Just last night, myself and two of our team members visited the local strip club where in the past, I had been treated unkindly by the management. We purposed in our hearts to pray through the day, because that must be the backbone of this ministry. Personally, I think ministry can become misery if it is not saturated in prayer.
In my quiet time yesterday morning I was in the book of Obadiah. The smallest book in the Old Testament, yet so very powerful as is all of God's Word. The Lord sent Obadiah to the Edomites (descendants of Esau) to warn them about His coming judgment. I sensed that He was prompting us to warn the dancers of the very same. We always look the dancers in the eyes and say something like, "Jesus loves you." They usually smile and then take the gift. But last night besides telling them that, we also said, "But what you are doing is not God's will for you." The responses were varied, yet the same.
The first dancer responded, "we're not all bad in here." In no way were we judging her (we always pray against a judgmental spirit) but speaking the truth in love. Love is not always soft and warm, sometimes love must confront with truth. Jesus modeled this throughout the Gospels. The dancer then said it was all about the money because she was going to be a doctor. I'm sure she could read my thoughts because I have a lousy poker face. I told her I would pray for her, and she walked away, shaking her head. I hope she will one day become a doctor but not by the means of stripping. How these dancers need JESUS! How we all need JESUS!!
The next dancer responded that it wasn't her will either, and then she walked away. It made me wonder who was forcing her. Is it because of drugs or a controlling person in her life. I hope we can meet her again to see if she will talk to us.
After that a dancer approached us with a big smile and asked what we were about. When we told her she said she had never heard of such a thing. She said she felt guilty for taking the gift but we told it was our blessing to give. She did exchange phone numbers with one of our team members and said she would be interested in doing a Bible study with us. How we pray she will do this!
Another one of the dancers I had met before who is a single mom and attends church every Sunday, before I could say anything, she says, I know, I know." But does she know how the heart of Christ must hurt, or her mother who raised her up in the admonition of the Lord. And what about her child? How the Lord must weep over all of us when we stray.
As Christians, we know the culture today has forgotten the holiness of God. We live in a world where right seems wrong and wrong seems right. And yet the Lord is so merciful to delay His coming. I believe the Lord wants these dancers to come to Him and that is why we will continue to storm the gates of Heaven on their behalf.
Lastly, the other club owner told us about his mother who has been hospitalized many times. Cancer has eaten much of her body. We have been praying for her. One of the team members suggested we go to the hospital to meet her and pray for her. We were able to visit her twice last week, taking a Bible and flowers. We are praying for her salvation.
God is so good!!! I'm so thankful for my pastor who reminds me that our fruit is our obedience to go into the darkness to be His light. This ministry is not easy, far from it, but it is a worthy work of God. "Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; though the labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; though the flock may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls -- yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation." Hab. 3:17,18. By His grace we will not become weary in doing good.
Wednesday, July 30, 2014
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
GOD is Glorious!!!
Spring has finally sprung and new life surrounds us. Don't know about you, but I enjoy the sunshine more than I care for rain. The LORD has been shining on this ministry and it is truly marvelous in our eyes! My heart is so excited as I type this and I can't stop smiling!! Here is my attempt to describe what our Almighty Lord has been doing.
Easter has come and gone but He has risen, He has risen indeed! The Lord had put it on my heart to gift a certain house mom with a certain Bible. And not only that, to gift the owner of the strip club with a Bible as well. The warfare we experienced that week was awful, but Praise the Lord, He that is in us is bigger than he that is in the world. When we handed the house mom her Bible, the first words from her mouth were, "Did my husband call you?" She proceeded to tell us she had just mentioned to her husband about wanting a Bible she could understand. We told her we had not heard from her husband, but we had heard from the Lord. The house mom declared, "God heard me!!" This gave us the perfect opportunity to tell her how much Jesus Christ loved her. She walked around the dressing room clutching the Bible to her heart stating, "God heard me, I can't believe it, but God really heard me." Several times during the evening when we would look over at her, she had her Bible open and all of her attention was on it. Amazing, I am covered with holy bumps as I relate this to you. Yesterday we had our first Bible study with her, studying the Gospel of John. She teared up as the gospel was presented, and she knew she needed to surrender to Christ. She began asking questions about baptism and how to find the "right" church. Long story short, she will meet with us every Tuesday to be discipled. The house mom kept thanking us, but we were thanking the Lord for her heart. What a glorious God we serve and may we never, ever forget it!
