Cry Out

Praying for Thailand and the Vulnerable

There are moments when words feel insufficient.

Moments when prayer doesn’t come out neatly or quietly—but instead as a groan, a cry, even a howl from deep within the soul. This is one of those moments.

As we prepare to travel to Pattaya, Thailand for the second year, we are inviting our community into a posture of prayer that is honest, raw, and deeply rooted in the heart of God.

Seeing What God Sees

Pattaya, Thailand is often referred to as the unofficial sex tourism capital of the world. Street after street, bar after bar, women are bought and sold, and men arrive looking for connection in all the wrong places. It is overwhelming. It is heartbreaking. And it is not something God turns His face away from.

At Freedom Challenge, we believe prayer is not a passive response—it is an act of resistance. It is how we stand in the gap for the vulnerable and oppressed. It is how we ask God to help us see people not as labels—sex worker, customer, trafficker—but as daughters and sons created in His image.

As Ruth Payton Willett, our Prayer Coordinator, shared on the podcast, one of the greatest invitations God gives us is this:
to feel what He feels and see what He sees—while letting Him hold our hearts in the process.

Crying Out, “Abba, Father”

In Galatians 4:6, Paul writes that because of what Jesus has done, we have received the Spirit of the Son, who enables us to cry out, “Abba, Father.”

The word “cry out” here isn’t soft or polished. In its original language, it carries the meaning of a deep, visceral cry—like a groan or a howl. A desperate calling out to a Father who listens.

This matters.

Because when we pray for places like Pattaya, we are praying in the midst of desperation. For women forced into more dangerous situations because of poverty. For men trapped in cycles of brokenness and demand. For communities shaped by exploitation, fear, and shame.

God invites us to cry out—not because He is distant, but because He is near.

Praying for the Team Going

This February, a Freedom Challenge team of nine women will travel to Thailand alongside Ruth and Elise Owen, who lived in Thailand for several years and is helping lead the trip.

The team spans generations—from young adults to women in their seventies. Some have traveled internationally before; others have never taken a journey this long or witnessed a red-light district up close.

As you pray, we invite you to specifically lift up:

  • Peace, rest, and unity for the team as they travel

  • Emotional and spiritual protection as they encounter difficult realities

  • Tender hearts without desensitization—that what they see would lead them deeper into prayer, not numbness

  • Wisdom and sensitivity as they engage with women, men, and ministry partners

Partnering with What God Is Already Doing

While in Thailand, the team will partner with Tamar Center, an organization walking faithfully with women in the sex industry by offering safe spaces, ESL classes, job skills training, childcare, and relational support.

This year, the team will:

  • Teach English classes

  • Help with vocational training, including gel nail skills

  • Support craft and creative work that helps women earn income

  • Visit women in bars alongside trusted Tamar staff

  • Spend time caring for babies and encouraging staff

These efforts matter—not because they “fix” everything, but because they reflect the heart of God: helping without taking, empowering without exploiting, loving without conditions.

Praying for Forgiveness and Transformation

One of the hardest invitations in prayer is to pray not only for the oppressed—but also for the oppressor.

Scripture reminds us that there is an enemy who comes to steal, kill, and destroy—but people are not that enemy. Many who perpetuate harm are themselves deeply broken, wounded, and lost.

We see this in the story of Saul becoming Paul. Forgiveness cried out loudly—“Father, forgive them”—became part of the soil God used to transform a persecutor into a powerful instrument of the Gospel.

As we pray for Thailand, we ask God to:

  • Break cycles of exploitation

  • Bring repentance, healing, and restoration

  • Draw people from darkness into light

  • Show us how to pray with His heart—not our own judgment

Endless Energy and Boundless Strength

Elise shared a Scripture that has been anchoring her heart as she prepares for this trip:

“Your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is He is calling you to do…
Oh, the utter extravagance of His work in us who trust Him—
endless energy, boundless strength.”
(Ephesians 1:18–19, MSG)

This is our hope.

That even in the face of darkness, God would give us clear eyes, soft hearts, and confidence that He is at work.

Join Us in Prayer

Not everyone is called to go.
Not everyone is called to give in the same way.
But everyone is invited to pray.

As you listen to the podcast, we encourage you to pause. To worship. To cry out. To ask the Holy Spirit to guide your prayers—for Thailand, for the vulnerable, and for your own heart.

God sees. God cares. And God invites us to join Him.

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