Loving the least of these

For the past couple years ever since I heard a young woman share at my grandma's church about the work she does working with victims of sex trafficking and educated us about the realities of this harsh reality my heart has been burdened for those in the sex trade and child exploitation, prostitutes transvestites. I just can't get it out of my mind! My heart is so passionate to see women, men and children escape the trap! There are so many people stuck in this business and it is hurting so many. The moment I heard about what Rochelle Potter does working with these people groups, I immediately felt a tug on my heart and that maybe God was calling me into this kind of ministry myself. When it came to the choice of where to go for outreach, Turkey or El Salvador, little did I know that by God leading me to El Salvador that He was oppening wide the opportunity to do what I was passionate about. I've been on outreach now in El Salvador for 2 weeks now and I wondered if I might get the chance to share the love of God with them. I also, found out that the city where I am staying, trafficking and prostitution is very prominant. I was a little scared at first, but God immediately filled our team with so much peace, and I knew that He was with me and protecting us. One morning while I was jogging with one our my hosts from the El Sal YWAM base, she informed me that the very street we jogged around had prostitutes and transvestites lining it at night and my heart jumped inside. Partly out of sadness, partly out of hope that God would use me to work with them. The next day I lead the team in intercession for the prostitutes and transvestites, and the day after that I found out that we were going to have a chance to talk with them with our local El Salvadorians hosts. The first night we rode in the back of Fran's pick-up and just observed, and the next time we visited we went up to them and handed out cups of coke and bags of cookies! They knew who our hosts were and readily welcomed us! We even asked them if we could pray for them and they let us. I will never forget this one young woman who teared up when we told her how God loved her and I could almost hear her crying out inside to escape the life she had become so familiar with. What we did seemed so small, and yet it seemed to shatter skyscrapers of hurt and pain. But, from my knowledge it takes more than one visit to really build a trusting relationship with them to really go deep in conversation and get them to allow you to really disciple them. They all know in their mind who God is, but to really get to the heart is another story. I wondered how much good we really did, and as we walked back home I said to myself: "God, is this really doing much, or am I just kinda wasting time simply with coke, cookies and sweet little blessing?" The night grew darker and the city noises quieter and in the quiet I recalled the passage of scripture in Matthew 25. "As much as you have done to the least of these my brethren, you have done it to me."