Last week in Ciudad we befriended a new working street girl, Cecilia. I spoke to her at length and found out that she attends the mormon church, teaches their bible in sunday school for adults, volunteers as a director for a school and is in charge of dealing with 700 parents. As far as she was concerned, the only thing wrong in her life is her prostitution. And she knew that had to change and talked about being a street vendor to get out of prostitution. Today, she told me that she is a licensed lab tech for orthodontic prosthesis but she worked for a dentist who didn't pay her very much and that she only wants to work for a Christian dentist now. It is interesting to note that when we want to take the easy route, we will justify anything and everything in our own heads so as not to have to do anything overly hard or difficult. Cecilia is able to work a proper job that will allow her dignity but she chooses the easy road; the path of less resistance. In doing so, she loses her dignity, self esteem, the core of who she is and walks farther away from God.
We see a lot of this in Ciudad. And this is why our job is not easy. It's not just about converting someone to Christ. It's about getting them to be hooked on to Christ and then see that they truly need to change from the inside out, from their way of thinking to habitual behaviour. It's about having them learn to leave aside their pasts to move into the future and hope that God has planned for them. It's about helping them understand why they behave they way they do and how to change that. It's about truly just saying that our "problem" is really sin and there is only one solution: repentance. I guess we are showing them that we choose to stick with them, choose to love them, to be their friends, to accept them despite what they do; that with them, we choose the harder road and that we will not give up on them. One day, the Lord will open their eyes to see Him, I just hope it's soon. For their sakes.
Today, I saw Angie, this girl from way back when who used to sell her body. Back then, the Lord gave me a precise Word for her and she left with tears. I saw her a couple of months after that and she told me she had stopped hanging out on the streets with the same people and was staying home more. I was happy for her. Today, she saw me and greeted me happily. I was pleased to see her and she looked really well. She has stopped hanging out on the streets of Ciudad and now works with her mom in her mom's carpintry workshop. It was a joy to see her and it touched me that she was happy to see us. Jessica (of jessica and henry) saw me too and called out to me and she had both her kids with her. She said that she hangs out more at her mom's house now because the older boy is sick. I hope she decides to stay away from the streets more for the sake of her children. Luis has not appeared since we saw him on his birthday. He has my number and email but has not contacted me. I want to know if he's ok. But this is how it is on the streets, we sow the seed of the love and the good news of the gospel and we have to pray lots and trust that the Holy Spirit will care for His own because so often after, we never know what happens to them as they're so transient. The fact that I haven't seen Luis is a good sign. I'm hoping he has gone to his uncles to live with them.
Tonight it was Elizabeth, Luchin and me. When we went to see the working street girls, we split up so that we could be more effective in conversing with them. I got to share how God has been blessing Luchin and I and it was good to just be able to share what God's doing in our lives and letting them know that God cares about the everyday details of our lives too. Luchin had to come "rescue" me later as this creepy man was lurking behind me while I was talking to the girls thinking that I was one of them. If there were no johns there would be no prostitutes. I think that the next time we're out there, we need to also talk to the johns. This job sure is interesting. I have to admit that I do love my life as it's never ever boring!!!
Your prayers are coveted, please do not stop praying for them and the ministry and us who lead it. Thanks.
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