Where None Would Dare to Trod

When our trip participants go out on the field, they see and experience some horrifying things taking place abroad. For our summer Passport team in Guatemala, they witnessed the evils of human trafficking first hand. Sarah DeLoach shares how they still found hope in the midst of the horror.

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Coming into the last week of our time in Guatemala, our team as a whole prayed the Lord would lead us into more than we could ever imagine and give us what we needed to finish strong.

Wednesday morning rolled around and we began with the task of evangelizing to the prostitutes living and working in the local bars and brothels. We walked down the streets toward the hub of the are, surrounded by the fumes of the city. While the sun relentlessly beat down on our skin, we marched to the trenches.

In order to cover a larger area, we split into groups of five, entering into the first few places armed with the words of the Lord and covered with the protection of the Holy Spirit.

The first girls we spoke to were closed off and hard-hearted, which was not surprising. we prayed for them anyway and their spirits seemed lifted as we went on our way. When we reunited with the rest of our team, our ministry host asked me if I would play and sing as walked to the next group of brothels.

At first, I was frustrated. I was hot, tired, and in no mood to lead people in worship.

“Play and sing to welcome the Holy Spirit,” she said.

After I sulked for a moment at the thought of carrying an extra burden on an already difficult day, I remembered the story of the battle of Jehoshaphat against the Amorites in 2 Chronicles 20.

“After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: ‘Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever.’”

While the singers sang the praises of the Lord, he was fighting the battle for them. When they reached the place where they were to fight the battle, the enemy had already been defeated.

Four weeks earlier, I was spending time with Jesus and he started to give me a song. I had no idea that the words I wrote that morning would become the anthem of what happened on this day. So I began to sing.

Clear the way for the King has come to meet with us
He leads by cords of kindness, guides with bands of love
Clear the way for the Lamb has come to dine with us
His body is the bread, the wine that covers us

Spirit come, spirit come
Cover us, cover us
Spirit come, spirit come
Cover us, wash us in your blood

Clear the way for the army of the Living God
Our Lord calls us to march where none would dare to trod
Clear the way for the children of the Most High King
His strength will be our song in victory we sing

Spirit come, spirit come

I sang it out until we reached our next brothel.

My group and I prayed again that the Spirit of God would break through, knowing confidently that the light always overcomes the darkness.

As soon as we approached the door of the brothel, a man greeted us. We told him we were there to bring joy, and asked if there was anyone working who we could pray for.

He was hesitant at first, but decided to allow us in. When we walked through the curtain, we were immediately approached by a woman with desperation in her voice and pain in her eyes. She grabbed my arms and repeated the words “You have fallen from heaven” over and over again. With tears streaming down her face, she told us her story.

Her name was Diana. Originally from Honduras, she hadn’t been in Guatemala for long. She told us about the abuse she received, showing us the scars on her arms and legs. She told us about how she lost her only source of comfort in life, her mother, a month prior. Her son had gone missing six months earlier. She continued to weep as she showed us a homemade flyer with her son’s photo and a number to call if he was spotted.

She continued telling us her story of hopelessness and desperation.

After listening and crying with this woman we had only just met, we began talking to her and the atmosphere of the entire room changed. We told her God has not forgotten her — he saw her, felt her pain, and hurt along with her. He loved her so much that he sent us all the way from the United States to remind her of his love.

Then we told her the best news of all — the news of Jesus Christ, the story of love, redemption and hope. After talking with and praying for her for about an hour, she told us she wanted Jesus.

So there, sitting in a brothel in Puerto Barrios, Diana stepped from death to life in Christ.

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Photo by Jonathan Garner via Instagram.