One of the biggest parts of our ministry this past month was getting to work with dance bar ministry. Now some of you may be wondering what that is and how exactly did we do ministry there? Simple, we just loved on the girls through words of encouragement, smiles, and lots of prayers. We would get their contacts to meet up with them for lunch, and it was so beautiful when we were able to make that happen. When walking down the main strip of road, it’s not uncommon to see at least 10 signs labeled dance bar and club. These bars are filled with young girls who take the stage to perform a choreographed number, with the entire goal to impress an audience member enough for after hour services.
I can’t lie and say the first night in there was hard…How do you stay focused in prayer when your mind is running a million different thoughts? When the music is catchy and it’s easy to lose focus? When you see the girls get up to dance and the inner dancer in me can’t help but observe their choreography? Then to not go back to my house and not reflect on all the good memories I have of dance as a child.
As a child, I remember my sisters and I putting on recitals for my parents. We would spend the entire day preparing and coming up with our best moves. We would dress up in costumes and make an event of the whole thing. I also remember taking many dance classes where we had so much freedom to express our passion for the art. We would spend weekends dazzled up in costumes and makeup to compete. Then in college I loved the plethora of opportunities I had to choreograph my own work. To showcase and be proud of taking people, space, and music and turning it into something special.
The next time we went is when my heart truly broke. These girls just love to dance. Their smiles are wide as they take the stage to immediately disappear when they walk off. It breaks my heart that they aren’t allowed to share the same passion that I had growing up without feeling like this is the only way to do it. They love to choreograph and come up with new routines for their show. They smile when they notice the crowd is enjoying the craft they’ve created. So many of these girls just want to have a normal passion for dance, and are having to sublimate their passion for this life.
I walked out that night with a heart broken, but also this insane amount of desire to show these girls so much. To show them they are valued, loved, and seen by the Father. To show them that their love of dance is a beautiful and unique thing to carry. To encourage them that dance can be used in such a positive light to express themselves and to glorify God. I came out of this ministry a different person. I don’t ever want to take for granted the talent God has given me; and now more than ever I want to use it to for such a greater purpose.
