Walking into the night hand in hand with Stacie I didn’t know what to expect. As I looked into the distance I saw three individuals standing on the street corners – reality quickly set in. Prostitution wasn’t something I just knew about or saw on t.v., it was there right before my eyes. Denial wasn’t an option. As I drew closer Gods peace swept over me and I heard the words, “I knew what I was getting into when I created them. When I called them by name. My heart desired them just the same.”
“Hola, como te llamas?”
“Me llamo _______.”
Thats where it all began – the moment my heart filled with hope. Surely freedom was on the horizon for these individuals. Not only was their purity being stolen from them, their identity was too. In front of me stood men dressed as a women. Looking into their eyes I could see waves of sadness crashing over them. This isn’t the life they were created for. When they were little this wasn’t what they dreamed their life would be. This specific night I talked to three individuals, I was able to listen to their hearts and pray for them. The last man I talked to is someone I will never forget.
My heart was drawn to him the moment I saw him get dropped off by a car – he didn’t have to tell me what he just got done doing. I knew – he was with a client. As I watched him reapply his makeup and fix his hair my heart broke. As our eyes met I felt the Lords heart for him. Oh how God treasures him, even in that very moment. A few minutes later I found myself laughing with him – there we stood two strangers who spoke different languages but connecting through joy. A universal language. We began sharing our hearts with each other – He told me how he dreamed of being a doctor as a little boy. But as time went on the dream slipped away and he found himself selling his body for money. He did this for eleven years – eleven long years. As he continued talking I could hear the sorrow and see the let down in his eyes.
But something beautiful happened when we laughed – his eyes lit with joy and a peace swept over him. My goal for the evening was to make him laugh a lot. While we laughed I prayed he would see Jesus, I so desperately wanted him to feel loved. He needed to know the creator, the king of kings, long to be in relationship with him. Jesus heard my prayers, I stood astonished by the following words that came from his mouth. “You have a heavenly laugh. A laugh from Jesus. You need to move to El Salvador so more people can encounter the Lord’s love and joy through you. Can I pray for you?”
Holding back tears I said yes and with that he began to pray. It was the most beautiful prayer I’ve ever received. The Lord was so near. That night I was reminded of the Lord’s faithfulness. How He can use anyone, no matter the state they’re in, to bring glory to his name. He used this man to pull out a joy within myself that had not yet been seen by my team. My team that I had already been with for a little over two months. God used him to bless me and show me His unfailing relentless love once again. As I walked away from him that night the words, “I knew what I was getting into when I created him. When I called him by name. My heart desired him just the same,” replayed in my head. I stopped walking – looked back at hime and waved – then quietly thanked God for his life.
