My first day in ministry in Nepal happened to be our team’s last day in ministry for the month. I spent almost the entire three weeks of ministry struggling with an illness. It took four hospital visits and two different doctors to figure out it was a parasite called Giardia. Being out of ministry for almost our whole time in Nepal was extremely disheartening for me by not being able to get out of the bed to serve the Lord and people of Nepal. But if I had to go back and change it for the one incredible day I had on our last day of ministry, I wouldn’t change it for anything.
On this day in ministry we were told we were going out to do a ministry I have been waiting the entire race for, telling prostitutes about Jesus. Ever since the day I heard about human trafficking many years ago, the Lord has placed it on my heart to reach these girls that many people cast off as throwaways. My heart was overflowing with emotion for what I knew was about to happen. We get to the district we were going to and our host proceeds to tell us that from here on out she is no longer our leader, but now is our guide and translator who goes by “Ruby.” Ruby had a place in mind to take us to meet the girls, but after walking around for awhile we couldn’t find it. Then the Lord led us to this little cabin bar. As we walked by we could see this girl in there dancing, so Ruby says, “in there we go.” So we went.
The bar, or tiny room, only had two tables in it and was littered with liquor bottles all over the floor. We sat down and the girl kept dancing around our table until she asked us what we wanted to drink. After ordering some sodas, we started to have a conversation with her and two other girls she brought in the bar. The first girl immediately started talking and telling us about her life. She talked about how she owned the bar we were in and how she spent her nights “dancing” (really prostituting) in a bunch of clubs around the area. On and on she went about how drinking was the only thing that that made her happy in life. This girl, who is only 24, looked in appearance to be around the age of 35. Life had truly beaten her down. After about ten minutes of her telling us how she has no hope, another one of the girls looked me in the eyes and asked me to tell them my story. And thus, my testimony to them began.
I told them about my life and the environment I grew up in. I told them how hardships led me to be depressed and drinking became a way to numb the pain. That for a long time I shut off all my emotion because feeling anything was way too hard. Then I turned to Ruby and asked if I could tell them about Jesus. She said yes and the rest of the group immediately started praying over the words I was about to say. I told them how when I was 19 I was rescued by Jesus and He showed me how to have hope. I told them how He loves us unconditionally and no matter what we do we can’t make Him love us any less. I told them how getting drunk only leaves us feeling empty because they are only masking the pain inside, that they won’t find hope and love in a bottle. I told them God can take away that pain and fill it with peace, love, and comfort.
My testimony opened the door for the rest of the group to tell them about how Jesus rescued each of them in different ways. Each of our stories related to each girl in the different circumstances of their own lives. It was truly beautiful. This was obviously the first time these girls had ever heard about Jesus. I could see the pain etched on their faces as they each proceeded to tell us about their lives. I just wanted them to experience the freedom of God, but we left there just telling them our stories. I gave each of them a hug before we left the bar and for a split second I knew God was using my arms to show them what being wrapped in His love felt like.
The girls faces will forever be engraved in my heart. I know that our conversations with them are just the beginning of God interceding in each of their lives. I only had this one day of ministry out of an entire month and God truly showed up. I wouldn’t trade the sickness or the fact that I was out of ministry for three weeks because I know God had so much value in that one extraordinary moment.
Join me in continuing to pray over these girls and all the other girls out there just like them. I pray that God attacks their hearts with His love and shows them the way to freedom. I pray that we stand up for them and don’t look the other way when we see them. God reached me at my darkest moments and continues to tell me that I am worthy of love. They are just as worthy of love and beauty in a relationship with the Lord as we are. They are WORTHY.
