Coming on the world race, I thought ministry would look like preaching the gospel in churches, doing children’s ministry, and evangelizing. I’ve done all of that, but one thing that didn’t cross my mind was the possibility of going into a bar that’s known for prostitution. Ministry can look a variety of ways. And that’s one thing I definitely learned from being in the Philippines.
For month ten of the race, my team served in Angeles City, Philippines. We partnered with Bella Goose, a coffee shop and non-profit organization that helps combat human trafficking. I didn’t know what to expect and was quite nervous going into the Philippines. I’ve never stepped foot into a bar before, and had no idea what would be going on inside of the bars in the red light district. But I believe the Lord purposefully called my team and I to the Philippines. For those of you who don’t know what a red light district is, it’s an area of a city that has many brothels and strip clubs, usually meaning sexual exploitation. We would go into the bars and try to talk to the women who are in the “system.” I’d like to share some of my experiences doing bar ministry because they left an impact on me.
The first night was a time to get used to what ministry would look like. We did a prayer walk all around the bars and even walked into a couple of them. We didn’t stay- just passed through with a quick prayer. One of my thoughts that night as I first walked through the bars was, “it’s going to be hard to hear the Lord.” The music playing in the bars was so loud that I couldn’t even hear myself think. There was a lot going on and a lot of distractions. I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to hear what the Lord wanted me to do. I was thankful for the first night because it gave us a better picture as far as what to expect.
The second time we went into the bars, we sat down. We ordered drinks and took in the atmosphere. It was quite overwhelming with a lot going on. We went into one of the biggest bars in the city. It had three floors. We sat on the second floor which overlooked the huge stage from the first floor. Girls were dancing on stage, music was playing, and men were watching. It was a lot to take in. During my time in this specific bar, I asked the Lord if there was anyone in particular He wanted me to talk to. I didn’t feel like He did, so I prayed over each girl who was on stage. That pretty much sums up that night. There were two times I felt like I was going to cry though. One was when I noticed two girls walking away from behind the stage fully clothed. That meant they were “bar fined.” Bar fined means they were “purchased” for the night and were leaving with the customer who made the transaction. The second time was when there were these two men, probably mid-thirties, who had two bags full of cash and threw money over the stage for the girls to fight for. It broke my heart to see all the “enjoyment” that was happening before my eyes.
The next night I went to the same bar and felt like God wanted me to talk to one of the girls. We sat down, ordered drinks, and then started praying. I wanted a sign from the Lord to help me spot the girl He wanted me to talk to. I skimmed the girls who were on stage and was trying to find her. I had a few girls who I thought He wanted me to talk to, but I was asking Him to confirm which one. And then I got it. I knew which girl I was going to talk to that night. After I knew who God was asking me to talk to, my heart started beating out of my chest. I was so nervous. I told the waitress which girl I would like to come over off stage and sit with me. How it works is a customer sits down, buys a drink, and then watches the show. If the customer finds a girl to their “liking,” they’ll ask the waitress to call the girl over and then proceed by buying her a drink. My ministry was to talk with the girls in the bar who were in the “system.” There is so much brokenness, darkness, and hopelessness all around in those bars. Most of the girls there feel “trapped” and don’t know how to get out. We were there to show them Christ’s love and an opportunity for a better life. So, onward with my night. I waited while the girl I called over was on her way. She sat next to me and I shook her hand. I asked her name and told her mine. To keep her identity safe, I’m going to say her name was Lilly. I tried to have a conversation with Lilly and get to know her more. I asked her how old she was and how long she had worked at this bar. I was so worried that I wouldn’t know what to say to her. I was worried that I wouldn’t know how to socialize like a normal human being, lol. But the Lord was looking out for me like He always does. I found out Lilly and I had some things in common, which made it easier to converse. She has 10 siblings just like me. I asked her if she was in school, and she said no, but would like to be someday. I asked her what she would like to study, and she said business management, which is what I got a degree in. It’s just so crazy how worried I was that I wouldn’t have anything to talk to her about, but it was evident the Lord specifically chose her for me to talk to. During my time with Lilly, I was looking around. I’m quite an observer and it was hard to see all that was around without my heart breaking. Lilly could tell I was thinking about something and asked me if I was okay. I said yes and then asked her if she was, to which she said yes, and then added that she was having a good time because of me. She could tell that my friends and I were different. We didn’t want anything from her, not like the other customers that she usually encounters. All I wanted was to treat her like she deserved and love her well. She was only a year older than me. I look at her life, and can’t imagine if my life was like that. My heart broke for her, and all I wanted to tell her was that the Lord wanted so much more for her, but I didn’t want to scare her away. I wanted her to trust me, and that takes time. So, I invited her to Bella Goose to hang out sometime. Lilly and I talked for about an hour and a half before I had to go. I told Lilly I’d like to meet up with her outside of the bar whenever she wasn’t working. I told her she could come by Bella Goose and get a free coffee. She came by the following day with her partner and they both got free coffees. I invited them for lunch the next day they were free. They said they could do Monday because it was their off day and then left the coffee shop to go to work. That Monday, they didn’t show for lunch.
