For the past month, my team and I have been able to be a part of a ministry working with prostitutes. Since the beginning of the Race, this was a desire our team had as the sex trade is very prevalent in Cambodia. It has been so cool to see God’s perfect timing in this as He saw our desires but used the 8 months in between the start until now to grow us individually and as a team. We definitely wouldn’t of been spiritually mature or united enough to take on this ministry in month one.
Every Tuesday and Thursday morning, we go downtown into the red light district to Casa Esperanza (House of Hope). They welcome women in who are currently working in brothels. Most of them are addicted to drugs or alcohol and living on the streets. We provide a hot meal and a devotion for them. They are some of the sweetest and friendliest people I’ve met and I can’t say they are people I would’ve paid attention to before the Race but now I can’t help but love on these beautiful women. It blows my mind that people who live in these conditions can still have so much joy. The organization provides them a way to get them off the streets and out of brothels through selling bras. Free the girls graciously sends shipments of bras from the States and if the women commit to selling them, they no longer have to sell their bodies. Unfortunately many of them have a mindset that this is their only option and since many have come from abusive, difficult backgrounds they don’t view their lifestyle as wrong.
On Tuesday and Friday nights we have the opportunity to go out into the streets by van to talk to prostitutes. We gather around 8 pm for a devotional followed by prayer and worship. The ministry has done a great job to build relationships by following a consistent route each time. The most shocking part of this ministry is that a majority of these women are transvestites or transgender. It is hard knowing the identity that Jesus has given them and seeing them so confident in a false identity. This doesn’t stop us from loving on them because they are just in need of love as anyone else is. We bring them cookies and coffee, have conversations and pray. They get so excited as they see us pull up in the van and it’s so cool to see intentionality bring about these unexpected friendships. Every so often they have prayer vigils in front of the biggest brothel in all of Central America. Many of the customers happen to be American men so we will talk with them and pray for people.
Through this organization we have also been able to be apart of Chepe se Baña. This is where people from the streets can come get new clothes, a shower, haircut and hot meal once a month. Many of the women come as well as homeless, drug addicts, etc. It is an extremely humbling experience. This organization also has a safe house for young girls age 13-18 who have been rescued out of sexual exploitation or abuse. They provide them a home and education. Lastly, every 2 weeks they host a church service called Casa Agape. Once again, anyone from the streets is allowed to come to this service and for most of them, its one of the few churches they would ever feel excepted at.
This has been a very spiritually heavy ministry but also my absolute favorite of the Race. It is a hard reality witnessing the way many people in the world are living in so much darkness, but God has continuously reminded me of the light that we are to these people. Continued prayers for each of these people. Sometimes its easy to get caught up in the wrong that they are living in but we have to recognize that these people are not only humans too but children of the King. My hope and prayer is that they would one day get to walk in freedom, recognizing the only thing that will bring them out of bondage. That they would know their true identity and worth. Thank you for all the support!
