Wow, it’s been a loooong while since my last post. Just thought I’ll give an update of what’s been going on in my life.
I’ve been serving at a prostitute ministry down in the heart of town. How do we reach out to them? Many times it’s really just building a relationship with them, affirming them that God loves them very much despite their current circumstances. And whenever we can, try to slot some gospel message in. The progress is slow, and sometimes you get a glimpse of good news – one of them have decided to come out of the sex trade and start over a new leaf – but then they turn back, because this is all they have ever known.
I once heard somebody say something like this:
Compassion work is helping to bandage the wounds of the people who have fallen off the cliff; Justice is stopping the people before they fall off the top of the cliff.
And so sometimes I struggle, especially when we meet a lady who was forced or was deceived into becoming a prostitute, as we are helping down at the bottom of the cliff. Wouldn’t it be more effective to just stop all this human trafficking? But of course it is easier said than done, and for now, reaching them at the brothels is how I know how to lend a hand to.
Recently there has been a big influx of ladies from India and their story is the typical ‘sad story’. They come from the countryside, have kids, and their husband is an alcoholic and/or gambler. Because women have no value from where they come from, they work but get no pay, so they end up coming to Malaysia to earn money. What was surprising to me was that many of them say they are Christians, that they used to go to church back home. Now I know what you must be thinking: how could a Christian be working in such a place?! I don’t know. I was shocked to hear that myself. But God has called us to love, and especially the ‘sick’. So we love.
Despite the language barrier, they are the most open people. In one of the brothels, Murni is an Indian lady who is so faithful, she goes to church every Sunday, faithfully reads the Bible and prays, shares with her roommate, and prays for the other people in the brothel. Yes she may be a prostitute but she is a light shining in the dark. In this brothel too, Michelle is another lady whom we always try to do a short Bible study with whenever we visit. These are a few of those that encourage us to go on.
At every place, we always try to pray for or with the people, asking God to touch them tangibly. Last week, while we gathered a few of them to pray, one of the ladies mentioned that in India, they would put the cloth over their heads, kneel down and raise their hands to pray. So we did that and they started praying, desperately, strongly. And the Holy Spirit crashed in on us. You could feel His tangible Presence. Tears ran down their faces and their voices rang long and loud. I have no idea what the other people thought but we really didn’t care.
Can God’s Presence come down and penetrate such a dark place where it is not just the spirit of lust but the spirit of greed, shame, etc.?
Isaiah 9:2
“The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
a light has dawned.”
The darker the place is, the brighter God’s light shines.
