A Seedy Hotel Lounge

It was just an overnight stop on our journey from one ministry site to another.

My friend was originally from this part of the world, though at this time he was living in California and would travel to equip churches and their leaders. We had worked together for a week, and now we were flying together to another part of southeast Asia, where the next morning we would part ways for further Gospel ministry.

An Unusual Dining Experience

We arrived at the hotel about 9:00 pm and needed to eat dinner.  So we decided to eat together in the hotel lounge. It was a nicer restaurant than expected.

After relaxing and ordering, we noticed a lot of activity between the tables. Prostitutes were working the tables, which were almost entirely businessmen from various Asian countries. For many like my friend and I this was a convenient city for transit, a little out of the way, but a sizable city nonetheless. I was only the non-Asian in the room and probably the hotel, except for two older European ladies on holiday.

Of course, it didn’t take long before we had a couple beautiful ladies sit at our table uninvited. My friend could speak a few of the languages the women spoke, and so could send them away more firmly than my polite American way. After a couple of annoying rounds of this the establishment understood our position.

We might have simply finished our meal and went to our rooms. But since we were left alone we decided to stay and talk. For the next three hours we talked about our past week of ministry together and about our upcoming training missions.

Our Human Condition

The restaurant continued to bustle with patrons and prostitution.  And so we also made many observations about people, our common fallen human condition, the situation we found ourselves in that night, and the unique cultural challenges for the Gospel in this part of the world.

There were a few different solicitation methods, and some worked better than others in closing the deal. The transactions were subtle but defined. Most startling was the lack of even pretending to relate as people, the sitting and waiting, ignoring and being ignored for a long time before leaving together, one following a few steps behind the other. It was business after all, and this business was done their way in their culture.  My friend would translate parts of the conversations and could supply inside cultural analysis.

We both learned a lot about people and the mission, being able to observe and process together. Yes, we still had to fend off women’s advances every now and then, and while doing so deal with our own internal reactions of simultaneous disgust and compassion.

This depressing dinner ended positively with my friend telling me stories of how churches can be effective in reaching people and making a difference in local communities with the good news of Jesus Christ, even in such societies that promote sexual immorality so openly.

1 Corinthians 6:9–11 ESV “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, . . . nor adulterers, . . . will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”

A Ministry Full of Promise

That was a most interesting night over 15 years ago. It was early on in my mission travels and the first time I had ever been that close to people with such obvious needs, people trapped in deep sin and others in a dangerous system of exploitation. I have learned much more over the years.

Needless to say, I didn’t sleep well that night. I kept seeing the faces of the businessmen and the women, the hotel staff and those standing around likely overseeing the whole situation.  So I prayed for them all for salvation, and for the churches in that city. Since then I have come to know that the churches in this city have been multiplying and reaching many people, and hopefully they are seeing some transformation in their city.

In the morning we each flew to our different destinations to continue our ministry to churches and ministry partners. We shared two additional reflections from the previous night—the world is so dangerous and yet ultimately so safe for Christians because we serve the all powerful true and living God who sends us on His Mission!

I have known and know many friends in different places around the world who faithfully minister the Gospel, often putting their lives and their families lives at risk, to reach very dark corners of the world with the very bright light of Christ’s forgiveness, transformation, hope, peace and love.

Pray for those you know who are doing the same kind of work, support them and find ways you might get involved.