Today, Pam, Carmen and I visited the same strip club as the previous time. God continues to amaze us. As a ministry team we began studying Nehemiah - and just as he wanted to do something to restore the people's dignity and to repair the crushed wall - we long to restore the dancers' dignity and for Christ to heal their crushed hearts.
After studying Nehemiah Chapter One, we got on our knees and prayed to our Great and Awesome Yahweh, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and obey him. Just as the old hymn states, "There is no other way to be happy in Jesus than to trust and obey." We long to be obedient to our Savior! We finished our prayer with Nehemiah 1:11 "O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man." The Lord did exactly that!
When walking in today, it took a moment for our eyes to adjust. We had literally walked from the light of day into a dark, smoky den. We were very conscious of the men who were on either sides of us, but the Lord made them step back away from us, and we walked right up to the bar to deliver the baskets. The bar maid recognized us from the last visit and said, "What a blessing!" A man sitting at the bar said, "What's this?" She proceeded to tell him that we were the "nice church ladies who bring us gifts." We are praying they will receive the Ultimate Gift, Jesus Christ Himself.
We continue to be thankful to Lifeway for the beautiful Bibles they provide for the baskets. Also, a friend of this ministry donated five bags of quality beauty products that would encourage any woman who received them. How we are thankful for the goodness of the body of Christ. We covet your prayers as we continue to reach out to these hurting women. May our Great and Awesome Yahweh get all the glory!
