Papa, July is so beautiful. She cannot even fathom how beautiful you think she is. She has no idea how much you love her. She has never had a love that compares to yours Jesus. Let you be the one who satisfies her. Let you be the one who fulfills her. Let you be her everything.
The first thing I noticed about July was her smile. Father God’s joy was not behind that beautiful smile. The smile was a disguise. The smile masked a broken woman. Behind that smile was a woman who had no idea who she was created to be. She had no idea how much she is loved. She had no idea that she is worth so much more.
July is 28 years old and has been working in the bar for about a month. The first night I met her she told me that she wants an American husband. She was married to a Thai man, but he was really mean to her. The first night we played pool with July and bought her a drink. We laughed a lot and acted goofy together. She is just like any other girl who likes to go shopping and watch movies. She is a daughter of God who needs to find her way home.
The second time we went to see her she had a big smile on her face and gave us a big hug, but she couldn’t chat because she was with a customer. It made me sad. I know she wanted to hang with the girls. It broke my heart to leave her with an old man who touched her in any way he pleased as she gulped down a glass of alcohol. I would probably have to do that too to get through the night if I were July.
The next night we stopped by to visit her and she was with a customer once again. She took a few moments to give us a big hug and smile, and I asked her, “July, did everything go ok last night? Were you safe?”
“Yes. I hope I am safe every night.”
The words that came out of her mouth next broke my heart.
“Trena, I know what you must think of me.”
“July, you are beautiful. I don't think anything bad about you. You are worthy. You deserve so much better in life. I love you.”
I don’t remember what else I said that night, but she began to tear up as I was speaking. I knew Jesus was touching her. I knew she felt the pure love of Christ.
Then she said, “Thank you for saying those things about me.”
A few nights later we went to visit her again and I had a dress to give her. It was just a dress I had bought that didn’t fit right. It was no big deal. I hugged her like every other night and told her that I brought her a dress. She was so surprised and tears began to stream down her face.
“July, you haven’t even looked at the dress. You may not even like it.”
“I don’t have to look at it. I know I will love it. Trena, tomorrow you can ask me anything about my life. I will tell you why I work here. I will tell you everything.”
That’s when I realized that she saw something different in us. She experienced the love of Jesus through us. She felt loved for who she was. She didn’t feel judged for the way she was living. She trusted me. She just didn’t realize that she trusted me because of Jesus.
The next night she told me her story. Her father was killed when she was young, and she quit school to help her mom provide for her family. She later married a Thai man and had two children. Her husband treated her badly and cheated on her so they split up. Being the only girl in her family, she knew that working as a prostitute could bring home plenty of money to support her family and children. She wants her brothers to be able to study at the university. She wants her children to have everything they need. She told me her kids don’t know what kind of work she does, but she misses them a lot. They live 5 hours away, and she doesn’t get to see them much. She doesn’t like working at the bars and hopes to be there only for one year. But she feels trapped. She feels this is the only option to make ends meet.
Papa, set her free. Show her that you are her Provider. Show her that you are real!
I never thought i would be friends with a prostitute, but July is my friend. She is more than my friend. She is my sister. I pray that I will see her in Heaven.
July at the bar with one of her customers.
These are the girls I did ministry with this month (Anjali and Suzanne). July is wearing the dress i gave her 🙂
