Our team had the honor of serving at a three-day gathering for women who either were or are currently dedicated as temple prostitutes. The day before the gathering started is known around India as the re-dedication day for these women to recommit their lives as temple prostitutes. On that day, several Christian pastors from different parts of India that know these women in their communities invited the women to use their holiday time to come to the gathering rather than stay in the temple.
These women took a large risk and traveled over 10 hours to come to the gathering with their children. We were prepped by a missionary team from New Jersey that has been running the event for three years now that the women attending the gathering would be fragile. They have been through more than we can even imagine and have carried the weight of slavery and isolation for years. Many of them had never heard the name of Jesus before and would not be used to the climate of a Christian gathering. Being aware of this we covered the days with prayer at all hours and spent time in God’s word to prepare our hearts to share His testimony of grace.
The event was full of worship songs; fun activities for the women such as dancing, crafts, and nail painting; and several talks presenting the gospel of Jesus through bible stories taught by pastors or personal testimonies given by people on our teams that pointed the women to the love, grace and sacrifice of Jesus. As the women attended the different activities, I could not help but notice their openness to the gospel. These women either were or are currently temple prostitutes… physical slaves to a tradition that is passed down through generations. We expected them to be guarded and unreceptive of the truth. But instead they stood and sang every worship song, they listened intently to what the pastors had to say about our one true God, and they prayed with an intimacy with God that only comes from faith. It was evident that God was doing a work in their hearts before they even arrived at the gathering. He was softening them to prepare them to enter into new life with Him.
Not only were these women open to the truth… they were joyful to receive it as well. Every time an upbeat worship song was played, the women were on their feet, moving to the rhythm of the melody. Their energetic dancing coupled with their vividly colorful saris made for beautiful images that I will never forget.
I admit during the first couple of days I remained shocked and confused. These women were held captive against their will. They lived in physical darkness and were required to serve a goddess as their master because their families believed they would receive favor in the eyes of that goddess by sacrificing one of their daughters to her. After going through so much, how could they possibly be so joyful?
It wasn’t until the evening of the second night that I found my answer. We got into small groups with the women to discuss what they were learning from their time there. I asked them if it was hard for them to believe they are truly loved by God. They said, “no, not at all!” I asked them if they found it hard to only believe in salvation through Jesus and to stop worshipping other gods and again they said no. So then I asked them why. Why are they so happy to be at the gathering? Why is it easy for them to understand how loved they are by God? Why do they want to come back every year and make sure their friends come as well?
Then a woman with a bold voice spoke for the women in the circle. She explained that they were so joyful because they were finally able to experience true freedom. She herself was a temple prostitute years before but was saved from her slavery. During her years in the temple, she was required to live in a small, dark room and was never allowed to leave. Attending the event to her was an act of stepping into freedom. These women have been told their whole lives that their only role in the world was to serve this goddess. Coming to the gathering and hearing that they are actually loved by God and that He requires nothing of them but faith… How could they not be joyful hearing that truth?
On the last day of the gathering, we had a foot washing ceremony. This was a profoundly moving time. We approached the women to wash their feet and most of them tried to refuse as tears streamed down their faces. Especially in a culture where feet are seen as dirty and offensive, we insisted upon loving them in this way. It was a somber but beautiful expression and impressed upon my heart the way Christ serves us abundantly even when we know we don’t deserve Him.
I cannot speak for every woman that attended the event. I do not know the depths of what God was laying on each of their hearts during their time away from home. But I do know that at the end of the gathering about 30 women stepped forward and proclaimed they wanted to demolish other gods in their lives and truly accept Jesus as their savior. They stepped out in faith alone and allowed God to change their lives forever.
With all the hurt and sorrow troubling them from their past, it is understandable that God has more healing to do. But for these women, out of that sorrow comes an even greater desire to walk in freedom with Him. And I am so thankful that these women had the faith and trust and courage to stand up and believe.
