Preaching to Prostitutes in the Philippines: PART THREE

During bar ministry, we would sit outside the tiny bars on plastic lawn chairs asking the women about their parents, their children, and anything they wanted to know about us. Foreigners are fascinating to these women, so they had a lot of questions for the two of us. Samaritana does a medical clinic for all the women at the bars including free pap-smear tests, medication and even eye glasses, so a lot of them asked about that and were very thankful for that service. One woman was five months pregnant and still working at the bars and told Kris in Tagalog (the language of the Filipinos) that she wanted to go to Samaritana and check out their courses and options they offer at the ministry center. I was overjoyed when Kris told them this!!

As hard as it is for some people to believe, my heart was breaking just as much for the pimps and the male customers as it was for the women being prostituted. They all need Jesus. WE all need Jesus. Besides, Matthew 9:12 tells us Christ “did not come for the healthy, but for the sick…” and the pimps and customers need the love of Jesus just as much as any other person I will come in contact with on this Race. One of the “managers” named Jullie, was a former prostitute and since she’s 51 now, she manages other women. She was very thankful to us for our patience and love and couldn’t stop smiling at me the entire time. It warms my heart that these people aren’t snubbing the missionaries coming there, even though they know what we’re coming there for. They aren’t angry or mean to us, they love us back..and that is HUGE.

I can see IMMENSE things happening for the Kingdom of God in this city and a lot of these prostitutes, pimps and customers are on the brink of giving up their lives of darkness to walk with the Lord. It’s extremely humbling to see such transformation already happening in their hearts. This last month, for Christmas Samaritana put on a Christmas program for the women of the bars and streets. They gave them a lot of food and presents and told them all how much they were loved and adored by the Lord. Even the pimps came to the program, and Becky (the director of Samaritana) said most of them cried the entire time because no one had ever told them they were beautiful or that they mattered. One of the pimps came up to Becky at the end of the program and said “I hope the Lord will forgive us for all we’ve done in this life.” When I heard that story, it broke my heart. When we visited the women last night they were saying they still had food and presents left over from the party and thanking us again for it. They know there is no judgment, no anger…nothing but unconditional love, and they know Samaritana is waiting for them with open arms and praying that they will quit their lives of prostitution.

God is at work with this ministry and it’s MIND BLOWING that I was able to be a part of it, even for just the night. I know we are going back next week to do bar ministry again, and I can’t wait to see what God is going to do. Please pray for Samaritana, Becky, Kris, the servant leaders/former prostitutes, and for the prostitutes that are still working at the bars and the streets but want to get out of that life. Pray for strength, for obedience, for trust and for obedience. If you want to donate to Samaritana Ministries, please visit: www.samaritana.org/

“Now one of the Pharisees was requesting Him to dine with him, and He entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. And there was a woman in the city who was a sinner; and when she learned that He was reclining at the table in the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster vial of perfume, and standing behind Him at His feet, weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears, and kept wiping them with the hair of her head, and kissing His feet and anointing them with the perfume. Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet He would know who and what sort of person this woman is who is touching Him, that she is a sinner.â€� And Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.â€� And he replied, “Say it, Teacher.â€� “A moneylender had two debtors: one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. “When they were unable to repay, he graciously forgave them both. So which of them will love him more?â€� Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.â€� And He said to him, “You have judged correctly.â€� Turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. “You gave Me no kiss; but she, since the time I came in, has not ceased to kiss My feet. “You did not anoint My head with oil, but she anointed My feet with perfume. “For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little.â€� Then He said to her, “Your sins have been forgiven.â€� Those who were reclining at the table with Him began to say to themselves, “Who is this man who even forgives sins?â€� And He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.â€