Next to be sold
By a worker in Thailand —
While walking the streets of a Shan village, one of our SEND teammates hit me with this: “One of the major issues in this village is prostitution. Most of these people own their houses because they’ve sold their daughters.”
His words slowly sank into my brain, my heart, as we viewed each little home, one right next to the other. We rounded the corner and saw a woman weaving in her courtyard. Another SEND missionary spoke to her and she welcomed us to watch her work.
This woman sells scarves wholesale for six baht each to a distributor in Chiang Mai, who then sells them for 35 baht each (just over one dollar). She makes 15 of these scarves a day. Her daily income is 90 baht, or just under three bucks. Three dollars a day.
And then I noticed the girl—a gorgeous little girl in an orange skirt. She’s just adorable—I wish I had a close-up of her curious, deep eyes. And as I stood there, I started connecting the dots, and the future of this precious child looked pretty bleak. Would she be sold in a few years?
The Shan people originate from Burma and don’t have legal citizenship in Thailand. This means they can’t get good jobs. Many are illiterate. So, their primary sources of income are opium, human trafficking, and manual labor, which clearly pays pittance compared to the first two. Only 0.04% of Shan are known to be Christians, and it has been said that “To be Shan is to be Buddhist.”
Their religion contributes to their poverty. Just down the road from the weaver’s house was a large, two-story house with a grand view of a mountain. This is where the fortune-teller lives. The locals can earn a lot of merit by visiting him, but it’s at a steep price. The cost per visit is 2,000 baht. For the woman who makes scarves, that’s 22 days of work. If the average American makes $137/day, then 22 days of work would total $3,021. Would you pay that much to see a fortune-teller? What if you thought that was the only way to tip the scales enough in your favor so that you won’t be reincarnated as a lesser being?
But enough of numbers. Back to the girls … the real reason I’m writing this. The reason God won’t let my heart rest until I share this with you.
As we left the scarf-maker’s home, a group of early adolescent girls walked by. They stopped to greet Pastor Wi Wan, who has a church plant in their community, and it was explained to us that they were new believers. They had bright, beautiful smiles and seemed shy but interested when we were introduced as teachers.
Pastor Wi Wan’s church is also a community development center where these girls are learning agricultural skills such as raising strawberries, mushrooms, and catfish. If their families see that they can work to help earn a living, maybe they won’t be sold into the sex industry. That’s the hope, at least.
Later in the evening we were back at home when I found out that the tallest of those lovely young ladies will probably be the next to “disappear.” It’s just a fact. It happens with such regularity that the next girl can be easily pinpointed.
But I can’t accept it as just a fact.
She’s not a statistic. She’s not just another prostitute caused by poverty. She’s a precious young lady, made in the image of God. And I came face to face with her. We greeted each other with the traditional wai. My heart rejoiced to learn she is a sister in the Lord.
(Silence.)
There are no words to adequately describe how this whole situation makes me feel.
And I will pray for you. I pray that your heart will be moved to prayer, as well; that your mouth will be moved to tell others of their plight to solicit more prayer; that your hands and feet will be moved to action to fight for the cause of these oppressed children of God.
Additional Posts
Choosing a Missions Organization: Why SEND International Stands Out “Why should I be a missionary through SEND International?” Jenna, a new missionary in Eastern Europe, shared with us what she appreciates about working with SEND. The highlights for her are: - Devotion to prayer - Diligence in communication - Commitment to development - Intentionality in accountability Prayer “Back in September of 2022, the Lord reconnected me with SEND after I had met them a year prior at the Moody Bible Institute. However, before he would sign me up for anything, my Missions Coach encouraged me to pray. He said something to the effect of, "I know that you've been praying on your own for a long time. But as the Church, we are not called to walk alone. So, you and I won't talk for about a month unless you have questions. I want you to go pray with 5 or 6 others from your church about where God is calling you." That October, more than 10 friends prayed with me and we saw God answer as He directed me to Romania. From February 2024 to November 2025, I had the pleasure of being a part of team meetings in Romania with my SEND colleagues. Our meetings were four hours long, two for prayer and two for business. This has been the minimum for our team. There are also prayer meetings with the local churches we partner with, among smaller groups within our team, of course prayer with many of you across the pond, including those at our US office. The organization was built, has been sustained, and continues to run on prayer. This is my favorite thing about SEND. Communication As I mentioned above, we have a two hour block for business / ministry details in each of our meetings. This provides consistency across our team which works alongside three different churches and in a variety of ministries. It also helps us to communicate about the need for change or growth, alongside what is working well. In addition, my team director also meets with each of us, allowing us to communicate needs, considerations, and prayer requests. I've also enjoyed getting to work with SEND workers outside of my immediate region . We receive emails with the minutes from the Europe leadership team, Friday communications from our international director, and information regarding projects that affect our work among the unreached. In December of 2024, our international director at the time wrote a note to my parents for the first Christmas that I was gone. If nothing else had convinced my mom yet, this did. He took the time to care for me, but also to care well for the parents that were sending me (What it meant to my dad and mom for him to do this well has been one of the greatest ways I've been supported.). I also have some pretty wonderful regional directors. These people have prayed alongside us (while also serving in their own countries of service), they have taken time to come visit and encourage our team, and they have also taken the time to encourage the people in our churches. Development SEND has provided much in the area of development and care (spiritually, physically, mentally, and emotionally). At our regional conference (every three years), there have been medical check ups available, counseling options, and time for connecting with others on the field with similar experience. At our conference last October, I connected with a missionary who served overseas for many years, and is now serving on the administrative side of SEND. She has met with me since then for mentorship and has also invested much of her time recently in preparing a retreat for the singles across Europe. Accountability Over the years I have read and heard amazing stories of how God has worked through missionaries. God has done great things and great things He is still doing! However, people who have committed their lives to the Lord in this way are not “super Christians”. We are still humans with the same struggle against flesh that others have . A major challenge is in being isolated -- living in areas with little to no presence of other believers to sharpen them can cause many difficulties. SEND has been a great resource in this area too. Through my team, I have an accountability partner that I meet with monthly. When my regional director came to visit, he and his wife spent a day with me and asked intentional questions about how I lead, handle conflict, and how I am growing in general as a Christian. In addition, my teammates share their wisdom with me on a regular basis. These things and more have assured me that SEND International is a highly valuable organization and I'm excited to partner with them in service to, for, and with our great God! Interested in being sent by SEND?
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