The night before Easter we ventured into the other club we visit. In this place we are not allowed into the dressing rooms, so there we were in the midst of a den of iniquity. We noticed there was a dancer that did not remove her clothes when she danced and looked uncomfortable in her surroundings. We prayed for an opportunity to speak to her and the Lord made it happen. I looked into her eyes and told her she did not belong in that place. She teared up and agreed with me. The dancer said that she had a very godly mother who was unaware of what she was doing. I told her the Lord promises her a future and a hope and it certainly was not where we were standing. She was really crying at this point, she hugged me and went into the dressing room. We did not see her again. How we are praying for her.
There was also an elderly man there who was acting particularly vile and perverted. His behavior both bothered and disturbed me. Just weeks before an elderly man who was employed by this strip club passed away. We had spoken the truth in love to him but it didn't appear that he had ears to hear. I felt a strong urgency to warn this man. I went up to him and tapped his shoulder and said, "I need to tell you the Lord is watching you." He looked at me and with a drunken slur said,"Who?" So I repeated what I had just said except this time, I spoke as loudly as I could. He sobered up and all at the men at his table got quiet. We left after this, our prayer is these men would have ears to hear and have a healthy fear of God. That the Lord would save them!!!
As you read this, would you join us in praying for the ones mentioned above and for our ministry. We covet your prayers
Easter has come and gone but He has risen, He has risen indeed! The Lord had put it on my heart to gift a certain house mom with a certain Bible. And not only that, to gift the owner of the strip club with a Bible as well. The warfare we experienced that week was awful, but Praise the Lord, He that is in us is bigger than he that is in the world. When we handed the house mom her Bible, the first words from her mouth were, "Did my husband call you?" She proceeded to tell us she had just mentioned to her husband about wanting a Bible she could understand. We told her we had not heard from her husband, but we had heard from the Lord. The house mom declared, "God heard me!!" This gave us the perfect opportunity to tell her how much Jesus Christ loved her. She walked around the dressing room clutching the Bible to her heart stating, "God heard me, I can't believe it, but God really heard me." Several times during the evening when we would look over at her, she had her Bible open and all of her attention was on it. Amazing, I am covered with holy bumps as I relate this to you. Yesterday we had our first Bible study with her, studying the Gospel of John. She teared up as the gospel was presented, and she knew she needed to surrender to Christ. She began asking questions about baptism and how to find the "right" church. Long story short, she will meet with us every Tuesday to be discipled. The house mom kept thanking us, but we were thanking the Lord for her heart. What a glorious God we serve and may we never, ever forget it!
The night before Easter we ventured into the other club we visit. In this place we are not allowed into the dressing rooms, so there we were in the midst of a den of iniquity. We noticed there was a dancer that did not remove her clothes when she danced and looked uncomfortable in her surroundings. We prayed for an opportunity to speak to her and the Lord made it happen. I looked into her eyes and told her she did not belong in that place. She teared up and agreed with me. The dancer said that she had a very godly mother who was unaware of what she was doing. I told her the Lord promises her a future and a hope and it certainly was not where we were standing. She was really crying at this point, she hugged me and went into the dressing room. We did not see her again. How we are praying for her.
