It’s 8:45pm on a Wednesday night. My team, 2 of our wonderful contacts, and a local Tico (that’s a Costa Rican) set out on a bus to go to downtown San Jose, Costa Rica’s beautiful capital. In the day, you would see fruit stands and smoothie stores, restaurants of all sorts, people selling what they can in between stores and large walk ways. Kids,moms, families and teens walking through town shopping and enjoying the park and their community.
As the night approaches there’s a different story to be told. The streets appear empty and there aren’t but a few groups of people out. It’s not a common thing to be out at night, unless you have a purpose in doing so.
As we walked through the blackened town we approached a lady who is standing on the corner trying to make eye contact with each seldomly passing car. Our ministry contact told us before going out that these women were actually transvestites. They were men who had taken hormones, and had surgery and had gone through a lot to look like women, though it wasn’t very obvious until you heard them speak. As we approached them, my heart began pounding and I became nervous- “what are we supposed to say?” We walked up to the first “lady”, our contact initiates conversation about family, their night, their business, and how they are doing overall as I open a bag to offer cookies or crackers that we bought prior to walking the streets. She spoke with us a moment, we invited her to a church coffee time and asked if we could pray. She said yes. So in that moment, standing on a corner with all the differences, all the concerns vanished – with the stop lights changing above us, we approached the throne of God. We went to another corner and another and another and another. Some conversations were deeper than others, some didn’t want to talk because we hurt their business, but most eagerly said yes when we asked if we could pray with them. As we got to the other side of the block, we met two boys who were about 17. They were selling themselves to get money to get back home on a bus. We sat with them a moment, talked about family, a little about why they were doing what they were doing and about what they would like prayer for. Again, on the side of the dim street, on a blue park bench, as a car pulled up to the curb and parked a few feet past us, under a single street light, we went to God with these two boys and prayed.
There was something about praying with those people that opened my heart to see how beautiful they truly were. Beneath the shackles sin had trapped them in and the chains that made them feel there was no way out now that they were in so deep, they were beautiful, had purpose, and just needed help seeing it.
It was hard just walking away and leave them with a prayer rather than a way out… but I realized, between the night streets and prayers on blue park benches and under changing stoplights, people don’t need people to save them- people need people to show the love of Christ. People need to see a glimpse of His love that may spark the idea that there’s a love much greater than what we could possibly show, a love that points only to Him.
Our cookies and crackers didn’t save them. Our cookies and crackers didn’t tell them about Jesus or make them want to run to His arms. The time we spent getting to know them, being interested in their lives, praying with them, treating them like normal people who are worth being respected and loved- it simply planted a seed. That time simply brought their hearts awareness that they are loved, that they aren’t too far from the hand of God, that as soon as they give Him permission His hands will swoop down and pick them up from the muck, clean them off, and teach them to walk in His hope. It’s the love of Christ that saves people.
As the body of Christ, we should be sharing His love, bringing light to the darkness. It all comes down to love. There are people all around us walking streets of darkness- literally walking them, spiritually walking them, emotionally walking them… it’s easy to walk by with broken hearts, or judgmental eyes, but if we are walking in the light- we should be sharing it- not watching as they stay in the dark hopelessly. God is fighting for them and He is letting us fight with Him. Fight to show them light in the midst of their blinding darkness. That’s how we show the love of Christ.
Matthew 5 (ESV)
13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.
14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.
15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.
16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
with love,
Andie
