To the Men.
To the Men of Walking Street.
The dad. The husband. The retired serviceman. The businessman. The tourist.
Two weeks ago I walked alongside you on the street. We stayed in the same city, maybe even the same hotel. We went to the same mall during the day. You looked me up and down as I passed you, stared at me. Some of you even asked me what I was doing there. Why would a girl like that be in a place like this? We were both there as customers that night. But we were buying very different things. I was there to buy women freedom. You were there to buy women. I want you to know I saw you. I didn’t see you as the customer. But I saw you as the son. I saw you as the husband. I saw you as the slave.
When we walked into those same bars and sat across from each other, I was there to get those girls out. To provide education and opportunity. I knew I needed to pray for each and every one of those girls. But as I sat there and watched as you, the men, undressed women with your eyes and touched them in ways no young girl should be touched, I got angry. And then something switched. We had been talking all day about how these girls who work in the bars are daughters of the Most High. Worthy. Beautiful. Enslaved and trapped in darkness with no hope of a way out. But we hadn’t talked about you, men. How you are sons of the Most High. Worthy. Made in His Image. Enslaved and trapped in darkness with no hope of a way out. So while my flesh wanted to be disgusted by you, God broke my heart for you. If only you saw and knew how much worth you hold? And if only you knew how much God not only loves you but each and every one of those women?
While I was there to offer women freedom, I so badly want to offer you, men, freedom. Freedom from lies that have been spoken over you by society. But I can’t. And in the bar that night, there was nothing I could do for you. Except pray. So, to the men of Walking Street: I saw you. And I prayed for you. Because He sees you.
If you are a man and you read this title and thought it didn’t apply to you and was distant from you, I would like to bring the root of the realities of Walking Street closer to home. Are you a dad? Are you a husband? Are you a son? The men of Walking Street are not rare and they are not alone in the battle against society. The confines of sex trafficking, sex tourism, and sex consumption as a form of entertainment do not stop within the mile that makes up Walking Street. They spread across international borders. They reach the phone you are using to read this blog. Advertisements, movies, books, video games. So often products we consume without second thought. My prayer is that you, the men, would see the weight that you hold. The reach that you have. And the need for more of you who stand up against the lies and norms society has chosen to accept. My prayer is that you would be consumers of the King and not consumers of His Daughter. See her as His Beloved and not a body to be loved.
To the Men.
The dad. The husband. The serviceman. The businessman. And the tourist.
Everyday we walk alongside each other. We stay in the same city. And we go to the same places. You look me in the eye and see me as a daughter. You see me as worthy. Dignity is brought because you have rooted in your heart just how much the Lord loves me. We are consumers of the King, chasing after the very same thing. That is the world I pray to see.
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Hey family and friends! I have been processing through a lot about my time with Wipe Every Tear and experience on Walking Street. This blog just begins to scratch the surface about the work the Lord is doing in my heart. There is more to come, as I am going back to Angeles City and Walking Street May 14-18 to bring freedom to even more girls (and men, I am expectant that the Lord is going to move in big ways). Prayers over the city, street, and team from Wipe Every Tear would be so appreciated in the weeks to come.
We are officially six weeks out from home! Transitions are hard and this one is going to be a big one. But welcomed as I am missing family and friends quite a bit lately. I love you all and am so excited to see you so soon! As always, sending all my love from the Philippines.
-Emma
