Letter to a friend (background info)

Dear Mary Beth, 

It was just tonight that I was finally able to sit down and check out some of the organizations you mentioned. THANK YOU SO MUCH! It was really helpful to go through some of their websites. In God's very kind providence I am planning to visit the H's in China this summer. When I talked to Mr. A. two weeks ago, he asked where the Lord had been leading me since we talked at the missions conference. I told him I am still burdened for the unreached, and also shared the passion of my heart for women; I was able to talk with him about this recent opportunity to reach to prostitutes. He mentioned Eden's Women's Ministry... at least I guess it must have been them since he spoke about a team working with prostitutes there. He said they would very much try to get me to be exposed to what they do. Isn't that amazing, Mary Beth?! What a "coincidence!" :) 

I am humbled that you would ask me questions about this. I feel like we have SO much to learn and research and grow! I will share a bit of what we've been doing and learning, but all the while very aware of our need for more guidance, direction and vision. 

You asked how this all started. I have mentioned my friend Vivian on the emails. Near her house there is a group of 13-15 girls who every night stand in the street trying to attract customers. The Lord really burdened Vivian's heart as she would see them every night. Her heart just ached for them. So she talked to some of her friends about this and then also to our pastors about reaching out to them; they put us in contact with an american missionary, Mrs. Renee, a pentecostal lady, who reaches out to prostitutes. We are related to her through our Christian school. She is a dear woman; she is a woman of prayer and definitely quite bold. We met with her and she advised us on how to prepare for this ministry.

Picture a residential/commercial area in your city. That's where these girls work. They go to work in the parking lot of an insurance company. They stand close to the street, sometimes they wave their hands out to cars passing by. When a car stops one or two will go over to the car, and talk to the driver through the window. If he's interested on one of them, they get in the car and leave. Sometimes the men take them somewhere close by. There's also a hotel in the block where the insurance company is and sometimes customers take them there. So it's not like this place is a red light district. It is a very residential, commercial, even college area. The risks lie more than anything in their being drugged, in some of them being used to steal and physically attack other people; there's also the risk of angry people driving by and throwing things at them to try to hurt them; there's also angry customers that could stop by. The first time we went we simply walked up to them. We had taken small gifts to them as a way to begin building a relationship with them. Vivian told them how she'd see them every night and had been longing to get to know them and was already praying for them. She asked them whether we could pray with them. They said yes...and that's what we did. We asked them their names (we're not sure if the names they gave us are their real names); we also asked them about their families. We were surprised at how open they were, even about their work. So we prayed for their needs. 

When we pray for these girls we pray for the needs they sometimes mention (sick children, their relationship with their partner, surgery that one of them will go through). But we also pray that God would open their eyes, that they would see Jesus as a powerful Savior and sweet Lover. We also pray for their protection from all sorts of potential dangers: thieves out at night, men who sometimes abuse them, themselves. Sometimes I pray the Scriptures for them. For example, take Psalm 36: "How precious is your steadfast love, O God! Move the girls to take refuge in the shadow of your wings. Oh Father, transform them so powerfully so that they would feast in your provision, that they would drink from the river of your delights. Oh Lord the devil has managed to deceive them and trap them so that they believe life is found in drugs, sex, money... but I ask that through your Spirit you would have them see and taste that the fountain of life is with you!" 

Thank you so much for asking how you can pray for us. Please pray for continued direction and leading from the Lord. I don't think we imagined quite what we would discover as we would befriend them. Now we are aware of their many needs; we want to do so much but are quite uncertain as how to go about it. Please pray the Lord would show us HIS vision for this ministry, especially within the church. I really long this to be a church ministry were more and more people get involved in: praying, mentoring these girls, counseling, financially. Also please pray that we would be jealous to cultivate our love relationship with Jesus Christ. I have been so busy over these last months and I am realizing that unless I am intentionally and passionately guarding that time with Him, all that I do will be useless if it's not the result of a heart that is full of Him. Please pray we would have discernment and identify all possible distractions that the devil brings our way so to render is ineffective in our calling in ministry. And lastly, please pray the Lord would confirm a calling for our lives doing this type of work. 

I was very encouraged to read your concern about whether these organizations are cross centered. That, I think is a vital question. 

As far as resources and organizations: Are you familiar with City of Refuge? That's a ministry that a church in Nevada, an RB church in Nevada, has (p. Brian Borgman's). Even though their ministry caters more to young pregnant women who decide not have an abortion, there are many questions I would like to ask them about how they this all functions as part of their church life. One of our deacons is going to set up an appointment to call them and ask all those questions. We have also been quite blessed by Mrs. Rennae,. She's come out with us twice, I think. We had also met with her before and asked many questions and so in a way she's sorta been like a mentor, especially in how to approach the girls and build relationships with them. I am also interested in reading Tim Keller's book on doing mercy. He's so missional in his thinking and so gospel centered too. I am very interested in learning more of his perspective as to how to reach out to to others. 

Right now I work as a teacher. I teach reading and writing in our Advanced English Program. While I am thankful for my job and I enjoy it... I am becoming increasingly aware Chrisitan school education is not where the passion of my heart is... I have known this for over a year now... So I am praying that if the Lord wants, in His time, He will direct my steps to a ministry where I can care for women, especially women who are despised and trapped. My boss is aware of my heart and I am thankful for his encouraging me and wanting me to follow the Spirit's promptings. 

Mary Beth, I hope this would help somehow. Please feel free to ask if something is not as clear. How can I pray for you? How's prostitution done in Roanoke? If you and you rmom reached out to them, where would you have to go find them? Brothels?? I will be praying for you and your mom. It has been a very big encouragement to be in touch with both of you. 

God bless you!

Aylín