This month my team and I are working with an organization called Wipe Every Tear. One of the main goals of this organization is to rescue girls who are trapped in the sex trafficking industry.
Our main ministry this month consists of us going out at night to the local bars and streets to talk to these women and try and build relationships with them in the hopes of one day rescuing these girls and helping them start a new life and introduce them to a relationship with Jesus Christ.
We are staying in a house that is known as the Hope House. This is a house that Wipe Every Tear uses to house girls who have recently been rescued from sex trafficking. We are living here with 4 of these women, and have been going to do ministry with them.
I had no idea what to expect going into the first night. I have spent most of my time the past few months doing mainly just manual labor so I really haven’t experienced too much relational ministry or very much stuff that was really emotional, other then the occasional hospital visit.
Needless to say when we arrived at the strip of bars the first night and seeing the mass amount of girls, my heart broke. My team began to talk to some of the girls but I couldn’t say anything. I knew this stuff went on but to experience it first hand is indescribable.
I began to look at these 18 to 19 year old guys who are selling these girls for their own greed. I got mad. Anyone who knows me knows it takes a lot for me to truly get angry. I was furious. I was seeing these girls who some of them couldn’t have been older then 14 being “owned” by these guys and sold to other men to please these men’s worldly desires. Let me try and put it into perspective how furious I was:
I’m a pretty big guy. I was there with my teammates Bryan, who is a 6’7 former military, and Travis, who played semi-pro rugby. What I’m getting at is I wanted to bring down this place. I wanted to drag every girl out of there and rip these guys apart (no worries I'm not that foolish!)
The next morning, I began to think about what Jesus would do in this situation. Jesus’ love is unconditional. Regardless how jacked up the person is or what the person is doing, Jesus still loved them. This really convicted me of the anger I had last night and realized by being angry, I am missing out on the opportunity to talk to these girls and show them what a true Man of God looks like and that not all men are like the men they know. This is my one shot to show them God’s love.
Going in with the right mindset, it has been unreal to talk to these girls. To hear these women’s stories, their hopes and dreams. I now realize things sometimes take time and can’t be done instantly. It is key to establish relationships with these girls and let them make the choice to want to leave.
It has been so amazing to see the whole cycle of this process. We get to go out to the streets and talk to these girls, which is amazing. However, living with some of the girls who have been rescued and are now growing and walking with confidence in their identities as Daughters of the King, hearing their stories, taking part in their bible studies, and seeing the never-ending joy these women have is overwhelming. I was so moved last night hearing these women singing worship songs.
This month is just truly showing me God’s true unconditional love and how to share it. Like it says in 1st John “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” There is no picking and choosing for God, He is going to love everyone no matter what, and that is the way us as Christians need to live.
