“Preach the Gospel at all times. When necessary, use words.”- St. Francis of Assisi
Tuesday I had the awesome opportunity to help at an event that allowed women trapped in prostitution to be “spoiled” for the day. We worked with a group of people that have transformed a bus into a moving bathroom. The purpose of the bus was to allow the homeless people of San José to use a bathroom and clean up.
The space that was being used was fairly tight. It was a small square, about the size of a tiny backyard, with fence surrounding the whole area and a gate at the front where the women came through. When we arrived we saw news reporters and an abundance of volunteers. We knew it was going to be a special day. This was probably going to be the first shower that most of the women had had in weeks, maybe months. The event started at 8:30ish and ended around 1. It was packed with women from the streets from start to finish. As they walked through the gates, they signed in and were given a number to put on their shirt. Once called, they got to pick out a new pair of clothes and go in the bus to shower and change into their new clothes. After they finished, they would come around to eat breakfast: a sandwich, apple, chips and the choice of coffee or hot tea. After this, they got their nails done, a facial, and a haircut! whoa it was a beautiful experience to witness. To see the transformation not only physically, but the transformation in the hearts of these women, just from a simple haircut.
Because there was such an abundance of volunteers I almost felt useless. I was standing with my teammate Louisa when we decided to just walk around and talk with the women.
As Louisa and I walked around the small but overly packed space, we saw one lady sitting down and she immediately lit up after seeing us. She jumped up, kissed our hands and told us her name was Gabbi. I have no idea what she said in that conversation but I do know that her smile is one I will never forget. As the day went on, you could see the men lined up down the fence waiting for the women to come out so they could take them with them. It was nice talking with the ladies and getting their minds off of the things outside of those gates for a couple hours. We stayed with Gabbi from the beginning and moved to every station with her. We communicated often through hand motions and thanked her when she slowed her words down for us to understand her Spanish. She told us of her life, of her three boys and how she went to prison at age 18. She told us of her past and how she started drinking and smoking thinking it would take away the pain she felt. With tears she talked of her parents who passed away and went to heaven. She referred to us that day as her friends. Music began to play and we tried to get her to go dance with us, but she would always laugh at the thought of it and say no. As the day ended, the men who worked in the ministry came and gave all the women a rose. As we said our goodbye to Gabbi, she gave us her rose, kissed our foreheads, and said her rose was her heart and that Louisa and I would now always have a piece of it. She danced with us in the middle of the square and waved goodbye at least twelve times before she rounded the corner and we could no longer see her.
Gabbi- thank you for showing me that you don’t have to speak the same language to show love. thank you for calling me friend and giving me a piece of your heart.
Much love,
Brittney
