That's not fair.

What things in life do we think aren't fair? When we were younger, maybe we thought it wasn't fair that our older siblings got to go places we couldn't, that our siblings got a bigger piece of cake than we did, or that we wanted to play another round in a . That wasn't fair. What kinds of things do we think aren't fair now? Maybe we think it isn't fair that we worked just as hard as our classmates on our paper, yet our classmates got a better grade than we did. A few minutes ago, I googled "things that aren't fair." Some of the things that came up were death, taxes, the fact that most CEOs are tall, the fact that our mothers have better skin than we do, and the fact that packaging makes food taste better.

Today, I went to the slum of Korat, and I found myself saying, THIS ISN'T FAIR. It was so crazy where it was located. We were just driving down a normal street in the city, surrounded by buildings with, I'm sure, both electricity and running water, we turned down a side street, and 30 seconds later, crossed the train tracks into the slum. It consisted of tin shacks, tons of trash on the ground, and people. As we drove, I didn't see a single smile. We went to help a woman with her ministry to children there, and about ten children, probably between the ages of 2 and 6, were there. Some of them didn't even have underwear. But they were adorable. And so much fun to play with. We played games, sang songs, and ran around with the kids, picking them up and swinging them around, for a couple hours.

Oh man, they were so desperate to be loved. They so desperately want someone to care for them, love them, and show them that they are valuable and worth their time. They didn't ask to be born into this situation, and they are almost powerless to get out of it. THIS ISN'T FAIR. And after we were to leave, I was told, the kids were going to go through the trash to try to find things of value. I guess that's what a lot of people do in the slums to find money. When I was their age, I was going to preschool, living in a nice house in suburban Indiana with my sister, my mom, and my dad, who had a secure job. While I also had no control over the situation I was born into, it breaks my heart that there are tons of kids in the world born into poverty.

The woman who works with the children tries to get the girls out around age 12, because if they stay, they are at a high risk for being abused or trafficked into prostitution. THAT ISN'T FAIR. As I was playing with the kids, picking them up, tickling them, and running around, they seemed so carefree. There's nothing wrong with these kids, and they would be just as able to get an education, grow up, and get a job if there were someone to help. But there are few people who want to help them. I guess it's not really heard of for the Thai people to interact with the people who live in the slum. It breaks my heart. Seeing the huge need, I found myself thinking of Psalm 10:

Psalm 10

Why, LORD, do you stand far off?
   Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?
In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak,
   who are caught in the schemes he devises.
He boasts about the cravings of his heart;
   he blesses the greedy and reviles the LORD.
In his pride the wicked man does not seek him;
   in all his thoughts there is no room for God. 
His ways are always prosperous;
   your laws are rejected by him;
   he sneers at all his enemies.
He says to himself, “Nothing will ever shake me.”
   He swears, “No one will ever do me harm.”
His mouth is full of lies and threats;
   trouble and evil are under his tongue.
He lies in wait near the villages;
   from ambush he murders the innocent.
His eyes watch in secret for his victims;
 like a lion in cover he lies in wait.
He lies in wait to catch the helpless;
   he catches the helpless and drags them off in his net. 
His victims are crushed, they collapse;
   they fall under his strength.
He says to himself, “God will never notice;
   he covers his face and never sees.”
Arise, LORD! Lift up your hand, O God.
   Do not forget the helpless.
Why does the wicked man revile God?
   Why does he say to himself,
   “He won’t call me to account”?
But you, God, see the trouble of the afflicted;
   you consider their grief and take it in hand.
The victims commit themselves to you;
   you are the helper of the fatherless.
Break the arm of the wicked man;
   call the evildoer to account for his wickedness
   that would not otherwise be found out.
The LORD is King for ever and ever;
   the nations will perish from his land.
You, LORD, hear the desire of the afflicted;
   you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,
defending the fatherless and the oppressed,
   so that mere earthly mortals
   will never again strike terror.

I'm so thankful for the woman who is doing ministry there. She is incredibly faithful, and her love for God and desire to truly HELP these children is apparent. She's not doing this so that she can feel good about what she's doing. She makes huge sacrifices for these children. She even takes in some of the girls and helps pay for their education when she can get them out. But man, I hope that God raises up more people who care about the poor of Thailand. I know that he cares deeply about all of these children, and I know he WANTS people to intercede for them. As Gary Haugen said, "God has a plan to help bring justice to the world- and that plan is us." When I see this poverty, I think it's a grave injustice, and I wonder, where are the people who want to help? I find myself both wishing I could do more and wishing that the people here would do more. I think I feel a little bit heavy, wondering who will plead the case of the widow and defend the cause of the orphans?

It sounds simple enough- help the poor. But as humans, we're limited. There's only so much we can do, and if we help one cause, there are hundreds if not thousands or other worthy causes that we aren't helping with. How do we decide what cause to help? I think God has placed specific passions in our hearts and gifted us with talents. For me, the thing that FILLS me with righteous anger is human trafficking, specifically sex trafficking. I can't imagine the horror that women who are trafficked into brothels experience on a daily basis. As of right now, I have NO idea how God wants to use that passion in my life, and I suppose only time will tell. In the mean time, I wonder what poverty there is surrounding me in my daily life that I'm ignoring? There may not be slums in Ann Arbor, but there is certainly poverty- both physical and spiritual. I wonder what injustice I'm allowing. It's something I definitely want to think about more. I feel like I'm still processing a lot about what my response to this can be, and with time, hopefully God will show me more of what his heart is and what my role is in furthering justice in the world.

In the meantime, I have some prayer requests for you:

1. Pray for the physical needs of the slums in Thailand. Pray that people are raised up to fight for the people living there, and pray that the eyes of people in Thailand are opened to the reality of the situation.

2. Pray for the spiritual needs of the slums. It is certain that God must move for the situation to change and for the cycle to end.

3. Pray that God would open my eyes to the poverty in Ann Arbor, whether it be spiritual or physical.

That's all I have for now! I look forward to updating you again!