Dear Friends and Family,
I am excited to share an opportunity that God has placed before me. During the last two weeks of January, I will be traveling to Pattaya, Thailand, with a team of nine other women to serve alongside the Tamar Center, a Christian ministry that works with women who are currently involved in, or have come out of, the commercial sex industry.
This will be my first year participating in this mission trip, although several of the women on our team have faithfully returned to serve in this ministry for as many as 15 years. I am grateful to be joining a team with that kind of experience, commitment, and relationship with the ministry in Thailand.
Over the past several years, I have been growing in my faith and in my relationship with God. As that relationship has grown, I have increasingly felt that following Christ means being willing to go where He calls and serve the people He places in front of me. Matthew 28:19 tells us, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations,” and I believe God is challenging me to live that command more intentionally.
This particular ministry has become very personal to me.
Many of the women Tamar Center serves have found themselves in the commercial sex industry because of circumstances, family responsibilities, poverty, or a lack of other opportunities. As the oldest daughter in my own immediate family, I have found myself thinking about how different my life could have been if I had been born into their circumstances.
I keep coming back to a simple thought: if I had been born in their shoes, that could have been me.
And if it had been me, I would hope someone would come alongside me, show me the love of Jesus, and help me see that another path was possible.
That is a large part of why I feel called to go.
While in Pattaya, our team will spend time going into the bars where many of these women work. We will sit with them, talk with them, build relationships, listen to their stories, and share the love and hope of Jesus Christ. Our purpose is not simply to enter their world for a moment and leave. We will also help introduce women who are interested to the Tamar Center and the resources available there.
Tamar Center provides women with opportunities for counseling, discipleship, life training, English instruction, vocational training, and practical support for their children and families. Women can learn skills such as hairdressing, baking, sewing, and handicrafts, giving them opportunities to develop another source of income and pursue a different future.
Our team will spend time sharing meals with the women, helping with English, assisting with life and vocational training, supporting the ongoing ministry of Tamar Center, and simply being present with women who need to know that they are seen, valued, and loved.
This will very much be a working mission trip. Two days of the trip will be devoted to international travel, and only about half a day to one day will be set aside for personal time. The remainder of our time will be spent serving in the mission field and supporting the work already being done through Tamar Center.
I am asking you first and foremost to pray.
Please pray for the women we will meet. Pray that they would know their value and dignity and that they would experience the love of Christ in a real and personal way. Pray for opportunities to share the Gospel, for wisdom in our conversations, for safety for our team, and for the staff and volunteers of Tamar Center who continue this ministry long after we return home.
Please also pray for me—that I would go with humility, courage, compassion, and a willingness to be used however God chooses.
The financial cost of my portion of the trip is approximately $2,000, and my goal is to have that amount raised by January 1. If you feel led to financially partner with me, I would be incredibly grateful. We have created this GiveSendGo page so that you can contribute toward the trip and, just as importantly, let me know that you are praying for our team and this ministry.
Whether you are able to give financially or simply commit to pray, I am grateful for your partnership.
I do not know exactly what God will do through these two weeks, but I want to be obedient to the opportunity He has placed before me. My prayer is that the women we encounter will see something far greater than a group of Americans who traveled to Thailand. I pray that through our words and actions, they will see the love, grace, hope, and freedom found in Jesus Christ.
Thank you for praying for me, supporting me, and being part of this journey.
With love and gratitude,
Gretchen Harrod
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations...”
Matthew 28:19
To learn more about the Tamar Center click the link below.
https://www.tamarcenter.org
