Rainbow stripes on the wall.
Neon mood lighting setting the “ambience.”
A giant bed that could easily sleep three full grown men with room to spare.
Inside this hotel room, two girls get ready for a night on the town, putting on dresses, jewelry, makeup, and perfume to set the stage for a fun night out! But this was no ordinary night. This was not a typical night at a bar. This was not the typical actions within this hotel room. Because this hotel is housed about 0.5 mile down from Walking Street, the most infamous street for sex tourism in the Philippines. So the bars Ruby and I were preparing to walk into aren’t ordinary bars, but bars where girls are put in the spotlight, on stages, above or below you, mirrors surrounding them, clothed in only bra and panties, to “dance” for patrons wishing to buy them (dance is sometimes a loose term, as much of the time the girls barely sway to the beat because it’s not exactly a place any of them really want to be).
Down the hall and down one floor, my parents also got ready. They were going with us and together as a family— with Ruby acting as our guide, our translator, and an example of hope on display— we were preparing to walk into the bars and be Jesus to girls between the ages of 17-35 who sell their bodies so that they can feed themselves and their families. Ruby once stood on those stages, one example of the thousands of Filipino girls who find themselves in desperately poor situations and with no other options but to sell their bodies. They didn’t get there because they were careless with their money but simply because they were born with little and little to no opportunities to change their situation in a country with abysmal infrastructure and chances at moving up the economic ladder. Because of Wipe Every Tear, though, Ruby had been offered a way out, and she was ready to share, with us as her “wing men”, the opportunity with other girls who were just like her— normal girls who love makeup and nails and hair and boys and perfume and dancing for fun and not for money or men. Normal girls who have dreams and families they love and cherish. And it is for their families that majority are there.
So our goal that night and the night after was to bring JOY, FUN and HOPE into the bars we walked into. We wanted to be a smiling face, a friend, an encourager, a listening ear, a voice of hope, an opportunity.
We went in prepared. Kenny, the founder of Wipe Every Tear, had briefed us on what to expect to see, though no description will adequately prepare you for them. The night before we had visited the three safe houses in Manila set aside for Wipe Every Tear girls. When we were there, there were a total of 40 girls living in the homes. They hosted us for dinner and led us in a time of worship. So we saw their joy, their normalcy, their vivaciousness, their love for one another, and their love for the Father who had saved them from the bars. The nights we went to the bars, as a team of 20 racers, their parents and approx. 15 Wipe Every Tear girls (all saved from the bars), we prayed and worshipped to set the tone for the night. We did listening prayer.
For those of you who may not be familiar with the act of listening prayer, it is this: you go to the Lord and ask him for words, visions, or pictures, and then you go to the streets expecting that the Lord will guide and direct you to these things. Our group of 20 racers and their parents got quite a list during this time, including things like… a purple sash, Daisy, Helen, the name Red, Maisy, and so many more that I can no longer remember. Kenny took down the list. During this time, I myself saw a black sack of sorts with holes cut out of it, and the word JOY. I had no idea what the sack was, and didn’t know what the story was surrounding the word joy… if it would be a feeling or a name of a girl, but I went to the streets in expectation.
Why? Because He gives us what we ask for. Because He loves to stretch us and then meet us in those places of dependency and reliance.
So during this time of prayer, I prayed desperately for courage, bravery, boldness. For the ability to be winsome with these girls we spoke to. That conversations would flow easily, for commonalities to be found. For connections. And I prayed that these things would be given to my parents too! Oh how I was nervous to have them there beside me! I wasn’t just nervous for me, but for them as well! I never in a million years thought I would experience this kind of work alongside both of my parents, but it completely works, and it works well!
Why? Because when a young American woman walks into a bar like this, that’s unusual. And then to do so with people who are clearly her mom and dad, curiosity hits. They know we aren’t there as typical patrons. We have their attention and their interest! Also, there is a comfort that can be given to these girls as we call them off stage for a drink, buying their time and an opportunity to share who Wipe Every Tear is. To show them they are loved and valued. To tell them about Wipe Every Tear’s safe houses. To tell them about how they will be given everything— clothes, food, a bed, spending money, toiletries, an education— all for free so that they can have a future outside the bars! So that they can move towards their dreams!
So I can’t contain my stories about these two nights or my love for this ministry to one blog post, so stay tuned in the next few days for part 2 and the conclusion to the awesome God stories that He is writing in Angeles City, Philippines!!! They are epic and beautiful and full of hope! Xoxo.
