My parents just spent the week with me in the Philippines. They spent the week serving alongside me in ministry. They spent the week watching God move in extraordinary ways. It wasn’t your “normal” family mission trip- we didn’t work with orphans, we didn’t work with street kids, and we didn’t feed the homeless. We did bar ministry. We went into the most broken places and we bought the women who are prostituted. We went into the bars and we showed these women love, we showed them Jesus, we showed them hope, and we showed them what a life of freedom could look like.
I honestly have about 5 different stories I want to share about these few days but they each deserve their own post so there will be multiple I write.
We arrived in Angeles City. The second we drove into the place, the darkness was overwhelming. Honestly, my dad and mom were freaking out a little bit. My dad kept talking about how bad he wanted to get out of there.
During our first day there we ate lunch at a church. The Pastor was leading us in prayer when all of the sudden I had a vision of a girl dancing on stage. She was a beautiful girl and I heard God whisper, “This one. She is mine.”
We went out the first night and it was incredible. My mom and dad were amazing in the bars. The girls that we met just loved them and felt safe with them. I just soaked up God’s presence in all of it. He moves in mighty ways and never ceases to rock my world.
The second night we went out ready for more, ready to talk to more girls, ready to show more girls Jesus and His love, ready to bring the kingdom, ready to watch God move and let Him use us. We walked into the first bar and up on stage was the girl from my vision. She was standing up on stage with about 6 other girls, with her hands crossed over her chest just swaying back and forth. She looked like she wanted to be anywhere but up there (by the way, every girl we talked to felt the same way. They didn’t want to be there. They just had no other way to make money. They had no other way out.) I kind of watched her for a while and then finally called her down to talk to us. She walked up shy and timid as can be. We talked about her dreams, her future, and how God adores her. I shared with her about the ministry “Wipe Every Tear” and how they have houses for the girls to live in. They send them to school and they give them an allowance. It is all for FREE. When I told her this I saw a glimmer of hope. The more we talked, the more she opened up and became comfortable. It was like watching a flower blossom. The shy timid girl who came up to the table became a radiant woman who was craving freedom. The more she began to trust us, the more herself she became. We stayed most of the night talking to her and about 12 other girls. It was so clear that they wanted out and they wanted more. I kept telling them to meet us the next morning for breakfast at our hotel and then we would leave for Manila at 10:00. If they left with us at 10:00 then they would get to see the houses they would live in, talk to the girls who have already been set free, and hear more about “Wipe Every Tear.”
The next morning, I walked down to breakfast at about 8:30. At about 9:00, 2 of the girls from that bar showed up. At about 9:15, 3 more of the girls from that bar showed up. At about 9:30, 2 more of the girls from that bar showed up. At about 10:00 the girl from my vision still hadn’t shown up. Then at about 10:05 we got a phone call that she is on her way. Brit and I sat outside our bus waiting for her. As we were sitting there, my dad shows up and says, “I’m not ready to leave. I want to be here until all the girls get on that bus.” The man who only a few days before couldn’t wait to get out of that city was the last on the bus. We waited until she showed up and then got on the bus for Manila- JL, me, Brit, and then my father. Now tell me that God doesn’t move, God doesn’t transform, God doesn’t restore, God doesn’t break chains, God doesn’t set people free AND I’ll just say read this blog one more time.
Some of the girls coming back to Manila with us!
