Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Being Called

    Have you ever picked up an left a place you call home and are completely comfortable with?  Everyone you know and love are there.  A place that you grew up and thought that you could just totally settle there.   I can say that I have done just that over a year ago.  I was fresh of the mission field of Brazil's  Amazon Rain Forest.  I was sitting and wondering what do I do, and where do I go.  I knew I was called to front lines of the battle of darkness and light. I love preaching, teaching, and serving.   What ever title you want to give me, I don't care. I knew the Spirit of the Lord was upon me to preach good news.  But even with carrying a heavy conviction on my heart, I was still scared and questioned if I could even do whatever the Lord had me to do.  I want to tell you a little story of how the Lord used a prostitute to hedge me back into a place of not only walking in my calling but carry the heart of Father God.

 I was recently just on a trip to Brazil with an amazing team from Exodus Cry.  We spent five weeks traveling through this nation with a mandate to go into the darkness of the sex industry and assess the situation and be beacons of light to thousands of women and children that are sexually exploited there.  We worked with many organizations and churches to begin to build a strategy to combat human trafficking in the upcoming  2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympic events that will be held there.

    While in the coastal city of Recife, Brazil which is located in the northeast of the nation.  We worked with an organization called Shores of Grace led my Nic and Rachael Billman.  Nic and Rachael's focus is setting those in prostitution free and walking them through restoration; taking the love of the Father to the poor and the broken and helping them see their true value, and equipping and serving the church in Brazil.  Nic and Rachael really showed us a depth of prostitution outreach, that had nothing to do with what we wanted for these women and children, and had everything to do with how Father God felt about them.  It was a measure of walking in love that I had never experienced.

While out on the streets of Recife we had split up into two teams one night.  The reason we had two teams was because there was one track ( or Street where prostitution takes place) were women are prostituted and a block over was a street were transvestites are prostituted.  I wanted to go on the track with transvestites, but I strongly felt I should go on the other one.  So I set out with our translator and two girls form our team to see what girls would be out that night.  After being with Nic and Rachael, we had learned to not go out on an outreach with an agenda.  What I mean is that we learned not to go out and reach these girls with the heart motive to just get them rescued or saved.  It was more about just being Jesus, because Jesus came to reveal the Father, and at the core of this injustice is a fatherlessness injustice.  And if we have an agenda for them we are not much different than the traffickers, pimps, and Johns that exploit these women, men and children.

So as we set out with a motive to love and nothing else in our hearts, I experienced the most joyous time being on these dark streets of Recife.  As we ministered and loved on these girls, I was wondering if I should be having so much fun and feel so much joy in a place like this.  As we approached a group of women up the street, I just felt like skipping all the small talk and just asking them what prayer needs they had because the Lord is here to meet them.  As we began praying with each one of these girls the Lord was showing us places in their hearts that He wanted to heal.  As we ministered, these girls began to open up to us, we began to just hang out.

As we stood there, there was one girl who was much more reserved than the others ones.  She was quiet and and stood a little further away.   Her name was Gabriella.  Cars were pulling up, and men where trying to purchase these women.  The girls responded to to each car with " No, we are talking to the missionaries", which is it not normal for them to do that.    After being with these girls for about 45 minutes, another car pulled up along side us  and Gabriella went to talk to these Johns ( Johns are men who purchase sex from these girls ).  I watched her as she walked over to the car, and I saw them talking and the driver trying to give her money.  After a few minutes of dialogue between them.  I heard her say "no", and she walked toward us.  What happened next has changed my theology, my view of outreach, my heart toward prostituted women, and has brought forth that which the Lord is calling me into.

Gabriella came back to us and through a translator and said " I have a word for you"  Now when I think of having a word, I think that someone is going to prophecy and share something the Lord has shown them.  But as she said this I found myself asking the question, What on earth does she mean?  I just simply said " OK ".  Gabriella began to say " You could be anywhere, doing anything else.  You could be spending your money on anything else but you are here and your are here with us.  You are  here bringing the light and the word to the streets.  This is what must happen, the light and the word must come to the streets.  These girls need the light and the word.  Whatever comes against you, don't stop bring the light and the word to the streets, because this is what you are supposed to do."  These words pierced my heart so hard.  I felt weight on her words as they fell upon me.

After she spoke those words, Gabriella walked over to a car with another man and drove away with him.  I can hardly explain what happened there.  I can't wrap my mind around what happened on that street corner.  I do know this, there is a place for men in the midst of this injustice of Trafficking and Prostitution.  There is a voice that men have to speak words of love from the Father over these ones whom he loves so dearly.  I feel that it is time to begin to hate what God hates and love what He loves. It is time to look at the darkness of the abominations and wickedness of this earth and say " Greater is the Light in me than any of the darkness in this world!"  I am stirred for the sons and daughters of the LORD that are captive to the spirit of lust in this world to know their worth and value, from those who will go and speak the Testimony of Jesus Christ to them.  Pray for this Testimony of Jesus to go forth.

There are many more stories to share and and many things He is doing on my heart because of this.  I don't even know what this all really means or what it looks like to walk this out, but I do know that the promises of God are Yes and Amen.  So I say Yes and Amen!  Whatever it may be I want to be found in agreement and obedience to the Lord.  Please stay tuned as I try to write the words that are on my heart.  


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