Victories one after another. [[Guatemala]]

     Our last night of ministry in the bars came so fast. All that was running through our minds was that this was our last chance to impact these women's lives and all we could bank on was that God had victories in store that night. We had developed relationships with these women for 2 months and we were trusting that God would produce fruit from it. And oh how he did. That night quickly became one of the most impacting nights of not only several women in the bars but my own. With each victory that God blessed us with seeing we responded in praise and worship of song that filled the dark streets of Puerto Barrios. Here are a few stories of the victories that we saw, one after another. 
     First I want to tell you Nina's* story. Nina is a christian that was trapped in the slavery of sex trafficking. A few weeks prior some of my teammates had a conversation with her about how she could leave the bar and trust that God would provide for her. Easier said that done, and we left that bar heartbroken knowing that she, our sister in christ was stuck in the bar. Fast forward to our last night in the bars. We bought friendship bracelets to give a last reminder to these women that we loved them, and more importantly God did. We searched for Nina in the bar she normally worked at, but she was nowhere to be seen. my teammate went to the bar owner and asked where Nina was and said that she had something for her. The bar owner replied saying that she was not there. To be sure of what my teammate had just heard she asked again "where is nina?" And the bar owner replied once again, "She is not here, she quit and went back to family." You can most likely guess how we reacted when my teammate got back into the van and shared the news. We praised God for the fruit we were able to see, and the freedom that God gave Nina. 
       
        This next victory is a continuation of Ingrid's* story. See below. As God was breaking my heart for Ingrid I had no idea that he was working in hers. Our last night of ministry we were able to hear a little bit more of the story that God is writing for her life. From what was translated for us, Ingrid told us that she used to pray to a wooden idol of a saint. She was literally praying daily to a wooden block to get her out of this situation. As I listened to Ingrid weeks earlier, loved on her, spoke truth into her, and prayed over her God was doing something greater. He was changing her heart. Ingrid told us on our last night that she now prayed to our God, the one and true true God and that maybe tomorrow God would get her out of that bar. Once again God showed us fruit and a victory. I'm not sure where Ingrid is right now, but I know that God has started a good work in her, and He will bring it to completion. 
    That night God taught much more than I could explain with words. I found that once again, God is in complete control all the time. When we were investing in those women week after week and not seeing any change, God was watching and saying "Just wait for what I have in store, its far more than anything you could pray or ask for." And it was.
  

A rescue shop within a yard of hell [[Guatemala]]

"Some want to live within the sound of church or chapel bell; I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of Hell" C.T. Studd
God does not call us to be comfortable. He calls us to walk into the dark and be the light. Prostitute ministry is a rescue shop right within a yard of Hell. Satan has strong footholds in the bars that we walk into to the point that these women feel defeated. God calls us to be that rescue shop, to bring hope to places that appear hopeless and  to walk into the places that most christians would touch with a ten foot pole. God wants to give his daughters life and freedom but most of the women in the bars are not aware that it even exsists. God has been giving me a heart for this ministry, for these women who need to know that they are loved unconditionally by someone who wants them more than just for sex. It is not okay to me that most christians would rather not think about what really goes on in this world then step up and be the change that people like my friend *Ingrid needs. (* I have taken out Ingrids real name for her protection)
Here is Ingrid's story:
       I met Ingrid on a sunny afternoon inside a popular bar by the Puerto Barrios port. At night men pile into this bar and strip many women of their worth, Ingrid being no exception to this. I walked up to Ingrid who already had a guard up and a stern face staring at me. Frustrated that I didn't know very much spanish and she already had "I don't want to talk to you" written all over her face made our introduction very difficult. Speaking very broken spanish, I introduced myself and told her that I wanted to pray for her. Her guard stayed up as she hesitantly told me her name and a quick head nodd. I then asked her if there was anything that I could specifically pray for her for. Instantly her eyes began to well up and she started to tell me her story. From the spanish I understood she told me that she had been working at this bar for two months, and that she had 4 kids that lived in Honduras that she longed to be with. She was promised work and needed a way to provide for her kids that ended in her being stuck in this bar with broken promises and lost hope of seeing her children. Her only request was that I pray for protection over her four young boys. As I prayed for her, my heart broke for her. A single mom so desperate to provide for her kids that she entrusted someone to get her work and was forced into prostitution being stripped of her worth every night. I grabbed a teammate and I read to her out of Romans 8, sharing that nothing in this life can seperate us from the love that God has for his children. As I held her hand and shared God's hope with her I felt a peace that God was right there with us in that bar. I may not have understood every word Ingrid shared with me, or was even able to share all I wanted to with her but I know that we gave her hope to keep fighting. Sometimes all we need is someone to listen to us and hold our hand as we cry, and that is exactly how God used me to touch Ingrid. God called me to love Ingrid right where she was at right in the thick of her prison, and I know that God shined his light on her that afternoon. It broke my heart to leave Ingrid sitting in that bar, but I know that God is not finished with her yet. God is jealous for Ingrid's heart , and he is not going to let anything get in the way of His love for her.
"He will rescue them from oppression and violence for precious is their blood in his sight" Psalm 72:14