There was also an elderly man there who was acting particularly vile and perverted. His behavior both bothered and disturbed me. Just weeks before an elderly man who was employed by this strip club passed away. We had spoken the truth in love to him but it didn't appear that he had ears to hear. I felt a strong urgency to warn this man. I went up to him and tapped his shoulder and said, "I need to tell you the Lord is watching you." He looked at me and with a drunken slur said,"Who?" So I repeated what I had just said except this time, I spoke as loudly as I could. He sobered up and all at the men at his table got quiet. We left after this, our prayer is these men would have ears to hear and have a healthy fear of God. That the Lord would save them!!!
As you read this, would you join us in praying for the ones mentioned above and for our ministry. We covet your prayers
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
The LORD Never Sleeps
This week has really been a roller coaster ride for me. Life is full of ups and downs,why do I forget we live in a fallen world. Anyway, Mary Magdalene Ministry had two big events this week, an outing at a strip club we have been ministering to for the last three years and an opportunity to speak to a local women's ministry event where we were invited to share about the ministry. Every good and perfect thing come from Him!
Friday morning I woke up exhausted, not a great way to start the day. I had led Bible study the day before, which I love, and then frantically prepared supper for my husband and his boss. Knowing I'm not the best of cooks, I find it nerve wracking to prepare food for others. Thankfully, it went fine, although I didn't taste a bite. After cleaning the kitchen, I fell into bed. Now back to Friday, we had decided to take cupcakes as well as Bibles and devotions to the dancers. I had ordered the prettiest cupcakes I could find from a local bakery. Pam had ordered cupcake boxes with crosses....just perfect. There was only one problem, the cupcake boxes were too small, the cupcakes would have been ruined. Now even as I write this, I realize this should have not been such a problem. I called Pam to tell her the situation, and she jumped into action as she always does. While out shopping for larger boxes, she tripped and took a bad fall. The Lord had a sweet woman nearby who helped Pam up and took her to the nearest restroom to clean her bloodied face. While all this was going on, Pam began to ask the woman how she could pray for her. That's our Pam, such a servant heart! But long story short, there was no way Pam could go with us Friday night. Sweet Stephanie had a family commitment so it was just Carmen and me.
We found the dressing rooms full of dancers with a few faces that we have never seen. There was a different vibe going on....the new dancers seemed especially brazen and the filthiest language we have ever heard was filling the air. Suddenly one of the dancers came up to us and asked where was the rest of our group. When we told her of Pam's accident, she said, "Prayer circle, I don't know how to do that prayer thing, but you ladies do, so do it!" So there we were lifting high the name of Jesus in that dark place. Not long after, the house mom asked if we could come to her office to pray with her. While there, she showed us a basket that we had left which still had a couple of Bibles in it. She said, "I hope it was alright to let the girls who wanted Bibles to have them." We assured her it was what we wanted and then she said the most incredible thing, "I think the girls that took them have not come back" as she said this her eyes sparkled. We just know that the Lord is continuing to woo her heart and it is marvelous in our eyes.
The night seemed to linger on....the dancers really liked the cupcakes and were taking pictures of them with their phones. One of the dancers that we have known for the last three years was looking particularly forlorn. As she sat in that dressing room, hearing all that filth, we could tell she just wanted to run. Carmen really ministered to her at this point. She whispered to her that she didn't belong in that place. She had a different spirit and the Lord loved her....it was then the dancer began to weep and hug Carmen as tight as she could. Carmen began praying in the Name of Jesus Christ and suddenly the room became very quiet. Before Carmen stopped praying, all of the dancers had left the room. Carmen told the dancer that at the Name of Jesus Christ all evil must flee. That is exactly what happened. We sensed the Holy Spirit of God hovering over us. HE is amazing!!!
