Welcome to the Philippines!
To be honest, there are so many thoughts and emotions I have right now, I don’t know where to begin. I feel as if I have lived a lifetime in a short two weeks. I have seen things I could never have imagined, heard stories that cannot be matched, and seen bravery unlike anything I have ever known. The women I have had the incredible opportunity to meet have inspired me to reach for something greater. They lived in the deepest parts of what I can only describe as hell and yet they had the courage to hope for something greater. When the opportunity to achieve greater came, they were brave enough to take a step of faith and see what God would do. He did not disappoint. God has shown Himself faithful to restore, to heal, to make all things new.
When I stepped off of that plane in Manila, I really had no idea what I was getting myself into. I had never been to the Philippines and my experience with the sex trade went as far as the research I had done and the films I had seen. So my first nights on the street in Angeles City where over 15,000 women are being trafficked every day were truly eye opening. I was broken by what I saw, enraged if I’m completely honest. To think that what I saw was a daily reality for my sisters made me sick to my stomach. I wanted to cry. I wanted to scream. “This is wrong” was all I could think.
And then I danced. I was pulled up on a stage by some of the girls in a bar we visited and I decided to just dance. It was a moment of freedom for me. I was up on a stage dancing with beautiful sisters and having a good time. As we danced, I watched these women begin to smile too. They were actually having fun, even if it was just for that moment. They could see that we loved them simply for who they were. We weren’t there to take anything from them, but to impart something to them and they responded in smiles and laughter. And that, my friends, is how I first saw Jesus in a bar.
God showed me a vision in prayer. He showed me Walking Street and the girls standing on the sidewalk. The girls were glowing like lights along the street. God spoke to me and said “These girls are a reflection of me, made in my image. Your job is simply to hold up a mirror so they can see.” It is my prayer that, as the next months unfold, that I can do just that for the nearly 30 women now in our care. In a little over a week, thanks to the Girls Getaway, our home went from 14 beautiful women to 27, with the promise of more to come.
God is moving in the Philippines. He is opening up the doors and we are watching as He does His incredible work. I feel like a spectator as He unveils His glory, bringing healing and restoration unlike anything we ever could have imagined. I am in awe that God would allow me to be here to witness His masterpiece unfolding.