A Clean Slate [[Guatemala]]

"Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning: great is your faithfulness. " Lamentations 3:22-23

      Every morning God gives us a fresh, clean slate. For a lot of my life I've felt like there was this limit to how much God had compassion for us. I thought that after so many times of building up sin that would just carry into the next day and just get piled on more, that God would turn on his anger and he would turn off his compassion. This is a mindset of a burden that God wants to release from us. This verse promises a clean start every day, but many of us let our sin pile be an excuse to continue sinning and to not let God give us that fresh start each morning. 

     A couple mornings ago my teammates and I w

alked on the same streets in Puerto Barrios that we had 2 nights prior going into bars and praying for prostitutes, but this time it was different. Instead of being in these bars during the piling on of sin, we came when God was offering these women a clean slate. 

     Many of the prostitutes live in the bars, most of which are trafficked. Many of these women recognized us and welcomed us with smiles. We were able to build relationships that were deeper with these women and show them that we cared to come back. Many of the women opened up to us more and we were able to pray for them in a new light. 

     One woman in particular named Carla opened up to us a great deal. As she told her story, the language barrior became tougher for me. From what little words I understood I found that she had a husband in jail and children to provide for. Without any words I knew exactly how she was feeling from her eyes; trapped and full of shame. In that moment I reflected on a time in my life when I felt trapped completely and exactly what this womans face was showing. I grabbed a couple teammates and as they began to translate what I felt God wanted me to communicate to her, I knew that she saw that I understood. As I told her that I had once felt trapped and like God turned from me from my sin, her focus became more intent on what i was saying. I told her that although I felt trapped, God was still persuing me and had a way out, it just took me trusting God and putting it in his hands. I then told her that God has a plan for her even though she felt trapped and that he would provide for her family. Although she didn't respond with many words I know that God planted a seed of hope in her for a way out. God connected Carla and I in a way that I cannot describe because not many words were even used in the process, but even if for a moment God gave Carla a glimpse that morning of what a clean slate might look like for her. 

     Almost all of these women don't know that they have a clean slate waiting for them each morning, all they can see is the pile of sin that has been collecting for so long. They need to hear of God's great love in the form of a new start, to experience his new mercies. As we are building more into these women I can see that God has more incredible plans for them, they just have to choose it. The culture here tells them " once a prostitute always a prostitute" but God promises something much different, a clean slate.

You make beautiful things out of the dust [[Guatemala]]

 As our feet hit the pavement I knew the next hour and a half was going to be a difficult journey. The question that ran through my mind over and over was 'How do we show God's love to women who are so broken and feel like they are trapped in this lifestyle?' I didn't know if they would reject us or accept the love we had to offer them from God. I was then reminded by God that we were sent here to bind up the brokenhearted and to proclaim the Lord's favor. 
   "He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengence of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for all those who grieve, to BESTOW ON THEM A CROWN OF BEAUTY INSTEAD OF ASHES, the oil of gladness instead of mourning and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor. They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devestated" Isaiah 61:1-4

