Our first night out. We had two girls from Wipe Every Tear with us. Meaning they use to be bar girls but joined W.E.T. and found freedom through it in Jesus. Gretchen was one of them. It was her first time going back in to the bars since finding freedom. Talk about something to be nervous about!?! But, she wasn’t, she was so excited to bring the freedom to her friends that she had found!
“Freely you have received; freely give.” -Matthew 10:8
I think that is EXACTLY what we should do with the freedom we’ve been given from Jesus. Gretchen embodied this so well.
Of the 250 bars on walking street, the very first one we walked into was Lollipop. The bar Gretchen used to be trapped in. The very second we walked through that door all I saw was girls on a small stage that looked cold, tired and hopeless. Hopeless for anything more to come.
Once Gretchen walked in that door nothing changed. She still carried joy and freedom. So much so that she was radiating it. I promise you everyone in there noticed it. It was chain breaking freedom. Other girls there saw it. Wanted it.
Gretchen had every right to walk in to Lollipop and hate everything in there. A place that took so much from her. A place filled with nightmares. But she didn’t. She walked in fearless. Walked into Lollipop showing love to her friends still blindly trapped. Walked into Lollipop hating the sin loving the sinners. The same sinners that used her, she showed LOVE!
The customers and girls weren’t the only ones to notice the freedom, love and joy Gretchen carried so radiantly. The owners of the bar also noticed. In fact they were so intimidated by it WE GOT KICKED OUT OF THE BAR!
We didn’t even get the chance to have a full conversation with any of the girls about the freedom before we got kicked out. We didn’t get to see any of the girls in Lollipop take the leap that night. I may never see the full harvest of the seeds of freedom we planted that night in that bar. But one thing I do know, seeds were planted. Those girls got a small sweet taste of freedom. All because of Gretchen.
Gretchen, you are simply one of the bravest, boldest, strongest, most resilient and loving woman I have ever had the honor to know. I hope to be more like you some day.
Thank you for freely giving. For impacting my life more than you’ll ever know. You my dear friend are a life changing, loved daughter of the King of Kings.
Proud to call you a sister in Christ.
joyfully,
Kell
(names in this blog have been changed for safety purposes)
