Bar ministry.
It’s evangelism, effectively. As in, go to a place, pray and engage people in conversation evangelism.
Oh boy. Uh, do they realize we don’t speak Spanish?!
This is what was rolling through my mind yesterday as the thirteen of us here in Puerto Barrios piled in our mobile sauna – a white, sketchy looking, panel van with no seats and no A/C; we look like we’re being abducted each time we get in, I’m sure – and headed to the “bar district” to do ministry. It’s potentially a dangerous area, so all of the guys surrounded the women as we began to walk down the streets (which, honestly, look & feel more like alleys).
Great. So, now we can’t speak the language and are in creepy, run down, slasher movie alleys. What on Earth am I doing here?!
We follow the winding sidewalks to an intersection (of sorts). There’s a bar on our right and the back fence of someone’s yard on the left. Kevin, the young staff person with us, encourages us to lay hands on the wall of the bar and pray. We do. This is when I realize that I’m leaning on the part of the wall that encloses the banos (bathroom). There’s a man looking down at me through the chicken wire window with the oddest expression on his face. Don’t blame him, honestly. I’m sure we resembled the “spread ’em” scenes in American cop movies. He eventually does a quarter turn to his left, holds his right arm above his head, leans it against the wall, looks down for several minutes and then walks out of the door to his left. Euch. I quickly look down to make sure the “plumbing” for the potty is not the white tube sticking out of my side of the wall about four inches to my left. Thankfully, it wasn’t. But, there is a definite stench of urine in this alleyway. I surmise this wall is used for relief when the banos is occupied.
Really, Lord?! This is SO not my thing!
For the next couple of hours, we are in this place. At first, we’re not doing much. There are two Racers (Brooks & Becca) engaged in conversation with Kevin and a bar customer. But, the rest of us are waiting. Waiting for what, I’m not sure.
But, the Lord is good.
And, we are white. We attract attention; everywhere. Couple that with the fact that we are obviously praying, it is no real surprise that we begin to draw a little bit of an audience. And out of that audience, the Lord brings forth people who are broken. People in need of comfort, conversation, love and friendship. A few more of us engage these people, while the others become a source of prayer support for the little pods of ministry popping up.
All in all, it ends up a good day. Life and encouragement were brought in to people’s lives, including our own. And, though, I still struggle with evangelism (we did it again today in an area more noted for the drug use), I was reminded that the Lord is not bound by the things that bind us in the physical world. His Spirit can move freely among all of the nations. And it does.
