Part of our ministry here in Pokhara is going to dance bars. Dance bars are similar to strip clubs in the U.S. but more tame. Men come in and watch girls dance on stage, then the girls sit and talk with the men at their tables in between dances.
It is the one of the most heart-wrenching things I’ve ever had to watch, partly because I’m powerless to do anything about it and partly because I can relate to the girls on such a deep level. The whole thing breaks my heart.
Twice a week, a group of us girls go with a translator to a dance bar. We order food and sit at a table and watch the girls dance. We hope that a girl comes to our table, so we can attempt to have a conversation with her. In the time between, we pray. We pray for the girls we are watching, pray that they know how much God loves them, pray that they know they are beautiful because of more than their half-clad body, pray that they know that there’s more in the world than dancing for a man in a bar. We pray for the men who are in the bar as well, pray that the lust within them flees, pray that they see the woman in front of them as more than just an object.
Most nights, only one or two girls come to our table. Having a conversation is nearly impossible when you factor in the extremely loud music and the language barrier, and that’s without even considering the question of what to even say in those moments. The conversations don’t last long, and all of that combined makes building a relationship very difficult. How do you convey that God loves this girl, who you have never even met, when you have to shout just to be heard by the translator?
The goal in going to the dance bar is to create a relationship with a girl that can extend past the time in the dance bar. The hope is to invite a girl out for lunch or coffee or whatever so that the conversation can extend beyond surface-level small talk. Talking about Jesus is the ultimate hope.
This has been one of the hardest ministries for me to this point. Spiritual warfare is very evident. The dance bars are spiritually dark places that make me want to cry or panic mere minutes after arriving. There is despair and hopelessness around every corner, and if you let it it will suck the life and joy right out of you. I see this on so many of the faces of the girls there. For me personally, this ministry has brought up my past in ways I didn’t really anticipate. It has churned up memories from past relationships, recent and distant, and with those memories often comes shame and insecurity. I have often felt inadequate in this ministry, wondering how a relationship will ever form under such difficult circumstances.
However, I have not lost hope! I know with God ALL things are possible, even love shining brightly during an interaction with a girl in a loud, smoky dance bar. That is all I truly want. I want each girl to know she is loved by the Creator of the universe, a love so great that He chose to die for her despite knowing every sin she would ever commit. So, I will continue spending my nights in the bars, praying and loving and trusting that God will make a way.