It was midnight by the time I got to bed and I was just praising the LORD that HE never sleeps. The next morning, Carmen and I were presenting the ministry to a local church. The room was packed. Even though it was a women's ministry event, there were several men who were in the leadership of the church present. I spoke about twenty minutes and then Carmen danced to "Take Me to the King" which we feel is the heartbeat of the Mary Magdalene Ministry. We believe the Holy Spirit was again hovering over us. Right after a woman ran up to me and fell in my arms. She was violently crying and told me that her daughter was a dancer at one of the clubs we minister to. The mother continued lamenting that her daughter had married one of the managers and that he was now prostituting her out. I have never seen such raw pain. The mother said she had stopped praying for her daughter. We told her that's okay because we will pray for her. This daughter has two sons which the grandmother is raising. The daughter has chosen this evil man over her sons. Heartbreaking. We know it is no coincidence that we met this woman. She didn't even know we would be speaking, but the LORD did! We know he orchestrated this whole event with her in mind. I have no doubt this woman left that church Saturday feeling very loved by her LORD. We are storming the gates of Heaven on behalf of this grandmother, her daughter to open her eyes and see the evil that is all about her, to repent and return to Jesus Christ and to her sons who need her desperately. May what the locust has stolen from this family be restored in the Name of Jesus Christ!
Prodigal daughters that's who we minister to. I don't ever want to forget that face of raw pain lest I become weary doing good. We must fight the good fight of faith. If we don't go into these evil strip clubs to tell these girls about the Gospel of Jesus Christ who will. Just as Jesus went out of His way to the woman at the well, we will continue to go out of our way. May HE alone receive glory, honor, and praise!!!
Friday morning I woke up exhausted, not a great way to start the day. I had led Bible study the day before, which I love, and then frantically prepared supper for my husband and his boss. Knowing I'm not the best of cooks, I find it nerve wracking to prepare food for others. Thankfully, it went fine, although I didn't taste a bite. After cleaning the kitchen, I fell into bed. Now back to Friday, we had decided to take cupcakes as well as Bibles and devotions to the dancers. I had ordered the prettiest cupcakes I could find from a local bakery. Pam had ordered cupcake boxes with crosses....just perfect. There was only one problem, the cupcake boxes were too small, the cupcakes would have been ruined. Now even as I write this, I realize this should have not been such a problem. I called Pam to tell her the situation, and she jumped into action as she always does. While out shopping for larger boxes, she tripped and took a bad fall. The Lord had a sweet woman nearby who helped Pam up and took her to the nearest restroom to clean her bloodied face. While all this was going on, Pam began to ask the woman how she could pray for her. That's our Pam, such a servant heart! But long story short, there was no way Pam could go with us Friday night. Sweet Stephanie had a family commitment so it was just Carmen and me.
We found the dressing rooms full of dancers with a few faces that we have never seen. There was a different vibe going on....the new dancers seemed especially brazen and the filthiest language we have ever heard was filling the air. Suddenly one of the dancers came up to us and asked where was the rest of our group. When we told her of Pam's accident, she said, "Prayer circle, I don't know how to do that prayer thing, but you ladies do, so do it!" So there we were lifting high the name of Jesus in that dark place. Not long after, the house mom asked if we could come to her office to pray with her. While there, she showed us a basket that we had left which still had a couple of Bibles in it. She said, "I hope it was alright to let the girls who wanted Bibles to have them." We assured her it was what we wanted and then she said the most incredible thing, "I think the girls that took them have not come back" as she said this her eyes sparkled. We just know that the Lord is continuing to woo her heart and it is marvelous in our eyes.
The night seemed to linger on....the dancers really liked the cupcakes and were taking pictures of them with their phones. One of the dancers that we have known for the last three years was looking particularly forlorn. As she sat in that dressing room, hearing all that filth, we could tell she just wanted to run. Carmen really ministered to her at this point. She whispered to her that she didn't belong in that place. She had a different spirit and the Lord loved her....it was then the dancer began to weep and hug Carmen as tight as she could. Carmen began praying in the Name of Jesus Christ and suddenly the room became very quiet. Before Carmen stopped praying, all of the dancers had left the room. Carmen told the dancer that at the Name of Jesus Christ all evil must flee. That is exactly what happened. We sensed the Holy Spirit of God hovering over us. HE is amazing!!!
