July 4th

On July 4th, I think that my laptop was stolen (although I can't prove it).  I know that the only time that my eyes were off of my bag for more than a few seconds was when it was on my back.  So, my best guess is that while I was walking through a crowd (either in the AsiaWorld-Expo Center, or in the adjacent Hong Kong International Airport), someone quickly and discretely unzipped my backpack and took my laptop.

Regardless of how it happened, there was no material possession more valuable to me (especially my journal).  Although I had backed up a few things, I lost most of my personal files.

--

While I was at the airport, there were two women who were also dealing with a great loss.  But, I really can't compare mine to theirs, at all.

"Two Thai sex slaves in Hong Kong rescued by consulate".
http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1282083/two-thai-sex-slaves-hong-kong-rescued-consulate

Here is an extract from the article:

Their ordeal started earlier this month after they met another Thai woman, believed to be 38, in Thailand. She offered them an all-expenses paid trip to Hong Kong to work as masseuses for HK$22,500 a month - a big sum by Thai standards.

Isra and Ratana (not their real names) accepted the offer and landed at Chek Lap Kok [Hong Kong] airport on July 4.

They were taken to an address identified as a "massage parlour" in Yau Ma Tei, where their modest dream became a nightmare. Shocked by the dirty, cramped conditions in the brothel, they tried to leave but staff threatened to beat them and to report them to police for working illegally on visitors' visas.

Isra and Ratana were told they could not leave until they either repaid the cost of their air fares or had sex with scores of men. Fearing for their lives and with no money, they worked from 7am to 2am, having sex with men paying HK$160 per session.

Other Thai women worked in the brothel, alongside mainlanders and women from Vietnam and Russia.

Two days later, the pair managed to escape, but with no money or identification. They hid at the airport for three days with little hope of returning home until...a series of calls to Thai foreign affairs officials and to the Thai consulate in Hong Kong.

--

Hong Kong definitely has one of the best airports in the world.  In 2012, Hong Kong International Airport was rated #3 by World Airport Awards (as well as by the very useful Guide to Sleeping In Airports). Honestly, I like spending time there. And, it feels safer (and cleaner) than any major U.S. airport I've been in.

Of course, I've never hidden at HKIA for three days, in fear of violent pimps.

So, again, there's really no comparison between my ordeal and theirs. But, since I was attending the Homecoming Conference (and the conference center is connected to the airport) I was there both when these women arrived in Hong Kong, and when they returned to the airport to hide for three days.  I had my laptop stolen the same day that they had their freedom stolen.

Again, my laptop was extremely valuable to me.  But, I didn't become a slave, or get beaten and raped.  This is the situation of too many women who come to Hong Kong for work.

All this to say...I want to see freedom for captives, and restoration of all that's been lost.

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To be fair, Hong Kong is one of the least corrupt cities in East Asia.  And, most of the prostitutes who come from other places (thousands every month) prefer Hong Kong to their home cities. And, they usually know more or less what they're getting into before they come.*

Regardless, they are being exploited.  And the exploitation of the vulnerable in this city has got to stop.

Near Shanghai Street in Mong Kok.  This is several blocks away from the massage parlor that the two Thai women escaped from.

*Note: I'm not okay with prostitution "if she consents" (or "if he consents").  Please see this, this or this on how "consent" is typically experienced in the process of entering a career in the sex trade.

Stealing Dreams, Restoring Vision

Well...I lost my laptop.

Here's the short version:  I was at the 4th annual Homecoming Conference, held at the AsiaWorld-Expo by the Hong Kong Airport.  On the second day of the conference, after I got on the bus to leave, I opened my backpack to take out my laptop.  It wasn't there.  I went back later and checked Airport Security and the Lost & Found unit.  It wasn't there.  And I'm pretty careful with my laptop.

So, I think it got stolen.

After all that this incident entailed, I attended a few more sessions of the conference. That weekend, I regained a vision for what God's purposes are for the churches in Asia, for my generation, and for me personally.

My laptop is gone, along with two years' worth of photos and journal entries (including many dreams).  But, I'm not sad.

Why?  Because that weekend, I was able to stand with thousands of Chinese Christians who are living radically for Jesus, and who have been operating for decades with a vision and a conviction that God wants them to bring the gospel to the ends of the earth, and back to Jerusalem.

