Picture a live band, flashing lights, and smiling people
from every nation mingling and enjoying a night on the town. In the distance,
the beautiful KL Twin Towers sparkle in the moonlight as nightlife at the Beach
Club comes to full swing.
And in the middle of it…there’s me…looking around with wide
eyes and a purpose much different from the average guest. I’m not looking for a
dance partner or even a bartender to take my order. Instead I’m praying for God
to lead me to just one woman that He wants me to speak to; to offer hope to. A
woman that’s about to sell herself for the night.
This is the scene I found myself in about three days before
leaving Malaysia. Supposedly prostitution is illegal in Malaysia, but as I
looked around the Beach Club that night, you would have never know it. I can be
naïve to things sometimes, but it was more than obvious what was going on.
Women from Vietnam, Cambodia, the Philippines, Thailand, and countless other
places stood around flirting with guests and enticing them with the hint of
more. American men wearing wedding
rings roamed about with their arms around beautiful Asian women and older men
walked around waving and kissing girls on the cheek that they seem to know very
well.
I talked to a few of the girls by the door for a few
minutes, wondering exactly how this whole thing was going to work. How was I
going to share Christ’s love with these women in just a few minutes before they
were whisked away by a customer? Wasn’t I getting in the way of their business
after all- distracting them from potential clients?
After a little while, I walked to one of the patio areas of
the bar where the Filipino women were hanging out. One of the ladies I had come
to the Beach Club with (a local who is very involved in the prostitution
ministry) was talking to some of the girls there so I sat down with her and
jumped into a conversation with one of them. I won’t mention her name, but
we’ll call her Bee.
Bee and I are the same age- 22. She has a big family over in
the Philippines and it was fun to have her show me all kinds of photos of them
on her phone from some kind of Catholic ceremony they were involved in. I asked
about her life, her friends, family, and even her work. I asked if she had a
boyfriend and she just laughed and said, “many.” A bunch of the Filipino girls
I had met wandered over to the table next to us where an older man was buying
them appetizers. He seemed to be a regular and the girls kept passing Bee and I
food to try.
So there I was, in a bar in Malaysia, eating fried chicken
with Filipino girls who willingly prostitute themselves, thinking, “Why
couldn’t I have done this sooner? Why am I making these friendships now and
then leaving in three days!” Bee is such an awesome girl. I don’t know all the
reasons or choices that have landed her at the Beach Club working in this
occupation; All I know is that she is a person that is loved by God no matter
what and He wants to meet her where she’s at. He wants more for her life though
and He sees the great value in her, as His child.
The same goes for the men that were there. I was told that
some of the men come to the Beach Club every night after work. When I think
about human trafficking and prostitution and the men involved I often get mad.
But experiencing it first hand that night- seeing their faces… I was just sad.
I was sad that they needed love so badly that they thought they had to pay for
it every night. Sad that they weren’t experiencing real love after all and that
there is something greater out there that will satisfy them fully; An agape kind of love
The whole situation left me feeling kind of hopeless in a
sense. I wanted to show the women love through my friendship, but I was leaving
in a few short days. I wanted to offer them hope of a brighter future, but many
of them were stuck. Some just had nowhere to turn and this was their best shot
at providing for themselves or their families. Some were in debt to whoever
helped them get to Malaysia or their passports were being held. Many of the
women hated the work but just didn’t see any other options.
STUCK
I was blessed to be able to finish my time with Bee by praying for her and sharing with her what an amazing and loved child of God she is. Keep her and the girls in your prayers…
These women are someone’s daughters, mothers, sisters, and
friends…
