aloud to go out any where. kept as a slave basically.
She gave birth to her son Adrio and had to still do all the work and care for her child, over a number of years her husband went with other women and also gambled all the money away, the shop and house was being reprocessed; now she was expecting her second child Tuptop.
Her husband abandoned her and went off with another woman, Toy had to return to her family in the village in shame, and her family took her in and cared for her until Tuptop was two years old. Again due to her lack of education and the control of her husband over her, she had signed papers that meant she was responsible for the debts her husband acquired while they where together and now her family was responsible to pay it all back with interest.
Toy looked for jobs and worked when possible but could never make enough to pay the debts, take care of her children and support family.
She met an older couple who promised her a job with good money and even gave the family an advance on what she would earn, she was over the moon, at last she had away out of her problem. Little did she know what she would have to do, she was told she would be working in a hotel down the south of Thailand.
On arriving to her new Job, she found she was to sell her self, her boss would receive what’s known as a bar fine this means a customer can take Toy to a back room or to their hotel and do as they wish. She would be paid five hundred bart for a few hours or a thousand bart for all night out of this she would have to pay back her boss for the advance paid plus interest on money given to her family, pay rent and food and send money to family to pay off debt and also for their support and children’s needs.
Toy also had work duties around the bar and living area, Some of the girls who worked the bar and the sex trade for a long time and had lost their heart and some may say soul, bullied her and made her do their work duties too, some customers who took her didn’t pay the going rate and took advantage of the fact she could not speak English and also that she was scared of her boss and others around the bar, so often she would not be able to say anything to others as would lose face and would be made a fool of.
She was desperate to leave the bar, but knew she could probably not ever return home until all debts where paid and her family taken care off. There was no hope and she was dying
on the inside, so much of her life she learned she was not important just an instrument for others to control, her only joy her family and children but now it was her responsibility to take care of them, but at what cost? She had to accept her life has it is and only hope one day for a miracle.
She had met some Christians, but due to being only a short term mission and her lack of English and being able to ask for help she missed out on away out of her darkness. However God had not given up on her, He knew her hearts cry and arranged so some one else would go and give hope and share His love.
This is when on working in Thailand I saw this girl about to be beaten and took her place and through Gods provision was able to settle her debt and return her back to her home. On arriving in the village found her children where not in school and due to the family situation Toy could not live with them so arranged to rent an old house which needed a lot of work, but could be liveable. Then it was arranged and paid for so her children could go to school. Her family’s debt was settled and a Slow process of teaching her English went underway.
We are now in the process of working on a project for the family and others in the village to provide work and the prevention of her having to return to the sex trade also her children’s future and the support of her family and guidance and help to others in the village. This is to take place in the form of building a home for her and family building a shop and setting up a small restaurant and fish farm, this should provide a long term solution and provision for many.
By helping one it has meant having to help many others and changing the lives of the precious gifts to this world.
The difficult thing to know and understand if Toy ever had to return to the sex trade she would never be aloud back in the village and so not see her children again and death be her only way out of her pain.
Those that once looked upon the family with shame now have to turn their own heads with shame, towards them selves as they see that the Hand of God is upon these people and know that they are being blessed.
However the hand of God is open to them too, if they are only willing to accept.
Living amongst the locals, learning their culture and seeing the lives many have to live has taught me so much and my heart has grown in a wonderful way and being a witness to how God demonstrates His love to these wonderful people, also His heart for the provision and protection of the children’s futures and for the provision that many others can be led to safety from the dark places that many have to work and live.
We have been able to help other girls, settle their debts and return them home, one girl is now married to one of the directors of a company she found work in, another is working in a large Tesco branch and has been reunited with her young daughter and her future is bright and hopeful. Some girls we have just been able to help give time off and escape the grasp of a customer who would be out to abuse them in unmentionable ways.
Some times we have had to pay to arrange that guys be arrested or taken to the airport so they are unable to hurt the girls any more.
Others, advice given on safety with the hope that one day money would not blind them and that they can find themselves again and live as God intended.
Please continue to pray for this work, for protection, for the provision so needed so the building project can be finished, other girls can be helped and children rescued, that laws will be changed to help these girls more that guys who are out to abuse girls and children will be found out and dealt with, that places which hold girls and children sold into the sex trade would come under the hammer of justice, and that others could find in their heart away to help one or two girls leave this dark and soul destroying life
And that many would be led to pray for hand in hands work and be apart of these lives that can be changed for the better.
There is so much to do, but hand in hand we can make a difference.
That’s us working together for a better future for others.