My heart has hands that lay within, within the heart in me.

The hands to reach and hands to hold... the key to your eternity.
Your face it sticks within my mind, is it dark with soot and ash?
You who calls the street your home and lives to make them cash.
Your innocence was weighed and sold, as if it was not yours they say.
How much I long to give it back, though I cannot change today.
Did you know I know your face and feel you in my embrace?
Did you know my heart is yours and longs to touch your face?
You only know the dark and dank and cold ground beneath your feet.
You have not had strong trees to climb, but chaos you do meet.
Your hands have not been held with love, but led to your discrace.
You only know your worthlessness since no one showed you grace.


Could I wipe your tears away if you allowed yourself to cry?
Could I introduce you to love that would never say goodbye?
May I, I pray.... ask God today to teach me how to be.
Someone who could earn your trust and love you like He loves me?
There is so much to life than "must" and pains you must endure.
There is a King who fights for you, of this you can be sure.
Oh dirty hands and joyless face, there's so much more for you.
You can have dreams, you can have life, you can live in hope and truth.


Oh woman who dances in shame, who commands your body sin?
The lies you live and things you give are not who you are within.
Your beauty comes from deep in your soul, a place you do not know.
You've never been told that just what you were, was everything dear soul.
I wish that I could make you safe and steal you away from pain.
But He who walks within my heart can show you you again.
Take off those heels and walk in grass and feel wind on your face.
Your bed can be a place to rest and not the cornerstone of your disgrace.
These choices that were made for you, were not your own desires.
If you take my hand and walk, we'll make it through the fire.
For He is a refining flame and will strip your shame away.
You can walk anew in joy and smile in freedom today.

Menus...

"Pet Maak maak!!!"

This was a phrase very commonly used by my darling husband and I during our eight months in Bangkok, Thailand. Very very spicy!!! When you first walk down the long and narrow outdoor markets, you are overwhelmed by the powerful aromas, color and variety in every single dish you see. The sellers are busy, working harder than most people you will ever see, in heat so intense that you walk out your door and the exertion of that very small act has you sweating like you were in a sauna. One would think with the incredible number of dishes that you would have plenty of variety in the dinner of your choosing... but “pet maak maak!” is the reality of living in a country where “spice” to them has a different definition than to ours as Americans. There are no menus, and nothing is in English, and very rarely do the people speak it, so you take your chance on whatever dish has less peppers... and bring a hot dog home just in case.

There are however in Thailand, menus for people and enough English spoken concerning that menu to ensnare somewhere between 60 to 80% of foreign tourists and 70% of Thai men. When my husband took the train to go get our internet connected in another part of the city, he was approached very forcefully by a man who put a “menu” in his face filled with Polaroids of girls whom he advertised as, “Very young! Very cheap!” As shocking as this might seem, that man would not have that angle or choosing of words, were those very things not in huge demand every single day. Very young... very cheap...

In Thailand, there are more brothels than schools, around 60,000 to be more precise. And it is estimated that up to 400,000 children under the age of 16 work in bars, brothels, and night clubs. Trafficking is a $16 billion dollar annual business, which makes up 50%-60% of the governments annual budget. This industry is more profitable than the drug trade. Yet the issue lies in the grey area of corrupt desire and lack of desire to learn the reality that would compel even a cold heart toward action for the voiceless. Because if you were to ask if children were prostituted in Thailand, you would receive an automatic no. But, if they thought you might be interested in those children for your own sexual agenda, they would be made available to you.

If you were to open your eyes to see, the evidence is everywhere. So which way will we look? Will our hearts hunger to learn what we can to help, or turn away from a problem that feels too large and too dark? My question is, did the children and women who are prostituted have a choice? The majority of them did not, as their worth lied in being a commodity as opposed to a human being. So if they did not have a choice, why should you? If there were options for them, what could you do?

Intro to Human Trafficking; Article for Fayetteville Newspaper, by Juliet Stuck

God's Response to "Encouragements Needed"

After our most recent post, I received a letter from a most beloved friend... God moved in her to share with us words of such truth and joy, that we felt were so profound and grounded in Jesus that we wanted to share what has been uplifting our hearts...