It was midnight by the time I got to bed and I was just praising the LORD that HE never sleeps. The next morning, Carmen and I were presenting the ministry to a local church. The room was packed. Even though it was a women's ministry event, there were several men who were in the leadership of the church present. I spoke about twenty minutes and then Carmen danced to "Take Me to the King" which we feel is the heartbeat of the Mary Magdalene Ministry. We believe the Holy Spirit was again hovering over us. Right after a woman ran up to me and fell in my arms. She was violently crying and told me that her daughter was a dancer at one of the clubs we minister to. The mother continued lamenting that her daughter had married one of the managers and that he was now prostituting her out. I have never seen such raw pain. The mother said she had stopped praying for her daughter. We told her that's okay because we will pray for her. This daughter has two sons which the grandmother is raising. The daughter has chosen this evil man over her sons. Heartbreaking. We know it is no coincidence that we met this woman. She didn't even know we would be speaking, but the LORD did! We know he orchestrated this whole event with her in mind. I have no doubt this woman left that church Saturday feeling very loved by her LORD. We are storming the gates of Heaven on behalf of this grandmother, her daughter to open her eyes and see the evil that is all about her, to repent and return to Jesus Christ and to her sons who need her desperately. May what the locust has stolen from this family be restored in the Name of Jesus Christ!
Prodigal daughters that's who we minister to. I don't ever want to forget that face of raw pain lest I become weary doing good. We must fight the good fight of faith. If we don't go into these evil strip clubs to tell these girls about the Gospel of Jesus Christ who will. Just as Jesus went out of His way to the woman at the well, we will continue to go out of our way. May HE alone receive glory, honor, and praise!!!
Saturday, February 1, 2014
A Luncheon Encounter
Today three of us ventured into the newer club to our ministry. We went in around lunchtime. The parking lot didn't seem crowded at all. We saw this as a good sign, maybe the dancers wouldn't be too busy to talk. We took in a big basket filled with pretty boxes. The dancers came right up to us and the barmaid welcomed us in. There was a dancer on stage that smiled at me and motioned to come over to her so she could receive her gift. We took in 16 boxes total and there were 15 dancers working in the middle of the day. Each box held rose soap petals, a devotion, candies, and our ministry card.
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Sitting at the bar was a very pretty blonde dancer we had never seen before. She was sitting with a customer when she engaged us in conversation. She wanted to know what church we were from. The very next thing out of her mouth was a proclamation that she, too was a Christian. In fact, she said she was justified by faith and that was all she needed. We started to go deeper with her but all she wanted to talk about was God's grace. I told her there is such a thing as cheap grace. When we reminded her that the Lord is holy, she accused us of judging her. We smiled at her and told her we were not there to judge anyone. The conversation continued, she appeared completely sober, she quoted several verses (out-of-context) and said that God knew her heart. At this point, one of us said, the Bible states that our hearts are deceitfully wicked. She said everyone is a sinner to which we agreed of course. She stated that she was making an impact in the strip club for God and didn't we want to partner up with her. It was a very strange conversation and I must admit, there were moments I thought we were talking to a demon. Pam was able to make some headway with the dancer concerning the real reason she was there. The dancer explained that this was the way she made her living but she admitted she did get some self-satisfaction from it as well. When she was invited to our Bible study, she just smiled and said that we were funny. We told her we were sincere and would love for her to join us. We are praying she calls! During the conversation, there were two other dancers who seemed to be listening in. Prayerfully, they heard the truth and will act on it.
Sometimes it takes me days to process what happens in these clubs. We see horrible things....at one point I saw a man who looked to be about 60 groping a dancer that could have been the age of his granddaughter. The whole time this was going on, she was downing one drink after the other. I'm sure she was numbing herself. My heart breaks, I can't imagine how grieved our Lord must be.
