I haven’t written a blog in a while, my bad.
Let me tell you about a time in the Philippines, month 8, where an attack from one of the devil’s little minions was full in my face, and I let it effect my very mind and being.
A small group of my squadmates and I separated from the whole squad at the beginning of the month to be apart of PVT (Parent Vision Trip), where our parents got the opportunity to come and serve alongside us at a ministry for a week. We were so excited! We hadn’t seen our parents in 8 months and to have them experience just a glimpse of what we were doing was incredible! I could not have been more filled and satisfied after getting to serve and just be with my mother for a week.
But onto what this blog is about,
We were placed with Wipe Every Tear, a ministry that sends small groups into the bars (with a former bar girl) to get to know and talk to the girls that work there and offer them a way out. And yes, former bar girls willingly go back there (even to their previous bars) because they want to see other girls saved as well! It’s exhilarating and also tough… because once one bar knows that Wipe Every Tear groups are in town after the first night, it spreads like wildfire to the other bars. This makes it twice as hard the second night because all the owners are on high alert and keeping a keen eye out for us. We were even barred from entering one of the clubs and asked to leave.
I could literally talk for hours about those two days in the bars/clubs!
Though, I will only focus on one incident that took place during our second night out.
We had just been talking previously at a meeting about loving the Johns (the men who buy the girls) and I went into the night with a mindset of sympathy and love. We entered our second club of the night and I took a seat in one of the balconeys and surveyed the large group of girls standing awkward and frightened on stage. I heard a commotion to my right and turned to see a rather large Koren man whistling in my direction and waving me over.
I willingly walked over and struck up a conversation with him. He had 4 girls surrounding him (2 on either side) and I took the time to say hello to each of them and learn their names. We talked about where he was from, he offered to be my boyfriend, and then said I could sit with him and his girls. I felt genuine compassion for this man… He needed the love of Jesus just as much as these girls did. He needed freedom just as much as these girls did (in a different way obviously)… and for the first time I was seeing a John through the eyes of Christ. I also seized the opportunity to talk to the girls flanking either of this sides and bring over one of the previous bar girls we were paired with to talk to them.
It was so good and I was on a high!
That didn’t last long though… The second we walked out of that club a man a few feet back from my mom and I started yelling vile things our direction.
“Femo-neonazis! Mother f***ing c****…”
You name it and it was yelled.
I turned around and told him to watch his mouth because this was my mom he was talking to. And without skipping a beat he walked forward, shoulder checked me, and sneered “What are you going to do about it?”
All compassion I had previously had for the Johns flew out of the door and I wanted nothing more than to rip off this man’s privates and feed it to the dogs. Fists clenched, jaw clenched, hackles raised… I was ready for a fight. But thankfully my mother’s calm demeanor intervened and she placed a calming hand on my shoulder and said we should just move on. And so we did.
I met a demon face to face… and let him steal away something that Jesus called me to do.
Love.
Not love in the way that you love your family, friends, or significant love. I’m talking about biblical love: 1 Corinthians 13, 1 John 4:11, Matthew 22:39, ect… There are so many verses that talk about love! I mean, Jesus ate with the tax collectors and sinners! He loved them not because they were better than anyone else, but because that’s one of the main commandents: LOVE.
And I let one attack completely obliterate that calling.
So if you ever find yourself having to deal with someone you just can’t stand… Just remember that you should still love them, or at least have compassion for them… Don’t let the devil have a victory. He doesn’t want us to love the unlovable. He doesn’t want us to reach out to those others will shun. He wants us to run the other direction and detest them! He doesn’t like to lose!
Stand firm. Persevere. Love.
“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fears. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.” 1 John 4:18
