Yesterday was our team’s free day, so along with team Alethia, we went to a beach for the day. It took a three hour bus ride but when we stepped foot onto the sand it was all completely worth it!
As we were out in the sea swimming around we noticed that there were a few older white men swimming and hanging around with much younger Philipino women. At first we all decided we definitely can not judge the situation, so we were telling ourselves that they were a married couple, probably even from the States. Later in the day we were at a restaurant on the beach that also had a pool. Around the pool area were more older white men with more young Philipino women. It became clear to us that we had stepped into a situation where these men were paying for sex.
For some reason we decided to stay around the pool area for the afternoon, but as it progressed I got more and more angry with what I was seeing. I was so frustrated with the old white men floating around the pool acting content. I think much of my frustration comes with the knowledge that I have gained while working at Samaritana. I have had the privilege to meet so many amazing women who at one point in their life were the women sitting around the pool yesterday. The women of Samaritana are loving, accepting, compassionate, fun and so full of life. My heart broke for the women who were working at the beach, because I have seen through the women at Samaritana, what they could be.
On our way back from the beach I was talking to one of the other girls about the two older white men who were running the bar that these women worked at. I told her “I hate those men. They are skanks.” A few minutes later a boy on the team told me that he agreed with what I had just said, but it was interesting watching the women and men interact and that you could tell that the women “wanted it.” After that comment my frustration and irritation about the day came out. I told him that they did not “want it”; they were just so desperate and had no other way to support their entire family. They have little to no education and no job opportunities but they have enough shame to fill the world. They don’t “want it”!
Since our conversation that night I’ve been thinking more and more about the women at the pool and the women at Samaritana. I’ve come to the conclusion that I was right on the fact that they don’t want it. They don’t want to worry about STD’s, they don’t want to worry about pregnancy and they don’t want to worry about an abusive customer. They also don’t want to have to worry about who is going to pay for the food, how their baby or their parents are going to survive or if someone in the community will find out what they do and tell their family.
I’ve also come to realize that I was wrong last night too. I don’t hate those men. It’s very easy for me to look at them and see what they are doing and become indignant. I question why they think they have the right to pay for these women. I question if they have family back home who they could destroy with what they are choosing to do. I do know that I have to realize that whether I like it or not, they are children of God just like me. That even in their darkest hour God still loves them, He doesn’t love their sin, but He LOVE THEM!!! I need to love them no matter how hard it is for me.
I know that out of that situation God will redeem something. One of the girls on my team, Michelle, had the opportunity to talk to some of the women who worked there and ended up telling them about Samaritana. We were all so incredibly happy and thankful that she took that leap of faith and spoke to the women. Another thing that I am learning that came out of the situation was open communication between men and women about what they experienced yesterday as well as a chance to try to learn how God sees those men and women who were at the pool.