Our ears did get to hear one good thing, however. The blonde dancer told us we were "very respected by the management and no one better say anything against us." Now, I believe that is God's grace in fact, I'm sure of it!
Sitting at the bar was a very pretty blonde dancer we had never seen before. She was sitting with a customer when she engaged us in conversation. She wanted to know what church we were from. The very next thing out of her mouth was a proclamation that she, too was a Christian. In fact, she said she was justified by faith and that was all she needed. We started to go deeper with her but all she wanted to talk about was God's grace. I told her there is such a thing as cheap grace. When we reminded her that the Lord is holy, she accused us of judging her. We smiled at her and told her we were not there to judge anyone. The conversation continued, she appeared completely sober, she quoted several verses (out-of-context) and said that God knew her heart. At this point, one of us said, the Bible states that our hearts are deceitfully wicked. She said everyone is a sinner to which we agreed of course. She stated that she was making an impact in the strip club for God and didn't we want to partner up with her. It was a very strange conversation and I must admit, there were moments I thought we were talking to a demon. Pam was able to make some headway with the dancer concerning the real reason she was there. The dancer explained that this was the way she made her living but she admitted she did get some self-satisfaction from it as well. When she was invited to our Bible study, she just smiled and said that we were funny. We told her we were sincere and would love for her to join us. We are praying she calls! During the conversation, there were two other dancers who seemed to be listening in. Prayerfully, they heard the truth and will act on it.
Sometimes it takes me days to process what happens in these clubs. We see horrible things....at one point I saw a man who looked to be about 60 groping a dancer that could have been the age of his granddaughter. The whole time this was going on, she was downing one drink after the other. I'm sure she was numbing herself. My heart breaks, I can't imagine how grieved our Lord must be.
Our ears did get to hear one good thing, however. The blonde dancer told us we were "very respected by the management and no one better say anything against us." Now, I believe that is God's grace in fact, I'm sure of it!
Monday, January 20, 2014
MIGHTY IS THE LORD!!!
It has been such a long time since I've blogged, so let me catch you up on all the LORD has been doing! A young godly woman who is a wife, mother of 2, and a licensed hair stylist has joined our ministry. It is because of her that we are now in the dressing room of a popular strip club. While she is cutting and styling the dancers' hair, Carmen, Pam, and I take turns doing hand massages and manicures. It gives us time to really minister to these broken girls. They begin to open their hearts to us and what a blessing it is to minister to them. This is done all free of charge of course, because we want them to experience the love of Christ. It is amazing to watch the LORD show up in that dressing room. More about that later.
Kelli was part of our ministry for awhile. She is a missionary who was waiting on her next assignment. She joined our Bible study and we instantly fell in love with her spirit. We learned so much from Kelli and thank God for every moment we had with her. She is now in a foreign country where prostitution and sex slavery are rampant. Kelli is being used there in a wonderful way for the Lord. While we miss her, we know she is exactly where she is supposed to be.
Also, we have been able to venture into another club. This one is definitely hard ground. It has been there for over 20 years and its roots are deep. No other Christian group has been able to get in. This is certainly favor from the Lord. He used Pam with her creative perseverance to get us in. I was so amazed, it took me a while to believe it. Great things have happened there. A dancer was saved through a local church and was on her way out of this dreadful den of evil. She asked us to pray with her and then she proceeded to pray the sweetest prayer for us. If you can picture this, some of us were on our knees during this prayer and when I opened my eyes, two of the male customers had tears running down their faces. I believe the Holy Spirit was working conviction in their hearts. It was like the Heavens were opened for just a moment in that dark place. On a different visit, the barmaid had just married and asked if we come behind the bar and pray with her and her new husband. There we were in a circle of prayer holding hands in this nasty place and yet the Lord was ever present. The customers were aware something different was going on. Praise the LORD!!
