Packing her bags...
Almost every Wednesday, I walk down to the brothel for Bible study. Usually, the same group of women gather around the common area and we talk. Ever since I started Bible study, there has always been this one woman who is different. Everyone who meets her comments on how different she is. It took me awhile, but then I realized, she had a sense of hope. There was a light in her eyes and she had a joy about her.
Each week as we'd gather around, she'd happily lead everyone in a song. The longer we had Bible study, the more she started to share. I learned that she was the same age (23) as me. She had lost both of her parents. She had been in a long relationship, when she ended up pregnant. She had big dreams and plans of them having a family together; however, he wanted nothing to do with her. Scared, she moved 9+ hours away from family to St. Louis. With no friends or family here and nowhere to turn, she moved into the brothel. She believed it was the only way to care for her son. And she hated herself for it.
For 6+ months, I never even knew she had a son. He was never around during Bible study or any other time that I was there. She wanted to protect him. She never wanted him to know what she did or where she worked. So she did everything she could to make sure he stayed in a home of a woman from church, all the while, he never knew his mom wasn't there while he slept.
My friend had big dreams for herself and for her son. She often talked about how she knew God was real, that he was the only hope she had. While I was gone, she continued to lead Bible study so the girls never missed a week. She was different and everyone knew it....
In August, I noticed she wasn't at Bible study. I assumed she was sick until the girls said her room was locked and they hadn't seen her. I grew worried that something horrible had happened to her. But then, they got word that she had taken her son to her family's home so he would be away while the annual town festival happened.
Two months had passed and she still wasn't back in town....
Until today. This afternoon, I got called to the front gate but the security guard just kept saying "it's someone I think you'll be happy to see." I didn't quite understand what he meant until she came around the corner. I was shocked to see her standing there. And then she told me she came to say goodbye. Confused, I asked what she meant. My dear friend informed me that she had been given the chance to return back to school. She had finished through 9th grade but never had the possibility to continue on. She had come back to town to say goodbye and to pack up her things at the brothel. She had such a joy as she explained how she was so excited to be leaving the brothel. She knew that leaving wasn't something many girls had the opportunity of doing. My heart was so excited for her. She's longed for this day, this moment for the past few years. She's held onto the hope that's in Christ and now she's getting a new start, a second chance at life. I don't know of a more beautiful image of God's redemption than seeing that sweet friend pack her bags and carry them away from the brothel....
Each week as we'd gather around, she'd happily lead everyone in a song. The longer we had Bible study, the more she started to share. I learned that she was the same age (23) as me. She had lost both of her parents. She had been in a long relationship, when she ended up pregnant. She had big dreams and plans of them having a family together; however, he wanted nothing to do with her. Scared, she moved 9+ hours away from family to St. Louis. With no friends or family here and nowhere to turn, she moved into the brothel. She believed it was the only way to care for her son. And she hated herself for it.
For 6+ months, I never even knew she had a son. He was never around during Bible study or any other time that I was there. She wanted to protect him. She never wanted him to know what she did or where she worked. So she did everything she could to make sure he stayed in a home of a woman from church, all the while, he never knew his mom wasn't there while he slept.
My friend had big dreams for herself and for her son. She often talked about how she knew God was real, that he was the only hope she had. While I was gone, she continued to lead Bible study so the girls never missed a week. She was different and everyone knew it....
In August, I noticed she wasn't at Bible study. I assumed she was sick until the girls said her room was locked and they hadn't seen her. I grew worried that something horrible had happened to her. But then, they got word that she had taken her son to her family's home so he would be away while the annual town festival happened.
Two months had passed and she still wasn't back in town....
Until today. This afternoon, I got called to the front gate but the security guard just kept saying "it's someone I think you'll be happy to see." I didn't quite understand what he meant until she came around the corner. I was shocked to see her standing there. And then she told me she came to say goodbye. Confused, I asked what she meant. My dear friend informed me that she had been given the chance to return back to school. She had finished through 9th grade but never had the possibility to continue on. She had come back to town to say goodbye and to pack up her things at the brothel. She had such a joy as she explained how she was so excited to be leaving the brothel. She knew that leaving wasn't something many girls had the opportunity of doing. My heart was so excited for her. She's longed for this day, this moment for the past few years. She's held onto the hope that's in Christ and now she's getting a new start, a second chance at life. I don't know of a more beautiful image of God's redemption than seeing that sweet friend pack her bags and carry them away from the brothel....
......but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because we know how dearly God loves us....
Praise God! ❤️❤️❤️
ReplyDeletePraise God!
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