The Journey...�

The Journey...�

-Steve Prefontain�

We’ve all wanted to make�some type of difference in the world�we live in at some point or another.�It was no different for those of us�who went to Thailand, Hong Kong,�and China. We set out on an adven-�ture hoping to meet with God and�planning on having Him use us to�make a difference somewhere. Now�the only problem was we were very�specific about where we wanted to�be used, and we weren’t really look-�ing anywhere else.� This has been a really hard�update for me to write. Mainly be-�cause it was a very hard outreach to�lead most of the time. We had four�people from this outreach that did�not graduate because of some things�that took place in Thailand. And�there were many other things that�took place that I am still talking to�God about. So I am very sorry this�letter has taken so long to get out,�but I wanted to take time to really�process what happened before I�

write about it. I want all of you�to hear about what God did�because that brings Glory to�him.�

I don’t think I have ever�made such good friends with a�group of DTS students. They�were truly awesome people and�I still can call some of them�really close friends. And with�them being so close I was able�to take on a whole new level of�discipleship with them. Speak�truth into their lives where hurt�and pain had found a home,�mentor in areas of leading�worship, lead by example in�the area of prayer and evan-�gelism, and challenge in ar-�eas where they had grown apathetic.� I remember one of my favor-�ite students on that outreach, Ben,�we would have amazing conversa-�tions for hours about God and who�He was to us only to look around�

and see that half the team was stand-�ing around us listening. Others were�a little harder to deal with, but I saw�the hand of God on their lives so�strong that all I could do was love. I�was very blessed with these stu-�dents.�

April, 2010�

We, seven amazing students�and myself, were in Hong Kong as�part of a short�term outreach.�At this time one�of the key�words that God�spoke to us was�go up into the�mainland to�work with the�contact I have�given you up there. Now at this�point that didn’t seem like some-�thing that would be hard to do…�Until we talked to some of the lo-�cals in Hong Kong. Everyone there�told us that this time of the year it�would be almost impossible to get�up that far into the mainland with�the Chinese New Year about to take�place. They all told us that this�would be way to last minute to find�anyway up there. And if we did find�a way up there it would cost us an�arm and a leg.�

We were (and still are)�young and as it is with most young�people we weren’t going to let any-�thing stand in our way of what we�knew we had to do. So to make a�long story… well at least a little bit�shorter we tried five different times�to get into the mainland. By train,�bus, plane and so on but everything�kept falling to pieces at our feet. At�one point we even got the cash we�needed to get eight plane tickets to�the city where we needed to go,�hoped on line to order the tickets,�ordered the tickets, and even got the�receipt for all of them. Only to find�

out about 6 hours later�that our flight tickets�were canceled because�we needed to confirm�our credit card info in�order to get the tickets.�

Shortly after this we found�

an amazing woman back in Ger-�many who said that she would take�all of our account info and order the�tickets for us because she had work-�ing internet… We never heard back�about whether we had the tickets or�not.�

So we were down to one�day before we were “planed” to�take off and we knew nothing about�how it was going to work, or if we�were even going to make it to�where we needed to go. But we had�visas in our passports, and a bus�tickets in our hands to the airport�we needed to be at. So we were off�and we were going to give it every-�thing we had and believe that God�was going to come through. At this�point I had very little hope that we�would make it, and i thought many�times about just turning around and�staying Hong Kong because that�was the easy thing to do, but thats�when this quote came to mind. “To�give anything less then your best is�to sacrifice the gift.”�

“God i don’t want to give�up what you have for me because i�

am to lazy to push forward in what�you have asked. Help me not to�give up.” That was my simple�prayer as we made it to the airport�(after several hours of delay be-�cause one of my students got�stopped at immigration because�they had never seen a passport with�

the country of�Samoa on it,�but thats an-�other story in�itself). So in�faith we�walked up to�the front desk�believing that�God came�

through and that we had the tickets,�and sure enough it was smooth sail-�ing from there on out.�

So we stepped off the plane�knowing that we gave everything�we had listening to what God had�asked and you know what… God�blew our minds on that trip into the�mainland. We got the gifts that God�was wanting to give.�

-Steve Prefontaine�

One of the biggest ministries�we felt God leading us to, before we�even got to Thailand, was working�in the “red light district” with the�prostitutes. For me this was some-�thing that we really hard to accept�because I am a guy... “What can I do�in this area? I am nothing more then�a customer in their eyes, so how can�I make a difference?”�

While in Thailand my eyes�were torn open to what I had no clue�about. Like all other places on earth�Thailand has a female and a male�gender, but Thailand has what they�call their third gender. They’re�known as “Ladyboys.” Boys who�have been raised as girls because�when they were about two to three�years old the mother would bring her�child to a Buddhist monk to have�him prayed over. Most of the time�the monk would tell the parents that�he has a female spirit. At this point�there would be a ceremony for the�child and from that point on he�would be brought up as a she. Or in�some cases the boys mother was hurt�by men and in her past and she tells�her son “you will not grow up to be�a man that hurts women like that. So�from now on you’re a girl.” so she�raises him as a girl from a very�young age. There are so many of�these confused men in Thailand,�most of them living in Bangkok, that�they have become known as�Thailand’s third gender.� Most Ladyboys are very well�educated having gone to University,�and even have high level profes-�sions, or school for high level pro-�fessions. The problem is none of�

them are excepted by the society�they live in, so working in these�areas doesn’t last to long. They are�forced into one profession because�of a lack of other options... Prosti-�tution. This is the only area where�they are excepted by anyone, but�not for any other reason then to�take advantage of them.� Up until now there has been�no work that is done with these�men because there is so much more�then just finding them new jobs. It�takes years of counseling to open�their eyes to the fact that they are�men. Many of these men have gone�through full sex changes. So this is�no ordinary job trying to show�them that they are men, and then�trying to find an honest living for�them.�

So going back to one of my�biggest outreach questions “what�can I do?” This is when we met an�amazing woman from the states�named Celeste. Her heart was for�the Ladyboys of Thailand and after�just a short time of getting to know�her you could see that nothing and�no one was going to change that.�Celeste has lived in and out of�Thailand for the past eight years�and knows the Ladyboys better�then anyone else. But not only that,�she also has a degree in counseling�and wants to see healing and reve-�lation for each one of these Lady-�boys.�

So one of the greatest things�about Celeste is that nothing stands�in her way, and when she has a�dream I am confident that it is just a�

matter of time till it comes to be a�realization. Her dream is to start a�cafe for Ladyboys coming out of�prostitution. A place where they can�seek refuge and receive the...�

Continued on next page...�

So I have been thinking a lot�about how to keep people up to date�on what is going on in my life. I try�to send out a letter like this every�couple of months so you can hear�about what I’m up, but most of the�time I feel like that is just not good�enough. You hear the big things that�are going on and that’s great, but I�want you to know about the little�things that happen on a week by�

week basis... That is if you want to�know what’s going on.� So I though the best thing to�do is start a blog. I keep the blog a�lot more up to date on what is going�on in my life. I have a couple of�posts a week that you guys can�check out if you would like. I will�also be putting photos there.� The site is through Tumblr�so if any of you have a blog with�

them feel free to follow me. If you�don’t have a Tumblr it is very sim-�ple. All you need to do is simply�type in:� joshuaelke.tumblr.com�Into your URL box and it will take�you right there. If you have any�questions about this feel free to write�me and I will get back to you as soon�as possible.�

Mailing address in Germany: E-mail: German phone number:�Josh Elke� joshua.elke@gmail.com� 0049 176 9405 2040�Untere Dorf. Str. 56 Blog:�Herrnhut, Germany www.joshuaelke.tumblr.com�02747�

counseling and healing they�need. However, at this point Celeste�had a building and a small budget�but not much more.� Meeting Celeste was like a�gift from God at this point. She�helped and encouraged us in so�many ways. So we wanted to help�her seeing that it was an outreach. So�one of the biggest way we were able�to help her was by painting and do-�ing a slight bit of construction here�and there in her five story building.�So for weeks we as a small part of�the team were able to go to the cafe�and put in long days of work simple�wanting to help her out.�

In the time we were there we�were able to paint each room on�every floor, reconstruct different ar-�eas that were falling apart (like�where the roof was falling in), and�we were also able to pour in some of�our team finances to see that this�place gets finished as soon as possi-�ble. It was a true blessing to be able�to help such an amazing woman of�God, and partner with her in her�passion for a few weeks.� As we were getting ready to�leave Thailand we had our last day�with Celeste. As we were talking�with her she began to share with us�about how much we helped. Telling�us we helped in ways we would�

never know. Saying most of the�things that I have heard before, but�then she said something that touched�me in the most amazing way. “What�you have done here has not just�helped me, but you have helped to�bring many prostitutes into a better�life. You have changed lives through�what you have done here.”� “Wow... Thank you God.”�So I went into the outreach with a�huge question over my head, and I�left if one way of answering it. But�not only that, I left knowing that I�had done something, and that I made�a difference.� The end... For now.