"My dearest Friends,
My prayer over this letter and gift is for God to speak words of encouragement, reviving your weary soul, renewing your deferred hope and solidifying your deep, deep, deep love for Him. Remember and be encouraged tender heart, therefore:

"The Lord waits to be gracious to you,
and therefore He exalts himself to show mercy to you...
blessed are all those who wait for him."
-Isaiah 30:18

Your most recently email resonated with my soul, as I too have been in a season of prolonged waiting. As you have known great blessing in this year of waiting, you have also known great sorrow and broken hope. As your hearts eagerly desire great things, desiring to put your hands and hearts into the work which few are called, it seems God has called you to another work, which few are called, a work of suffering. If this be true, I can testify it is given to a select few, that they would be softened, seasoned with salt and prepared to speak a tough word with powerful gentleness. Please know I wait and hope with you. hopeful for God to come and exalt himself and hopeful for your hearts to be made glad with cheer.

Your waiting and hoping in God, they are not in vain. For,

"Those who wait for me shall not be put to shame." (Isaiah 49:23)

Take courage weary soul, your Father sees and He will be gracious to you. He is delighted beyond measure with your heart of trust and wait in Him."

Our hearts were deeply mentored to by this letter, and by our God who inspired it. We know He walks with us and will lead us onto His glory in His perfect time... in His perfect way...

Encouragements Needed

Dear Friends,

We wanted to write you all specifically for in asking for your prayers. First off, we should say that health wise we and the girls are all doing very well so no worries there. We do however feel very drained in spirit and ask you to continue to lift us up. We had initially prayed when we came back from Thailand that we would be back in the country by that December, but this December we will be a year past that hope. We are so honored, thrilled and passionate about our return to Thailand and this call that we know the Lord has confirmed to us... everything is aligned and waiting in such beautiful design that could only be by God's hand. But while we have been placed back in the states for this time, our desire is to be just as faithful to Jesus during the time of waiting, laboring and existing in what can be a frustrating unknown on when we can return. With each month that has past by our original hope of a return date, our desire is still to be obedient to Jesus and lights where we are... we want to be missional where ever we are, and we want Him to be glorified no matter our position.

We have even here dealt with a lot of struggles and many people have seen an noticed that there has still been a lot of attack. The enemy is eager to discourage our hearts, steal our finances and make us feel very useless.... We are so confident in Jesus, and we know that a life lived for Him is one where we will daily fight the oppressor. Our hearts have always been ready for that and have experience in fighting this good fight, knowing Jesus is always the victor. But our spirits now are very tired... we are very discouraged, and we have been hopeful for encouragements that lately have only turned into more let downs. We just feel like we have been working with all we have and laboring as faithful as we can, without much encouragement, without much progress... and without any clarity on when the Lord's time will in fact be that He will lead us back to Thailand.

So friends, we ask for your prayers... Jesus felt burdened and wept over the situation of man's heart... the disciples felt this weight, and we also have felt it too. Pray that we could be encouraged by responses... that there would be follow through, that things would start to move. Please pray that we would be nourished by the food that those who don't know the Lord don't have... and that we would continue to find peace. Please pray that Father would open the floodgates of financial support and opportunity, and that He would reveal when we might be able to return, so we can make strong plans for our time left in the states. And lastly, please pray for our financial situation while we are still here. This has long since been a struggle, and though we feel we have handled it well, it has begun to get draining after years of this situation. Please pray that we might be able to have a little leftover financially each month, so that we might be able to support raise without financial concern or boundaries. We also have the prayer that we might be able to leave for Thailand debt free!!!

Thank you so much to those of you who will pray and lift us up, if you guys want to get in contact further, we always love to talk with you. Thank you for who you all are to us, and for taking time to hear our hearts. Jesus can do all things!

We love you,
In our Precious Jesus Name... Juliet and Jonathan