Now I want to tell you what happened Friday night in the dressing room. We have become friendly with the House Mom who takes care of the girls' needs and is affectionately called "Moma." Her husband recently was going through a serious health issue, a life-threatening cancer, and she really reached out to us. She began to pray with us, and her heart became softer and softer. As a little girl, her mother had left her and her dad. He owned and ran the local porn store, and she was ostracized from the other girls. Moma said this has continued in her life and we were the first "real" female friends she had. She has been out to lunch with us and has really began to trust us. And by the way, the LORD healed her husband. I tell you all this to tell you that Friday night when we saw Moma, she looked very tired. Long story short, she is working the maid's shift too, and giving that money to the maid, who cannot work because of health issues. As our team member was doing her hair, we were encouraging Moma because she said the men around there could not understand why she would do such a thing. We think the Lord is doing a work in Moma!
Also that night, while Sheila's (not her real name) hair was being styled, I began talking to her and handed her a Bible and asked her to read the verses which pertain to the Roman's road to Salvation. She was very convicted, and wants to talk more with us. She has a 3-year old son whose father is in prison. Sheila has promised to call and we pray that she will.
That same night we handed out long-stemmed red roses with devotions attached as well as our ministry card. Three of the dancers told us that the devotions pertained to their situations personally. They read them out loud so everyone in the dressing room could hear. It was like we were having church!
And then while we were on our way out of the club, we noticed how crowded they were that night. And not only that, there were so many women customers, ages anywhere from 30 to 50 highly intoxicated. We also gave roses to them, and they seemed to sober up for just that moment. Devotions were attached to these roses as well. I have wondered how the Lord might have worked in these women's lives through that rose. After all, nothing is too hard for HIM! We continued to make our way out, and the owner motioned to us and asked Carmen and me to come talk to him. He led us to a room behind the bar, my legs felt like jelly expecting that in the next few moments he would ban us from coming into the club. He first asked how we were funded and what church we were from. We explained that we were from different churches and we were funded by donations but essentially the Lord provides. He very humbly asked if he could give us money on a monthly basis to help us out. Carmen said he looked like Jesus standing there, she said it was certainly not the owner of that strip club. We said no thank you, but thanked him for allowing us entrance into the club and especially the dressing room of the dancers. He shook our hands and we said goodbye. Our fellow team members had been waiting anxiously for us. Pam asked, "did he ban us?" Carmen said, "no, he blessed us." Only the Lord could have done this....to give us the favor of kings....only the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY!!! We can't wait to see what HE will do next!!!
Kelli was part of our ministry for awhile. She is a missionary who was waiting on her next assignment. She joined our Bible study and we instantly fell in love with her spirit. We learned so much from Kelli and thank God for every moment we had with her. She is now in a foreign country where prostitution and sex slavery are rampant. Kelli is being used there in a wonderful way for the Lord. While we miss her, we know she is exactly where she is supposed to be.
Also, we have been able to venture into another club. This one is definitely hard ground. It has been there for over 20 years and its roots are deep. No other Christian group has been able to get in. This is certainly favor from the Lord. He used Pam with her creative perseverance to get us in. I was so amazed, it took me a while to believe it. Great things have happened there. A dancer was saved through a local church and was on her way out of this dreadful den of evil. She asked us to pray with her and then she proceeded to pray the sweetest prayer for us. If you can picture this, some of us were on our knees during this prayer and when I opened my eyes, two of the male customers had tears running down their faces. I believe the Holy Spirit was working conviction in their hearts. It was like the Heavens were opened for just a moment in that dark place. On a different visit, the barmaid had just married and asked if we come behind the bar and pray with her and her new husband. There we were in a circle of prayer holding hands in this nasty place and yet the Lord was ever present. The customers were aware something different was going on. Praise the LORD!!
