What struck me was her face. She danced on the stage, scantily dressed, hair done up, makeup caked on, but underneath the surface, there was heartache. Behind the makeup was sadness.
She danced for the men that sat before her, hoping to gain their approval; hoping that the little green laser would fall on her barely clothed body so she could take a seat, have a drink and possibly make a few pesos off the man.
Instead of the man, though, it’s us. The green laser does indeed fall on her, but the customer is not whom she expected. It’s two 18 year old white girls, holding a coke and bottled water, silly smiles plastered on their face, with mom and dad sitting in the chairs next to them.
We were the customers, and for all intents and purposes, she was our purchase.
All we did was talk and smile and share a few laughs. From Angeles, the city of angels, we found ourselves sitting next to a girl that suited the name. She was kind and as gentle as could be, with a smile that left us in awe. She told us she works seven days a week, and when she’s lucky, she just might get a Monday off every now and then. As if she wasn’t a gem enough, she told us the reason she showed up to the bars every night: to be able to provide for her sweet baby boy, and this way of life is the only way she knew how.
Our hearts ached for her. We told her of a home, the home Wipe Every Tear would provide for her and her baby. She would be able to go to school and gain an education so that she would never have to come back to the bars. She could be free from this life of slavery, never having to sell her body to men who only wanted one thing from her.
The look in her eyes said everything we didn’t want to hear.
“This is too good to be true.”
“They must be lying to me.”
“I’d probably just get trafficked again if I went with them.”
All these girls know, all they’ve been shown, is that trust is hard to find, and it’s even harder to find genuine love, even if that’s exactly what we were trying to give to her. With all the odds against us, we went back the next night and told her about it again, hoping and praying that by building a relationship with this precious woman, she would see our hearts and know she’s safe.
The bus leaves at 9AM on Saturday, we said. There was no pressure, no pleading, as much as we wanted to. This was her decision. We planted the seed, and the Lord would do the rest. She went back to “work”, and we left the club, hoping to see her face the next morning.
We went to more bars, we had more of the same types of conversations, and each time we were greeted with women who were eager for what we could be providing them, but scared to leave this life they had grown to know and somehow become comfortable in – any change could be detrimental for themselves and their families. Some simply didn’t want to take that risk.
Five girls and one ladyboy* showed up on Saturday morning.
More called the Wipe Every Tear (WET) office.
Some sent messages on Facebook.
Others have a date set to come visit the WET houses.
One girl came to the homes, bags packed, ready to make the house her home.
Between all the racers and their parents, we probably reached out to hundreds of girls on those two nights in Angeles City, and six showed up. In our human eyes, it’s easy to be disappointed by that number. However, when it comes to eternity, and to the faith these girls had to step out into the unknown, it is EVERYTHING that SIX showed up!!
My girl with her baby boy didn’t show up. My heart broke. I wanted so badly for her to experience a new life of hope and the goodness of Jesus.
I also know that the Lord is not done with her yet. Just because she didn’t show up on Saturday doesn’t mean she never will. It may not be today, and it may not be tomorrow, but I believe one day she will come, and her future will be brighter than she ever believed it could be, because at the end of the day, she DOES NOT belong to the men sitting in the bar booths. She belongs to her Creator.
She’s not his or his, or even his.
She’s His.
- A ladyboy is a man who has always felt like a woman. WET ministers to them just like all the other women caught in the sex trade.
Updates!!
The past 6 days, I’ve been with my Dad and Novie, working in the red light district. At first, it was strange and definitely pushed them out of their comfort zones, but between the first and second night in the bars, the Lord did a work in them. My dad even danced at one point, and if you know him, you know how big of a thing that is!
Having them here has been a breath of fresh air that I desperately needed. We were able to catch up and share what the Lord has done in each of our lives for the past 6 months. I say bye to them in a short 2 hours, and I feel already can’t wait to see them in April.
I head to South Africa in 12 hours!!!! I honestly cannot wait. Signing up for the race, this was the country I was most excited about.
Heading to my third and final country is surreal on every level. I still can’t believe I’ve been away from home for 6 months. The Lord has done such a work in my life, and the crazy thing is, He’s no where near done! I still have 3 months of this thing left and then the rest of my life to continue to pursue Him with reckless abandonment. I believe He has been preparing me during my time in the Philippines for something big on the horizon that I cannot yet see, but He can. He’s getting me ready. I will be ready. The Lord has gone before me and He walks beside me. And if my God is for me, who can be against me?
Prayer Requests:
- To finish out the race with endurance and strength.
- Travel sickness. Every time we move to another country, we all get hit pretty hard with something health wise, so be in prayer that no time would be taken out of ministry and that we can hit the ground running.
- We have a conference with 3 other WR squads for the first few days in Africa, so pray for Holy Spirit to move, for our ears, hearts and eyes to be in tune with His and experience Him in a new way.
- The ministries here in the Philippines. Pray they continue to flourish and reach this incredible nation with the LOVE of JESUS!
Thanks everyone! Missing home, but April will be here before we know it. Until then…
For His Kingdom,
Lauren Emily Tysdal