The next ministry night I went to the same bar, but didn’t see Lilly. It was her night off from work, but I still felt the Lord calling me to this bar. I sat down, ordered a drink, and waited. I took in the atmosphere and prayed, asking the Lord if there was anyone specific He wanted me to talk to. It was quite hard for me to gather my thoughts that night. The atmosphere was totally different, so I was thrown off guard. This was the third time I had been to this bar, and I’m really good with remembering faces. That night, I didn’t recognize too many. That made me realize there are so many girls in the “system.” After about an hour, I felt led to call over a girl who was on stage. I did the same thing with her that I did with Lilly. I asked her name and gave her mine. We’re going to call her Callie. Callie didn’t know very much English, so we had conversations here and there that were basic. I could tell that she had the same thoughts as Lilly. She could tell that my friends and I were different. We didn’t want anything from her, not like the other customers that she usually encounters. After a while she started to relax more, and I could tell she started to trust me and my teammate. She told us that she didn’t really like her job and some fears of hers that came with it. My heart broke for her. She’s one year younger than me. Comparing my fears to her fears, I wanted to cry.
This night of bar ministry I’ll never forget. It started just like any other night of ministry. We prayed before going out and asked the Lord if there was anywhere specifically He wanted us to go to. I didn’t get anything from Him, so I was up for whatever. My teammate and I felt like going to a different bar that we haven’t gone to before. We found a bar that wasn’t a popular one and decided to go inside. We found out that this bar was fairly new and was about to have a grand opening soon. My teammate and I were the only “customers” in the bar. This bar was so different from the other bars I’ve been to. There was only one girl on stage, and she was “displaying” herself for the customers. Dancing here and there to the music, just doing her job. I felt led to call her off stage and bought her a drink. She barely knew English, so it was very hard for me to talk to her. Someone from Bella Goose came with us that night and was a Filipino, so thankfully she was able to carry on a conversation. After that, I just observed and took in the atmosphere. Since I called the only girl off stage, a few more girls were told to go on stage and dance. Then the DJ started to play Zumba Videos on screen for the girls to dance to. My teammate and I got up and asked if we could do Zumba too. They said yes and told us to go on stage and join the other girls. Never in my life would I have imagined myself dancing on a stage in a bar. We danced to Zumba videos on stage for a good 15-20 minutes. The whole bar did. The security guys, waitresses, and girls on stage. For those minutes, the atmosphere changed. There wasn’t anything sexual going on. We were all laughing, having a good time, and trying to keep up with the people in the Zumba video on screen. I was dancing and laughing at myself. In one video, one of the moves was to shake your butt. I yelled to my teammate over the loud music, “I don’t have a butt to shake!” We laughed and danced our hearts out. And then, it hit me. Dancing on stage in a bar known for prostitution is ministry. Customers that wanted to come in looked in the bar, and when they saw fully clothed girls dancing to a Zumba video on stage and nothing sexual that appealed their eye, they left. Even for a quick second, everything changed. I felt the atmosphere shift. The bar wasn’t full of darkness, hopelessness, and brokenness. The girls weren’t being told to show off their bodies. It was a moment that overwhelmed my heart that I’ll never forget. And then sadly, they stopped playing the Zumba videos. My teammate and I got off stage and people who worked in the bar slowly started to “fall back in line.” A little while later, my teammate and I had to go. I never expected that shift in atmosphere to happen that night, but I’m so glad it did.
The last night of ministry, I decided to go back to the bar where I met Lilly. I sat down, ordered a drink, and took in the atmosphere. I noticed Lilly was working and I wanted to call her over, follow up, and see how she was doing. She apologized that she and her partner didn’t show up on Monday for lunch. She said that they slept in and it was too late by the time they woke up. I told her it was okay, but I’d still love to meet up with them outside of the bar for a meal. Lilly asked me if I had tried a traditional Filipino meal since being in the Philippines. I told her, “No, not really.” She said her partner and her love to cook and that they could cook my teammate and I a Filipino meal. I said that was so kind of them and that we’d love that. I stayed and talked with them for about another hour before I had to go. The plans for Lilly and her partner to make a traditional Filipino meal for us fell through. They said they couldn’t because things came up and they were busy. But I thank God so much for my time with Lilly. She has such a beautiful heart and is so caring. I went into the bar thinking I was going to take care of Lilly and show her love, but in the end she was the one looking out for me and taking care of me.
I learned a lot from bar ministry. To be loving regardless of the situation, to respect yourself & your body, and to be more understanding. I asked the Lord, “break my heart for what breaks yours.” He did. Things aren’t always going to turn out how you expect them to- sometimes they turn out better. All emotions are beautiful and can help grow your understanding. Open your mind, arms, and heart to all those you meet. You never know where they’re coming from or what they’re going through. We are united in our differences. Ask the next person you see what their passion is. Friend or stranger, we can always learn from someone. Some opportunities only come once, so seize them. One of the greatest joys in life has to do with the people you meet, and the things you create with them.
That’s all for now. Until next time(:
Yours in Christ,
Karrie
