Stephanie (real name withheld) had just become an orphan. Things were tough and she didn’t know what to do. Then, she met someone who promised to ‘help’ and though she was barely a teenager, she was introduced to the red lights!
In some cultures, poverty is the driving force of prostitution. Girls sell their bodies to put food on their tables. We are aware that Jesus loves these girls too and so they are not exempt from the work of the Cross.
Some of them want to be free from that way of life but simply do not know how.
Many of our missionaries began to have an impression to work with the women in the red lights. They felt God laying it upon their hearts to reach out to the girls being prostituted in the area.
There were about four brothels in our area and one day; we went to one of them. It was there that one of us met Stephanie. Out of the about 20 girls in that brothel, she was the most scantily dressed. She said she was 18 but on further talks with her, we discovered that she was just 16! She had been in the red lights for about 4 years and that was virtually the only thing she knew how to do.
She said she was 18 but on further talks with her, we discovered that she was just 16!
A missionary shared the Gospel of who Jesus is, His death and resurrection and how we can be new creations if we give our lives to Him. How Jesus came to save everyone.
God wants everyone to be saved and to know the whole truth,……….1 Timothy 2:4 (CEV, Emphasis mine)
Stephanie said that one of the most difficult things she had to deal with is pleasing some guys. She wanted to do all she could to sell her body well and please her those enslaving her. Imagine a young girl going through the pain of selling her body and the worry of not ‘doing it well enough!’
She was told she’s made in God’s image, she’s beautiful and how God saw her is different from the way she saw herself.
By the end of the night, she went to the back room, and dressed herself up more. The Holy Spirit had encountered her with the identity of being a child loved by the Father, versus a prostitute being held captive to any man’s bidding.
After our outreach, nineteen girls gave their lives to Christ.
Another significant thing happened; the Manager of the brothel also had the gospel preached to her. One of us gave her a word of prophecy concerning her life. It happened that she had different issues while growing up; had a history of abuse with her father with lots of wounds buried on her inside and that led her to the path she was following. She was taking it out on the girls that were working for her as prostitutes. She was touched by the message and she broke down and cried.
Another significant thing happened; the Manager of the brothel also had the gospel preached to her.
“But one who prophesies strengthens others, encourages them, and comforts them.” (1Co 14:3, NLT)
We went back there about a week later and all the women we spoke with the previous week were gone! Glory to God!
We followed up on them so they would be established in Christ. We went to the restaurants in the area and taught the women there.
Take a Risk for Others
You may not have a long-term plan for what God has told you to do but whatever you can do now, please start doing it now. Everything you do matters. Just your telling people of how much God values them and who they are in Christ is a seed and that seed of God’s love that you have sown is not wasted, if it is nurtured, it is going to have an abundant harvest.
Speak life and be God’s messenger wherever you are.
When we went back to the brothel after a week, though the nineteen women that gave their lives to Christ had left, there were more women there. We got to know that to have a lady per night, you needed forty dollars.
So we paid for the time of 20 ladies and we took them out. Even the Manager accepted our invitation to her. But instead of abusing them, we had a love feast with them. We washed their feet and demonstrated God’s love.
So we paid for the time of 20 ladies and we took them out. But instead of abusing them, we had a love feast with them. We washed their feet and demonstrated God’s love.
All praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the source of every mercy and the God who comforts us. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When others are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NLT)
One of our missionaries was raped as a young girl so she shared her testimony. What the Bible says in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 came to play that night. The ladies felt served, honoured and began to see themselves the way God sees them. They were made to understand that in Christ, there is a future and a hope for them.
That night, there were lots of emotions and a sense of freedom among the ladies.
We know that there is more that we have to do. We need to shepherd them and give them a means of livelihood because the reason why a lot of them are working in the brothel bars is poverty. We have also decided to have a regular Red Light Ministry with the 100 missionaries visiting every quarter.
We have also decided to have a regular Red Light Ministry with the 100 missionaries visiting every quarter.
Don’t Hesitate to Help Others in Need
Whatever the Lord is putting in your heart to do, please know that you don’t have to start with a big plan. You can start small, maybe with an encouraging word for someone. Just take time out and start. There is always a sacrifice to make, be willing to make it. Just like we sacrificed our night’s sleep to preach to those ladies, make the necessary sacrifice and do what the Lord would have you do.
Listen to your spirit and take a leap of faith and you will see yourself doing what others termed impossible.
Your assignment might not be working with prostitutes, it might be working with that lady that you see in church every day. It might be an injustice that you see in the society that God is pressing it upon your heart to doing something about. It might be your colleague at work or one of your neighbours that are going through a hard time and God wants you to introduce him or her to the saving grace available in Christ Jesus. We need to have receptive hearts and willing minds to hear the voice of God and a desire to obey whatever He tells us to do.
Whatever gift or talent that God has given you, harness it for His glory. We were able to get the attention of the young ladies and the Manager in the brothel through the spiritual gifts that God gave us. Our giftings are for the kingdom and we should never be afraid to us them for His Glory and impact.
Our giftings are for the kingdom and we should never be afraid to use them for His Glory and impact.
