I Wanna Be Like Jackie
I will admit, when I picked up Chasing The Dragon: One Woman’s Struggle Against The Darkness Of Hong Kong’s Drug Dens by Jackie Pullinger I had no idea what to expect. I knew it was a book meant to get us ready for our time in Hong Kong but that was it. As I read reviews and one quote stood out, “The Walled City was demolished in 1992, but the social problems have simply been shifted elsewhere. Pullinger’s “safe refuges”, now spread across Hong Kong, are as necessary as ever. “How do you raise funds?” I asked. “I pray,” she replied.” [1] In my wildest dreams I would be as bold and faithful as Jackie. Her book enthralled me, challenged me, made me question my own work and ultimately gave me hope.
Pullinger gives the reader a remarkable look inside one of the seedier sides of human life. The trading of humanity for the next high, and the destruction which follows this life. She starts with a short description of the youth center she had started, “It was dark, damp smelling and hard to keep clean, as there was no water supply for the inhabitants of the Walled City….Terrible things crawled out of the sewers and across the clubroom walls. I was always more afraid of the large cesspool spiders than the gangsters,” [2] Reading this reminded me of Bangkok, Thailand. A beautiful metropolitan city, Western in its appearance (McDonalds on every corner), and yet a seamy underbelly that really was the city. Whenever I have seen Hong Kong in movies it is always portrayed as a gleaming jewel, a place where everyone is happy (in my own little mind anyway). The problem though, where there is displacement in the name of progress, a culture is created. In my minds eye, as Pullinger describes the drug dens and brothels, whether in the Walled City or the more acceptable dance halls, one thing came to my mind. We created this by changing the landscape to fit our Western sensibilities.
An example I have experience was Pattaya, Thailand. Pattaya was a fishing village in the Chonburi Province as late as the 1960’s. During the Vietnam War the U.S. was looking for a place for R&R for troops outside of Vietnam but close enough to be usable. Before the U.S. decided to use Pattaya you could not get there from here, was how it was described to me by a missionary who had spent 30 years there. Then the U.S. decided to use it and overnight it exploded. After the war it became a tourist destination and with this designation became a capitol of the sex trade in Thailand.
If you look at the two pictures above you will see quite a different story. The first is what the government of Thailand wants you to see, a beautiful destination to come and relax. The second picture is in the middle of the walking street, my friend tells me the locals call it Hell Street. You can get whatever you want on this street and the alleys that run through it. Whether it is an underage girl, the hundreds of “Lady” boys or any drug you can think of. This is what westernizing a city in Thailand has wrought.
The next picture is in the middle of a dump just outside the city. Hundreds of families live in this dump, build their “house”, scavenge through the refuse for food and things they can fix to earn money, and of course many drug users sleeping off the last high.
Getting back to our book, Jackie Pullinger decided at the age of 22 to listen to God and start a ministry to the people of the Walled City. Inside this hell Jackie had to deal with the Triads. She gives us a glimpse, ” All over Hong Kong the Tirads inspired terror, which mad it easier to run protection rackets. The Walled City was the perfect place for them; they took the fullest advantage of its uncertain sovereignty.” [3] To be able to stand in the midst of this and save people one at a time takes great faith. Faith which most Christians I know would not have the stomach for. I do not know if I would have the stomach for this much faith, but it starts with a small step. I was so convicted while reading this book I started praying “God give me a chance just to begin to make a difference in somebody’s life” He gave me a chance two days ago, I got a call from our association office telling me they were sending someone our way that needed help. A while later a man walks into my office, introduces himself and begins to tell me his story. I will preface this by I have a fairly good “BS” meter and usually when I get stories I get a pretty good feeling for the truth. This man brought paperwork galore. He was a Harvey victim whose house had been destroyed by the hurricane, his belongings had been looted and was temporarily housed in Killeen, Tx. FEMA had given him new furniture and other things and was setting him up in Deleon, about two hours from Killeen. He needed money for all the trips he was going to be taking back and forth to move his stuff from one place to another, and it had to be quick as his time in Killeen was done and he had to move out. God gave me an opportunity to help a man, I usually would have sent him to a bigger church but something told me help him, and remind him he is loved. I did so and the joy I received from obedience was immeasurable. This does not make me Jackie but I understand why she does what she does, God calls we listen, peoples lives are changed.
