God is big. Really big. He continues to teach me day after day how big He is, and how small I am.
This past month our team worked with breaking chains ministry. Our contacts, Steven and Kenia Cass, were absolutely incredible and showed us daily what it looks like to really love people. Hearing their testimonies and seeing the power of Christ in their lives was just one more way God displayed His power and greatness.
Breaking Chains exists in several different countries. The program in Nic is a “90 day program that teaches women who are victims of prostitution and sex trafficking, who Christ is, what Christians believe and how we are to serve our Lord. Part of the program is individually tailored to let the Holy Spirit lead them to freedom from their pasts which we believe is the gift of new life in Christ, finally when they graduate we help them to launch a small business of their own with the goal of providing a dignified income to support their families” (breakingchains.org). My team and I spent the month working with 11 incredible women who have been rescued from prostitution. These women were anywhere from about 16 to 50 years old, and their lives are such a testimony to the transforming power of the Holy Spirit.
I had the opportunity to witness a beautiful picture of redemption as we went from reaching out to young girls who were literally sitting on street corners waiting to “work” to waking up and welcoming 11 smiling faces of women who have been set free. I wish all of you could meet these beautiful ladies. They came in and left laughing everyday. Their smiles were daily reminders that our God is a God of restoration. He binds up the broken hearted and sets captives free. I got to celebrate life with these women everyday, and they continually taught me what it looks like to love. One weekend we had a sleepover. We played games, made crafts and cooked brownies and popcorn. I felt like I was getting to relive with them the childhood they never got to have…
I will never forget my time with these precious people, and how much they taught me. They would stop and marvel at the little things. They were never in a hurry. They were entertained by playing games that didn’t make any sense…like passing a bottle down a line between your legs or carrying a lemon between your knees to drop it in a cup. They spent hours working diligently on paper cards with bright colors that didn’t even go together, but it didn’t matter because to them they were absolutely beautiful! They would travel from all around the area on busses and on foot because they knew that in this home, there was hope. They would tell me stories in Spanish, knowing I didn’t understand, but they were so excited to tell me anyway. They told me they loved me, yet they hardly knew me. They were not only changing their own lives, but the lives of their children and their grandchildren. These kids are no longer wondering where their moms are all night, but they got to watch their mothers fight for freedom. Fight for a chance to break away from chains that have bound them for years. Although there was much laughter, there were also many tears. One sweet lady cried every times she prayed. She cried because she understood the power of Christ that had radically transformed her life and pulled her out of complete darkness. She cried because she finally understands that she is loved by someone bigger than this world. Someone who is always there, who always sees, and who never disappoints. They saw beauty in the things God intended to be beautiful. Unmasked by the world. Untainted by human hands…And God is taught me to see them the way He sees them. Women clothed in white flowing dresses, dancing in the light of their Dad.
Thankful. I am thankful that God takes us out of the darkness and leads us into His marvelous light. Thankful for smiles that represent an eternal joy, a light that cannot be put out, and laughter that represents the sound of freedom. I am thankful for eyes that shine with the light of Christ, and for minds that desire truth. I am thankful for hands that serve and hug and love and for hearts following hard after Him.