Now I want to tell you what happened Friday night in the dressing room. We have become friendly with the House Mom who takes care of the girls' needs and is affectionately called "Moma." Her husband recently was going through a serious health issue, a life-threatening cancer, and she really reached out to us. She began to pray with us, and her heart became softer and softer. As a little girl, her mother had left her and her dad. He owned and ran the local porn store, and she was ostracized from the other girls. Moma said this has continued in her life and we were the first "real" female friends she had. She has been out to lunch with us and has really began to trust us. And by the way, the LORD healed her husband. I tell you all this to tell you that Friday night when we saw Moma, she looked very tired. Long story short, she is working the maid's shift too, and giving that money to the maid, who cannot work because of health issues. As our team member was doing her hair, we were encouraging Moma because she said the men around there could not understand why she would do such a thing. We think the Lord is doing a work in Moma!
Also that night, while Sheila's (not her real name) hair was being styled, I began talking to her and handed her a Bible and asked her to read the verses which pertain to the Roman's road to Salvation. She was very convicted, and wants to talk more with us. She has a 3-year old son whose father is in prison. Sheila has promised to call and we pray that she will.
That same night we handed out long-stemmed red roses with devotions attached as well as our ministry card. Three of the dancers told us that the devotions pertained to their situations personally. They read them out loud so everyone in the dressing room could hear. It was like we were having church!
And then while we were on our way out of the club, we noticed how crowded they were that night. And not only that, there were so many women customers, ages anywhere from 30 to 50 highly intoxicated. We also gave roses to them, and they seemed to sober up for just that moment. Devotions were attached to these roses as well. I have wondered how the Lord might have worked in these women's lives through that rose. After all, nothing is too hard for HIM! We continued to make our way out, and the owner motioned to us and asked Carmen and me to come talk to him. He led us to a room behind the bar, my legs felt like jelly expecting that in the next few moments he would ban us from coming into the club. He first asked how we were funded and what church we were from. We explained that we were from different churches and we were funded by donations but essentially the Lord provides. He very humbly asked if he could give us money on a monthly basis to help us out. Carmen said he looked like Jesus standing there, she said it was certainly not the owner of that strip club. We said no thank you, but thanked him for allowing us entrance into the club and especially the dressing room of the dancers. He shook our hands and we said goodbye. Our fellow team members had been waiting anxiously for us. Pam asked, "did he ban us?" Carmen said, "no, he blessed us." Only the Lord could have done this....to give us the favor of kings....only the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY!!! We can't wait to see what HE will do next!!!
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
"Fear not for I am with you." Isaiah 41:10
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!
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!
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Nothing is impossible for the Lord!!!
Today Pam and I ventured into new territory. There is a well-known club in our neck of the woods that we had purposely avoided in the past. Intimidated by its reputation and manager, we just did not have the courage to visit....that is, until today. After praying, we went into that dark place and talked to a man behind the bar who scowled at us and a pretty barmaid who was much more welcoming. When she saw the gift bags we brought and their contents, she said, "This is awesome."
The man however was still scowling, but the barmaid said she would give them to the dancers and call us to invite us back if they agreed. She also said she would personally escort us to the dancers' dressing room next time. This is a direct answer to prayer! In the past we have not been allowed entrance into their dressing rooms. Pam and I came out of that place awestruck. The Lord did exceedingly above all we asked! We know He is faithful to continue the good work He has begun, to God be the glory!
Ephesians 2:10 "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." I am so thankful that Christ not only is our Redeemer but He continues to redeem our time. He is faithful!
The man however was still scowling, but the barmaid said she would give them to the dancers and call us to invite us back if they agreed. She also said she would personally escort us to the dancers' dressing room next time. This is a direct answer to prayer! In the past we have not been allowed entrance into their dressing rooms. Pam and I came out of that place awestruck. The Lord did exceedingly above all we asked! We know He is faithful to continue the good work He has begun, to God be the glory!
Ephesians 2:10 "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." I am so thankful that Christ not only is our Redeemer but He continues to redeem our time. He is faithful!
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