I had an interesting encounter last night as i dropped home one of the youth from a small group course we are running on Monday nights teaching our young men about sexual purity. I picked him up at about 5:45pm and noticed as i turned off the main road an Asian man standing on the corner opposite the deli/takeaway store of the road i turned into to, didn't seem unusual apart from that it was raining, but he had a jacket on, didn't really take much notice.
It was about 7:30pm when i was dropping the boy home again, with another in the back seat i was dropping off somewhere else smsing his girlfriend totally distracted by her. As we turned off the main road onto the street to where he is living, we both said to each other, "hey that guy is still there", and as we drove by him he put his hand in the air signalling to us. I kept going and dropped the boy home.
As I was driving back out to the main road I couldn't help but wonder why this Asian man was standing there in the rain for so long, so with the boy in the back seat still focused on his girlfriend's txt message, i stopped as i was turning out of the street and wound down the window on the other side to see if this guy was alright, as I was about to ask if he was alright i noticed it was a lady in jeans and a warm jacket with short black hair and before i said anything she said "I'm working" to which i kindly wound back up the window and drove off.
I didn't even think about where I was, the suburb I was in is of quite bad reputation, and the Asian man on the corner was actually a female prostitute working the corner.
I felt a bit silly and naive for not recognising what she was there for. As I drove away i couldn't help but feel terribly sorry for her. I don't imagine she was there because she wanted to be, but rather that this is the way she gets money to live, for the lack of other means. It also made me think this morning of some of the girls we have come through the youth and children's communities of our church from this and other nearby areas. Are they going to grow up to sell their bodies to make a living? If they don't find hope and love here is this where they will end up, on a street corner in the rain at night waiting to sell their bodies and souls?
Who is going to love that lady on the corner?
Where is God in this?
I hope she will see his love, although I don't know how.
About Me
- John M
- I live in Adelaide. I am learning to follow Jesus every day. I am learning what this means. I am learning. I am crazy for Football, my beloved Socceroos, Arsenal and Sydney FC. Music gives rhythm to life.
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3 comments:
yeah i know what you mean. Maybe it is a new area for outreach?? Aunty Cathy has a friend in Canberra who has a ministry to women in the brothels ( I travelled with her to Colour). She is also an Anglican minister. She gets heaps from the hierachy. Has even been questioned as to whether she is a former prostitute. She isn't...but so what if she was? Some christians just don't get it!
yeah I did think about what Dan would say if I said to him I wanted to start a mission to Prostitutes in the area. I am probably not the right person for that though. Makes me think too about the guys from XXXchurch.com and what they come up against with their "Jesus Loves Pornstars" mission. I really admire what they do. Thats really great to hear that about what Aunty Cathy's friend is doing, good on her and thanks for your comment mum :)
Hmm, I think I remember Jaz saying once she joined some people from YWAM who did something similar. I don't know if it was a regular thing or not but she said she went with them one time and they just took the girls coffee and stood and chatted with them...keeping them company. She said it was an amazing experience and the girls responded vibrantly. I can only imagine.
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