Sunday, January 25, 2009

Monday Night

There have been so many amazing experiences, conversations and prayers with the women this past week. I could write a story about each of them, but for time’s sake I’ll just tell you a few.

Monday Night
Monday night I hit the streets with a young but experienced volunteer, just a few years older than me. After preparing our bags and praying, we saw that the rain had let up, so she decided we should take a longer walk and reach the quieter part of the Red Light District. When I heard “quieter”, I immediately thought of the area where Ghaith recently got a job at a small hotel. I’ve been walking those particular streets a lot these past few weeks, praying, thinking and wondering if I’d get the chance to speak with the women there. It’s on the outskirts of the RLD, away from the hoards of tourists who gawk at the women and delight in the “coffee”shops, shroom shops, and sex shops. We walked past all of those, and kept going in the direction of the hotel, eventually turning on the very street I’ve been walking and praying over. This area is indeed quieter and a bit more upscale. The women here seem demur, distinguished and classy in comparison to the younger girls you see on the main strip.

Cristina
The first lady we visited was timid, but willing to let us in and closed the curtain so we could talk for a few minutes. She is from Spain, so I lead most of the conversation in Spanish, and even prayed for her before we left. I was a bit apprehensive, as I’ve not spoken much Spanish in this country, haven’t spoken it on a daily basis in over six months, and rarely if ever say prayers in Spanish. But as you may well know, the Holy Spirit is there in those moments when we don’t have the words. I was led rather eloquently through a beautiful prayer for Cristina in which I prayed for her 4-yr-old son, her desire to leave prostitution, find new work, and start her life fresh. I spoke of how deeply the Lord knows her, how he made her in the womb and knows even today her most secret hopes and dreams. She took our card, which has contact information and a list of the ways we can help her in the process of leaving prostitution. I pray she will listen to her heart and trust God with a new step in her life.

Rita
Later, a Nigerian woman named Rita let us in and talked with us for probably twenty minutes. Rita was a prostitute here in Amsterdam for several years in the 80’s, returned to Nigeria and away from prostitution for ten years, then went back after she had a child. The father left when her son was just a baby, and Rita saw no other way to make enough money to survive as a uneducated foreigner in Amsterdam. Rita was raised in a Christian family and community and is still a believer today. She told us she knows what she’s doing is wrong, but she also knows that Jesus is in her heart and is protecting her every day when she goes to the window. She hates the “dirty, sweaty men” that come to her for services and wants to return to her Nigerian home but she stays for her son. He’s accustomed to the European way of life and does not want to live in Africa. Before leaving, my partner, Rita and I held hands in a circle and I prayed over her. Lord, please show Rita her way out!

Vivian
We later found ourselves in the room of a beautiful Hungarian woman. She’s been working here for three months, and hopes to make enough money to pay for her sister’s eye surgery before she looses her eyesight. Vivian’s sister and family back in Hungary are aware of how she’s earning the money, but have not a clue of the horrors and disgust Vivian is experiencing in the process. Vivian is also Christian. She prays each day on her way to work that God will protect her, keep her from abusive clients, and forgive her for what she’s doing. We spoke with her for a while, then asked if we could pray for her. Her eyes lit up at the thought of prayer, but then, looking around the room she said she’d rather not pray in such an evil and filthy place. She thanked us from the depth of her heart, and we promised to keep her in prayer as we left.

If it is on your heart, please keep Cristina, Rita and Vivian in prayer this week.

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