    Walking into the first nightclub(discoteca)  was tough. One woman was center stage performing for different men and several woman were sitting on in the back waiting for their next "customer" My heart sank when I saw this and a feeling of hopelessness fell over me for these women. As we handed each of the women in the back a flower and began praying for them God began to show me that although this was very difficult this was where we needed to be, loving on these women, telling them that they have worth in Christ and being the change that needs to happen. Even though in my mind I've known that this goes on, it didn't truly become a reality until I stepped into that discoteca and saw it with my own eyes. We tend to take these issues we know are real and sweep them under the rug. If we can't see them, they don't effect us, but in real life this is the way these women live and they don't even see that they can be free anymore. As we asked one of the women in the bar "Te gusta aquí?"( Do you like it here?), she respnded No but it is necessary because she had to provide for her suffering family somehow.  A lot of these women can't see that is not necessary and that God can provide freedom for them. Many of the girls we prayed for were underage and trafficked into prostitution. Here, many families rely on their young daughters to provide for their families because their bodies are "desirable" and they are guarenteed money. 
    It broke my heart to see this one girl in a packed bar.(no more than 14 years old) As I prayed for her (she reluctantly agreed) she nervously looked around the room, which probably meant she had a boss watching her to make sure she "worked." As we left I watched the girl I had just prayed for walk away with a man and my heart sank inside. As I began to protest to God in my head of why he would let this happen he gently reminded me that this was not my battle to fight and my part was just to show her God's love even if for a moment that night.  This ministry is one of the most difficult that we have done so far but God has made it clear to me that we are supposed to be his hands and feet even if  a situation looks hopeless, because we can be the change instead of just sweeping this issue under the rug. God does make beautiful things out of the dust, and I am sure that he is working on making these girls lives beautiful despite it looking like empty dust right now. 

A servants heart [[Guatemala]]

As you step on the streets of Guatemala, it is clear to see what God intended for fellowship among us. All it takes is an “Hola” and the next thing you know you are invited into somones home who gives their best food and hospitality to you, and tells you their life story despite them knowing you don’t speak Spanish. Can you picture strangers walking up to your door and barely able to say hello clearly. Would you invite them in? Probably not. Would you take out your finest dinnerware and feed them your most expensive food? Most likely not. We are selfish in our comfortable lives and we cringe when we even have to give away things we don’t use anymore.

God showed me through meeting one woman and her family what a servant’s heart truly looks like. After walking down dirt roads and getting covered in mud, we entered this woman’s home. Immediately she made the family get up and give us their best chairs. Then she had her husband climb a rickety ladder to chop us down coco’s. (coconuts) Mind you this woman has just met us, six foreigners speaking barely any Spanish. After giving us coco’s and straws she then saw our dirty feet. She then, grabbed my hand and led me to the pila (wash sink) and began taking off my sandal and washing my feet. It blew my mind to see her showing so much care for strangers. She was literally following what Jesus did.

Jesus humbled himself and washed the feet of his disciples to show how much he cared for them, and I got to experience that in real life.  This woman cared for me, a stranger enough to humble herself to washing my feet.

I can’t imagine what our world could look like if we cared about each other this much, even strangers. If we lived out being the hands and feet of Jesus, the world would looked completely different.

“Having loves his own who were in the world, she now showed them the full extent of love… he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples feet, drying them with the towel wrapped around him” John 13

A contagious smile [[Guatemala]]

    Have you ever seen a smile that is so contagious that instantly a smile sweeps across your face? I can honestly say that I met a little boy named julito that has that gift from God. 

    A few days ago we visited an orphanage or the remains of what used to be an orphanage. For some reason the owner shut the orphanage down and kicked over 60 kids  to the streets. 5 kids were special needs and unable to even survive on the streets. Everyday a couple woman go and beg for food or money off the streets just to feed these couple kids. It feels almost like a prison walking into this building.

    Although these kids have absolutely nothing they answered the door with smiles and huge hugs so full of God's light. Julito in particular caught my eye. He was sitting in a wheelchair banging the metal side with his hand. Unsure of how to approach him, he looked at me and a huge smile swept across his face. Instantly a smile swept over my face and so began our friendship. The woman who take care of Julito are not sure of his age or what exactly is wrong with him. Many nights these woman are not able to take care of him and are forced to tie him to the wall so he won't go on the streets and be harmed. It is a heartbreaking story but somehow Julito still shines. His laughter can fill a room and his smile is genuine. He has captured my heart and I know God is still writing his incredible life story. 

God's Strength [[States]]

"If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ" 1Peter 4:11
This verse is my heart for this journey God is calling me to. I am stepping on to a plane in 2 days, and I don't plan on looking back for 2 months.
      My mind can't even wrap around what God has planned for this summer but I do know that I am going to trust Him every step of the way. Listening to my college pastor tonight just reassured me that God's plans are far better than any I could ever come up with myself. I may not know exactly what this summer holds but I do know that God is for me (Romans 8:31), that he is calling me to Guatemala, and that He has something incredible planned. So, I am going to cling to that and take a leap of faith with my savior. 
      May God do a work in Guatemala these next two months in a way that can only point to His glory!