Beautiful One is one of the women that we know in the brothels and I wrote about her in my first Brothel Ministry post. She continues to WOW us each week as we spend time with her. (I say ‘we’ and this means my friend and I on the brothel team—not Buddy and I). When we come once a week her face lights up and she gives us the biggest hugs. She beckons us into her room and shuts the door (which is to say, “No customers right now, I’m busy”) and we usually sit with her on her bed, and talk for about an hour (then she has to go back to work). We always pray with her, too. She is really growing in her relationship with God and it is so amazing and encouraging to us.
Here are few highlights about how God is working in Beautiful One:
- She has told the entire brothel about the cross necklace we gave her and why she wears it. She told us that she told them “My very best friends gave it to me. They are my family.” She has told us that we are her best friends—the women in the brothel aren’t really “friends like you are to me,” she told us. They are co-workers (and I think for obvious reasons there is competition as well so they’re not always all on the best of terms). She said in the past she has never been able to wear a necklace because she’s always gotten a rash on her neck as she’s been allergic to them, but NOT with the one we gave her. She never takes it off. She treasures it so much. It is precious!
- We gave her a Jesus movie DVD one week and the next week we asked her if she watched it. Not only did she watch it, but she had all the women in her room and she made them watch it and if they would try and talk during it she would tell them “Shh! Be quiet! Pay attention!” This girl is an evangelist, I tell you.
- She also seems to be the ‘lead girl’ (kinda like a big sister or ‘mom’) of the brothel, which is pretty cool—God goes after the one lost sheep—and He goes after the one who will bring the others to Him as well! She is sharing her faith with the other women and is telling them “If God can give me a new life, He can do the same for you!” She has even pointed us toward the specific women that she has talked to about Jesus, and then tells us to “GO and talk to them like you talk to me.” So awesome!
- One time when she was telling us all of these encouraging things, my friend that I work with kept saying under her breath, “Hallelujah!” Finally Beautiful One asked us, "What does Hallelujah mean?” We told her that it means “Praise the Lord” and she then exclaimed very loudly, with joy and gusto, “Hallelujah!” I told you, this girl is an evangelist.
- She is not keeping her new found love and life to herself. It is so beautiful. How she cannot contain her joy reminds me of a song, actually, titled Beautiful One by Tim Hughes (which is referring to God)…it reads
Is Your unfailing love
Your cross has spoken mercy over me
No eye has seen, no ear has heard
No heart could fully know
How glorious, how beautiful you are!
Beautiful One I love You
Beautiful One I adore
Beautiful One my soul must sing
Powerful, so powerful Your glory fills the skies
Your mighty works displayed for all to see
The beauty of Your majesty Awakes my heart to sing
How marvellous, how wonderful You are
You opened my eyes to Your wonders anew
You captured my heart with this love
Because nothing on earth is as beautiful as You
My soul, my soul must sing
My soul, my soul must sing
My soul, my soul must sing
Beautiful One
The part that reminds me of her is where it says “My soul, my soul MUST sing.” I mean, she is so excited about her new life in Christ, that she literally cannot help but let it out. She told us that a few weeks ago that one time during the day she went into a German church service, and that there were probably only five other people in there, but finally she loudly exclaimed in her native tongue (she’s not German) “Father, I love you!” She said she knew the others may have looked at her but she didn’t care because she couldn’t NOT tell God how much she loves him.
Now you may be wondering if she loves God so much why she is still working in the brothel. Now I am new at this—Beautiful One is the first convert I’ve met in the brothels. But if she serves as a typical example, I think this is why she is still there—these women don’t just get up and leave their profession over night. Yes, she has come to know the Savior, but she has been doing this work for 10 years. She has chosen this work in order to provide for her family back home. She has seen it as a necessity. She doesn’t like it but it has become her life. She still probably thinks “This is who I am and this is what I do…and this is what I will always do to make money for my family.” To just get up and leave is foreign to her. But we speak to her of how her/our mighty God can provide financially for her and her family in other ways. But it will take faith for her to really believe this. And she needs to be ready to quit. She has told us that she is tired of this work—and this is a very good sign. We have entrusted her into the Lord’s hands and we know He will guide her to wholeness and safety when the timing is right. Until then, we see her each week, we pray for her, we speak truth to her, we try to encourage her, and we just continue to love her exactly where she is…just as she is.
You can continue to pray for her as well.
Thanks so much for caring.
With love,
Krista
p.s. to read about the 1st time I mentioned Beautiful One, click here
p.p.s. to read about the time Beautiful One was healed, click here
1 comment:
Thanks for the update! I was very blessed to Beautiful One is being. Isn't our God amazing?! I am, and will continue to be praying for her, and you as you minister to her.
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