There is no way that my personal dreams and memories--however great--can compare to the vision and the future of the Church in Asia.

My gaze is set, and I am looking to what lies ahead.

Asia, will you be the faithful one?
Yes, Lord, we are willing.

--

There's more to the story.  And I know God has a purpose for all that happened.

I had woken up very early that morning, at 3:55.  In fact, I'd slept less than 90 minutes, but I was awake and ready for the day before 4 AM.  It was strange.

That morning, I had FINALLY decided that I was going to start backing up all the files on my computer.  Of course, I had previously thought about this, and had known I needed to do it for a long time. But I didn't actually start until that morning.  So, I actually did save some of my Hong Kong photos.  But with the speed of the program that I was using, I didn't have time to back up all my personal files and still attend the conference.

Also, thanks be to God (and some good friends), I have continued to have regular access to a laptop to work on.

Hit and Run

This morning, I got on the minibus outside my apartment, just like I do every day.  And, even though I often joke about Hong Kong's crazy driving, I've never actually seen a crash in Hong Kong (at least, not when it happens).  But today, I did.

Actually, I didn't see the crash.  I only saw the man.  The car had already sped away when I saw the man fall to the ground, in the middle of the road.  He seemed to be an educated businessman in his late 30's, wearing casual clothing.

He laid there, trembling slightly, bleeding from a long gash in his head.  The pool of blood became bright red on the black pavement beneath his head.

And I was in the minibus, 10-15 feet away from him, just watching.  And dozens of others were watching, while one man tried to help somehow, and others called the ambulance.  All I knew to do was pray.  I don't know Cantonese, and probably would have just confused the situation if I'd tried to get involved.

I spent an entire minute watching a man die, and I couldn't do anything to stop it.

I don't know what I could have done differently.  Even if I were a Cantonese speaking doctor, I don't think I could have saved him.

But I can't watch men die and do nothing.

Facing the Facade of Prostitution

Xenia Chan wrote this piece yesterday on a recent rescue of sex trafficking victims in Hong Kong.  Besides the awesome storyline, it's really a great piece of journalism.

http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1282083/two-thai-sex-slaves-hong-kong-rescued-consulate

Here's hoping that we see many more stories of rescue.

--

Tonight was a good night, but also weird.  I spent the evening with a couple friends in Wanchai, and we prayed intentionally on behalf of the Lockhart neighborhood, and for the men who come there to buy sex.

It was weird because I'm not usually faced with prostitution so obviously as I was tonight. There were several incidents, but here are three.

1. After our prayer meeting, we were walking through the red-light district.  As we walked along, one girl asked me repeatedly, "Buy a drink?"  She's one of hundreds of happy-looking "bar girl" prostitutes on Lockhart Road.

2. My friend needed money to buy dinner, and he went into an ATM room to get money.  I noticed a scantily clad young lady standing by an ATM with a giant old European man.  I also saw a few other "obvious" couples heading to nearby hotels.

3. Later, on my way home, I got on a minibus from the MTR station to my apartment.  A smart looking 40-something British guy also got in, and sat directly in front of me, along with an extremely happy and flirtey Hong Kong girl, who seemed to be a new acquaintance of his.  She was probably doing the "compensated dating" form of prostitution...doing it occasionally for extra cash, or because of some financial emergency.  From all appearances, it's a happy and innocent arrangement, fairly common in Hong Kong.

All the women I saw tonight fit the popular image of prostitution.  They are the "face" of the sex industry.  Understandably, they all have very pretty and happy faces.  Unfortunately, their faces are also a mask for the unseen victims of sex trafficking, who are rarely seen in public.  Even as bad as some of the bar girls' exploitation may be, a far greater number of prostitutes are stuck inside massage parlors (servicing more clients, in worse working conditions) than are standing out on the sidewalks.

If those two Thai women hadn't escaped, they would still be trapped in a massage parlor in Yau Ma Tei.  They would still be working day and night, along with the thousands of unseen prostitutes whose suffering will never be discovered--because it's hidden behind the sex industry's facade of happy bar girls.

Exploring the Complexities of Consent

How do you choose?

Beyond The Streets :