Wow. This was a very long and tiring day, not just physically, but spiritually. The other newest intern and I went through "orientation". So we started our day with breakfast with the staff, eggs, rice & beans! Then Gabrielle and I went downstairs to the prayer room with Anna. Anna then told us the entire back story of how LightForce got started, how her staff got formed, how it got it's name, and all of the ministries that LightForce has, such as the children's outreach and Casa Agape. Although I knew a lot of this from hearing Anna speak at my church in the fall, it was still a lot to take in. I did not realize how much it was affecting me until we got up to take a lunch break.
Towards the end of our conversation with Anna, we asked about the "Johns" and if there was a ministry for them. Johns is the term used for the clients of the prostitutes. Anna said that they had in the past gone to minister to the Johns outside of a very large brothel but did not have the resources to do both that and minister to the prostitutes twice a week. The reason being, it is very draining to empty completely of yourself by going out on the streets and ministering to those completely entangled in this type of sin. The LightForce staff has created relationships with the men and women in prostitution and that is the focus of their outreach ministry at this time.
So when I heard this, my heart was so heavy. In my mind, the Johns are the fuel of trafficking. If the men don't come, then there is no need for prostitutes on the corners and in the parks. If the men don't come, there is no need for the brothels. 50% of tourism to Costa Rica is for sex. The demand has to stop. As long as there is any demand, the men and women will not leave the streets. This is either because they are being pimped out or because they at one point and time chose to come the streets and somewhere along the way lost the choice to leave.
I am getting way ahead of myself. After we got done talking with Anna, I went up to the top of the apartment, which has an incredible view of the city, and I just paced back and forth for about 20 minutes just trying to process what I was feeling. My heart was literally heavy. I had never experienced this type of burden before. And before I could even sit down and write down my prayers or read scripture I just needed to walk and listen. When I finally sat down to pray, I just wrote question after question. My heart was, and still is, being pulled in so many directions. Is this the Lord calling me to this type of ministry? What does that mean for me? Is this just emotions? Who knows. But I know the answer will come. As I was praying, I had my headphones in and was listening to a worship playlist, a song by Living Anthem came on. The lyrics go like this:
Can't you hear them now? (Cant' you hear them now?)
The world is crying out. (Can't you hear them now?)
Their lives are empty now. (Can't you hear them now?)
Can't you hear them now?
'Cuz they're in need to be freed
The world is waiting for something
But you're holding it in your pocket
The world is waiting for something new
The world is waiting for you
Can't you see them now? (Can't you see them now?)
Their lives are broken down (Can't you see them now?)
Won't you let them out (Can't you see them now?)
Can't you see them now? (Can't you see them now?)
The world is waiting for something
But you're holding it in your pocket
The world is waiting for something new
The world is waiting for you
As I listened to this song, I was even more torn for these men. So what I really need your prayers on is discernment for me. I need to be able to discern between my emotions and what the Lord is calling me to.
So after I spent some time with the Lord and ate a PB&J, me and Gab went back downstairs and met with Laura, another girl on LightForce staff. She talked with us specifically about the trafficking ministry. As I mentioned earlier, the team goes out bi-weekly to the streets and parks where the prostitutes are. And this was going to be the day that we went out. They go out regularly, so they have made deep connections with many of the men and women on the streets. They do not approach this as going out into the shadows to unclean people, they approach this ministry as going out to see friends. And that was very evident when we went out last night.
Before we went, we met with two of Anna and Laura's guy friends and also with two guys and two girls from YWAM (Youth With A Mission). We met together and prayed over the night and worshiped together as one team. Then we loaded up the van with coffee, tea, and cookies and we hit the streets. Within a few blocks we see the first girl on the streets. Two of the girls get out and talk to her for probably half an hour as they give her tea and cookies. They invited her to our church service Sunday and her response was that she wouldn't have her hair and makeup on then so he would be Jose when he came.
The prostitutes in the city consist of young males, old males, young females, old females, and transvestites. They are segregated by their gender and are always at the same parks or corners. The next place we drove up on was the transvestite park. There were 2 girls there as we pulled up and 5 by the time we left. It was one of the girls birthday so they sang to her. She was one that they had first met on the streets at 15, she turned 17 yesterday.
The next place we stopped was a corner where a lady that was 40 years old worked. She had a very strong bond with the staff on our team. They got out and the whole time they were talking, she had her arm around them. This woman had been prostituting for over 20 years. She did not have a pimp controlling her. She came on the streets on her own after being abused and at some point lost that free will to leave. She has come to our church and has said that she has accepted Christ, but continues to say that she is not ready to leave the streets. It is all she knows how to do.
We stopped again to talk to 3 other women on the other side of town, but I did not get out at any of these stops. I got out at the last stop, which was at the boys park. 3 others and myself got out where there were 3 guys standing. They all recognized our van and many of the team. We greeted them with the traditional Costa Rican greeting, a hug and a kiss on the cheek, gave them coffee, tea, and cookies, and then hung out with them for 20-30 minutes like they were old friends. Although they were talking way to fast for me to understand much and the only 5 words I said the whole time were "Hola, me llamo Amy, chow!" I still felt like I was hanging out with friends. They first started talking about getting their hands slammed in car doors, then they were talking about tattoos, then they were joking around about one of the guys that is usually there with them. We were just hanging out with them. We were loving them where they were at. Without judgement and without condemnation.
Never once did I feel threatened or unsafe. Never once did I feel that we were not supposed to be there. The Lord was with us. He wanted us there ministering to His children that He loves very much. They are just as much people deserving of love as we are. And no matter the language barrier between us and them, there is no language barrier with the Lord. Before we left the guys, we prayed with them. As one some of the leaders were praying in Spanish, I was praying in English. The Lord understands it all. My prayers over them in English are just as powerful as the prayers over them in Spanish.
As we got back to our place, we debriefed and shared thoughts about the evening. Afterwards I went to my room for my quiet time. I opened my devotional to today's passage and it was Matthew 9:9-13.
"As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector's booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew's house, many tax collectors and “sinners” came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?” On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
What perfect timing. God calls us to go to the outsiders. And that is just what we did. So there is my really long post about a really long day. I appreciate your prayers, they have definitely been felt here. I will keep you posted with our day today!
God bless!
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