My friend, Laura Meyers, posted this blog from India, http://coveringofgrace.wordpress.com/2012/07/24/the-fruit-of-someone-elses-labor/ (click or read it below).
She, and a team of four other women, have moved to India to meet, offer refreshing via a drop in center in the middle of the brothel district, and love women, children, and people chained to the sex trade.
Laura does not judge. She has an enormous capacity to love. Her greatest relationships are with the madams who invite her and the team in to their business – knowing full well their hearts – to sit, listen, talk, read, play with the kids, and whatever else comes up.
I could not do what Laura and her team does.
I could not do what our teams in Cambodia, Swaziland, Europe, in America do when it comes to sex trafficking and an industry that takes something precious and commoditizes it – like people, sex, love, touch…
If I was sent to these places (this day at least), I'd probably get myself shot by acting out of anger and not love. Yet, folks like Laura and our teams far and wide, pony up with character and faith enough to love in the hardest places.
Give me folks with AIDS, TB, leperosy, illnesses of many sorts and provocations, but not into the belly of the whale of prostitution and sexual slavery. I am predisposed to confront and not love in those situations and yet reading this, I have a feeling, though, that in writing this, I may eventually be called to go…and not whack a pimp with my purse.
Please keep reading and learn what you can do in your world to stop the commoditizing and trafficking of PEOPLE for another's pleasure and greed.
Posted (Laura is a former World Racer & now serves with Rahab's Rope)
To the nationals it’s called the “market place”.
To visitors it’s the “cool” place to just go “see”
To those living there it’s become a reality of a living hell.
To me, it’s the place where I see a living God coming to the rescue of the lost and brokenhearted.
This week, after only 3 weeks of being at the center in the red light district, we witnessed two women go from death to life.
The first woman, who I will call Lakshmi, is my age. She has TB along with some other health problems. She is also the woman who has been most regularly to the center. She’s smart, beautiful, and loves as if she’s never been hurt. After working on English writing and reading Lakshmi was cleaning up to leave the center to go back to “work.” Before she left we asked if we could pray for her and she sat back down and rattled off in Hindi her needs for us to pray for. Our translator shared her requests and then stopped and looked at Lakshmi and said, “Do you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior?” Lakshmi’s response was, “No, but I want to.” So we sat, shared stories, and she prayed. When she was finished she told us how she had been crying out to god to find truth but now she knows God and found Truth. Beautiful tears were shared and Lakshmi left with a joyful smile.
Vanu and I have had a connection from day one. Vanu is older than most of the women in the alley and her hand is crippled. Everyday that I walk down the alley she tugs on my hand and asks me to sit with her. Vanu is gentle. On Wednesday she came up for a visit and to hear a story… that’s all it took, hearing a story about a God who is love. Vanu so desperately wants to be loved and she has found it in Jesus.
All week long, I have been keenly aware that the harvest is plentiful. The living water has watered seeds and the harvest is ready for reaping. The spirit of God is calling his children back to him and as unworthy as I am to be a part, God has allowed me to witness his children coming home. In the midst of darkness His light shines brighter.
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The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
John 10:10