[1]Richard Morrison. “Voice of the Voiceless; Opinion.(Features).” The Times (London, England), March 15, 2004.
[2] Pullinger, Jackie, and Andrew Quicke. Chasing the Dragon: One Womans Struggle against the Darkness of Hong Kongs Drug Dens. Minneapolis, MN: Chosen, 2014. 20.
[3] Ibid. 69.
About the Author
Jason Turbeville
A pastor, husband and father who loves to be around others. These are the things that describe me. I was a youth minister for 15 years but God changed the calling on my life. I love to travel and see where God takes me in my life.10 responses to “I Wanna Be Like Jackie”
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This is wonderful Jason thank you. I appreciated the images as well. I felt the same as you regarding how inspiring Jackie’s story is. I’m going to ask most people this question to think about: Do you think it’s possible she’s a modern day prophet? Do you believe there are prophets who God calls in certain times and places to help the church become a little more courageous?
Chris,
I absolutely believe she is a prophet and one we would do well to listen to. I do believe God still calls, I would not do what I do if he didn’t. We just need to listen.That is the hard part in most instances.
Jason
Jason,
Praise God that Pullinger’s story “connected” with you and inspired, challenged, and pushed you in your faith and ministry. I wonder what you and my cohort “see” when you read about drug dens, addicts, prostitution, and organized crime? Unless you were a 1st responder in public safety, fire response, or paramedic I think we see these areas of Pullinger’s book from different contexts. Working with people who prey on others, sell, use drugs, and profit from the sex trade takes a special calling, changed heart, and divine love from the Holy Spirit. Pullinger is one of the few called to such a ministry.
I encourage you and other cohort members not to beat yourself up or feel guilty for not doing the same. God loves variety, and nothing goes to waste in His economy. While we are all called to know God and reflect Christ, the calling to go deep and minister to the hard to reach is a God thing for sure. He gives us the “stomach” for such things. For me, any new calling usually starts with obedience followed by faith and then watch with awe and wonder how God adjusts my character and heart for His service. Adventure, Yes!
Excellent testimony at the end of your post. Amen.
Stand firm,
M. Webb
Mike,
To be honest what I see is people who, but for the grace of God, I would be in the same boat. I have an extremely addictive personality and I know how ease it is to make the wrong decision when there seems no other way. I have always admired people who obey the calling into a difficult ministry and wish I could do more for God.
Jason
Hi Jason,
Your stories of Thailand break my heart, as do the Hong Kong ones. I don’t know whether to look forward to Hong Kong, or be petrified. We may have had it too cush in Cape Town…
Jay,
Look forward to what God is going to do in your heart through this time. He would not have it any other way.
Jason
Great post as usual Jason! My wife recently went to Thailand and described it exactly like you have…very sad and highly depraved. And the saddest part is that the US government created this nightmare by landing thousands of immoral (not all) military men there to create the demand that keeps it sustained today. Makes me very angry and I, like you, was very inspired by Jackie’s ministry to the dark world of The Walled City.
Jake,
Thailand is definitely a land of duality, pornography is forbidden but the sex traffic world is alive and well. The US may have started it but I saw way to many Thai people benefiting on the back of others misery. It seems it is a world wide problem. We as Christians should do more I am afraid and yet we don’t.
Jason
Jason,
I appreciate your vulnerability and honesty in your blog. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed and convicted by Jackie’s inspiring story. You even had an opportunity to practice your discipling this week. How do you see yourself changing/modifying your ministry in light of Jackie’s story?
Jean,
To be honest I have questioned a load of things in the last two years and I am just beginning to get a glimpse of what I might be able to do. As a pastor, my vision is to be able to help those in my life live as radically as Jackie has, this means doing away with many “sacred cows” in my denominational life.
Jason