Daily Check-in
Good morning! Our Good Friday outreach was amazing. I went with 2 friends who are members of my church family to the men’s clubs in town and delivered Easter gift bags to the dancers and waitresses. We filled guy bags for the managers, bouncers, bartenders, and deejays. We did not go to preach at them. We had no agenda. Our only motivation is love. Our church family generously donated costume jewelry, decorative barrettes or hair clips, cosmetics, perfume, body spray, bubble bath, bath gel, body lotion, candles, Easter candy, individually wrapped bags of herbal tea, inspirational books, and similar items. We filled beautiful white gift bags lined with pastel tissue paper and also included in each bag a beautiful lavender scroll with the story of Mary Magdalene, a stuffed angel bunny, Christian literature if they are interested in finding out why we love them so much, and an invitation to our Saturday night worship service. Some of them have expressed an interest in visiting our church family, and we want them to know without a doubt that they are welcome just as they are. We love them unconditionally and will receive them with open arms.
These girls work until 2:00 a.m. or 4:00 a.m. almost every night. It is a tough life. They look years older than they are. Almost all of the them have small children, and many of them are single mothers. Some of them started as waitresses then progressed to dancing because of the difference in pay. In past years, we have witnessed women dancing in the third trimester of pregnancy. They are in terrible bondage but are addicted to the money. And for all they make, they appear to be living in poverty. They cannot even afford to buy decent makeup. Many of them were sharing dirty old makeup. The clubs in this area are not “upscale” by any stretch of the imagination. These girls have hit rock bottom, and there is nowhere to go but up. Many were visibly high last night. I am sure it is not easy to cope with the reality of their situation.
As I shared above, we did not go to aggressively evangelize. We went to be the love of Jesus to those who have only known perverted affection. When they shared their dreams about going to college or nursing school or changing their lives, we had the blessed joy of speaking hope into their dreams. Sometimes those who have hit rock bottom just need one person to believe in them and speak words of hope and encouragement. This was our third Good Friday outreach, and we are making a difference. The girls love us and look forward to our visit every year. They literally jump for joy when we arrive. The manager of one club who did not fully trust us last year practically rolled out the red carpet for us this year. He even had the deejay announce our arrival on the loudspeaker and invite all the girls to meet us in the dressing room! And some of the girls have been encouraged to pursue their dreams. One just graduated from nursing school. Another is starting massage therapy school. It blesses my heart to hear the words, “I will not be here next year!” We shared lots of hugs last night and had the opportunity to pray for some of them. The women are really starting to feel comfortable with us and trust us enough to share their pain. One broke down in tears because she lost custody of her son after being declared an unfit mother. When she told us that he loves video games, we went to Target and bought the Narnia game and returned to the club to give it to her so she can send it to her son as a gift. A member of our church family gave $50.00 cash earlier in the day for our ministry, and we believe the Lord provided the money for this. The ministry is in the gift bags. We are simply the messengers who are called to demonstrate God’s unfailing love to them in a very tangible way. The true ministry is the work of the Lord.
I gained a pound this week while taking a break from Cathe, but it was worth it. I focused on preparing my heart for the mission God had before me, and I have no regrets. My feet were killing me after standing in high heels for hours. My throat is on fire. My lungs are still filled with smoke. I am exhausted beyond description. I feel poured out like a drink offering, but my cup runneth over. And God is good all the time.
I have a question for those who smoke or used to smoke. How on earth did you keep up with Cathe’s cardio? I could barely breathe to walk last night with my lungs so full of smoke.
Thank you for letting me share this here. I promise to get back on track with my regular fitness updates tomorrow. I have such a heart for helping women rise above their circumstances and be all they were created to be. My heart is so full right now. I always expected my ministry to be in the area of helping women recover from binge eating. I never imagined this in my wildest dreams. But God.
Happy Easter!
Blessings,
Heather B.
“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV).
KPC should fit the bill quite nicely. Beautiful sunny day here, grass is greening up quite nicely after last nights rain. 
