I sit at the bottom of the steps in our less than reputable hotel, trying in vain to find a wireless signal to hijack. As I lean my back against the wall, I hea
r rustling in the closet behind me. Is it one of the many rats to which we’ve grown so accustomed? No, today it’s merely a few cockroaches scurrying from underneath a bag of trash. I hear men’s hushed Vietnamese from the front desk down the hall. Then, I watch as women enter the hotel rooms with their ‘clients’, only to emerge an hour later a little more numb than before. Never would I have imagined myself in a place where rats, roaches and prostitutes are a part of daily life.
r rustling in the closet behind me. Is it one of the many rats to which we’ve grown so accustomed? No, today it’s merely a few cockroaches scurrying from underneath a bag of trash. I hear men’s hushed Vietnamese from the front desk down the hall. Then, I watch as women enter the hotel rooms with their ‘clients’, only to emerge an hour later a little more numb than before. Never would I have imagined myself in a place where rats, roaches and prostitutes are a part of daily life.
This month, my squad has found itself (or has been placed by God’s grace) in a hotel in Ho Chi Minh City that is frequented by men offering cash for pleasure, and the women willing to accept it.
Night One- We sit in the lobby and watch in shock as we realize what is happening. I am so angry I can barely speak. All I want to do is hit each man as they exit the rooms, some still tightening their belts as they do.
Night Three- The squad decides to go on the offensive. We begin to pray in shifts- two people every hour of the night, asking the Lord to break through, to bring His light into this dark place.
Night Five- My heart breaks for the girls who have resigned themselves to this lifestyle. I long for them to see their beauty, their worth. If only they could grasp the reality that the God of all the universe loves them intimately and individually!
Night Eight- My heart begins to soften toward the men who are obviously not content with their lives, attempting to fill the emptiness with physical gratification.
Night Eleven- The battle intensifies. We have 4 hours of worship and prayer from 11 pm to 3 am, permeating this building with the truth of the Lord. We pray with passion and authority for God to come in and free these captives. We praise Him on every floor, even renting a room in the downstairs hallway usually reserved for ‘business’.
Night Fifteen- I type this blog and wonder how I have already begun to become desensitized to such an atrocity. I pray for the Lord to keep my heart raw. I ask that He would continue to allow me to see these girls through His eyes, to feel His compassion, to sense the Father’s yearning to have His daughters restored to Him.
Night One- We sit in the lobby and watch in shock as we realize what is happening. I am so angry I can barely speak. All I want to do is hit each man as they exit the rooms, some still tightening their belts as they do.
Night Three- The squad decides to go on the offensive. We begin to pray in shifts- two people every hour of the night, asking the Lord to break through, to bring His light into this dark place.
Night Five- My heart breaks for the girls who have resigned themselves to this lifestyle. I long for them to see their beauty, their worth. If only they could grasp the reality that the God of all the universe loves them intimately and individually!
Night Eight- My heart begins to soften toward the men who are obviously not content with their lives, attempting to fill the emptiness with physical gratification.
Night Eleven- The battle intensifies. We have 4 hours of worship and prayer from 11 pm to 3 am, permeating this building with the truth of the Lord. We pray with passion and authority for God to come in and free these captives. We praise Him on every floor, even renting a room in the downstairs hallway usually reserved for ‘business’.
Night Fifteen- I type this blog and wonder how I have already begun to become desensitized to such an atrocity. I pray for the Lord to keep my heart raw. I ask that He would continue to allow me to see these girls through His eyes, to feel His compassion, to sense the Father’s yearning to have His daughters restored to Him.
We have only four nights left. We will continue to pray, to love and to be confident that He who began a good work here will carry it on to completion. (Philippians 1:6)
