Yesterday afternoon, I found my niche. And it was in the last place I thought I’d find it on this trip. I found my niche in a bar.
Her name is Z——. She’s 18 years old. She has two children, a three year old and a one year old, who are currently living across the border in Honduras. She has huge, brown eyes and is eager to smile. She’s truly one of the most beautiful people I’ve met here. And she is a prostitute in one of the many bars here in town.
She is my little sister- literally. She reminded me so much of the sister I left at home that when I learned how old she was, it was all I could do to fight back my tears. This girl was young enough to be my sister, and yet here she was, scraping together a living by making herself into an object. She could barely maintain eye contact with me; it seemed to pain her that much.
She’s just a baby, in all honesty, who has become a parent before her time. And to add to her burden, her own father passed away about a month ago. So when some teammates and I sat down to chat with her, she had her questions ready.
“Did my father make it to heaven?” Her eyes pleaded with us to be merciful.
She related how her father had accepted Christ into his heart on death’s doorstep. She assured us time and time again that his cry to the Lord had been sincere, but she was still plagued with doubts. Was that “enough” for God? He had lived without Jesus until the bitter end. So would Christ accept a sinner home that had lived apart from Him until he needed Him most? Could He?
Two others, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left… One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”
– Luke 23:32-33, 39-43 (ESV)
Through our translator, we related this story to her. We explained that the Lord is very, very strong. And his love is so great that he fights to gain his children’s hearts until the last moment. There is no “too late” with our God. There is only acceptance, and tears of joy at the redemption! With that came tears… her tears; our tears.
We invited her to come to church with us. Instantly she brushed it aside, saying it wouldn’t be right for her to be there with so much sin in her life. We dispelled that lie ferociously. We begged her to join us, and finally she agreed to join us at a service just down the street on Wednesday. I thought my heart would burst!
After we hugged each other tightly, brushing away tears and smiling like crazy, we left Z—— and the other prostitutes behind with the goodie-bags we’d filled with candy, baby wipes, and Scripture. And she was smiling!
I couldn’t believe the feelings I had formed for this girl in the short time I’d had to speak with her. Her strength was incredible, as were her needs. But I could see the desire for something so much more in her eyes. She had talked about how she wanted to get another job. You’d better believe that’s on my prayer list! She’s so young, that if she could get out of those bars now, there’s no telling where the Lord could take her. And because her desire to leave is so strong, half the battle is already won.
Pray, pray, pray Zephaniah 3:14-20 over Z—— and the many, many other women we met. The darkness in the bars here is so great only because the light-potential is, too! The Lord longs to deliver his daughters from the lie that they’re not worth it, and from the reality they’re trapped in after having believed it. I think my niche here in Guatemala is taking part in that work. If that means taking the blows from the Enemy for a time while I’m sitting there encouraging them, hand me a shield, and let me do it. If that means experiencing the brokenness of God’s heart for his girls within my own, in all of its depth of pain, let me feel it. If that means praying myself hoarse, then give me a place to kneel… And let that be my blessed niche.
Participant Login
Donor Login