HANDS & HEARTS: part 3

finally, the moment you've been waiting for.  the baskets of gifts were all ready to go.  and i have to tell you, the response from the women is worthy of a 4th of July type of fireworks grand finale, because yes, the gifts were that well received (hoorah!). but i will leave the best for last, as before we handed out the gifts it was time for

hands & hearts
in hamburg, this time, to

sign

and seal

so we could

deliver the deal

so what was in each sack of gold?

well you already know each contained

a bracelet

made by our friends in l.a.

but what's that behind the bracelet?

a card?  no...

a tiny little book

filled with God's Word

it's titled "Real/True Gold"

we found these on a german website,

and you could order as many as you wanted,

for FREE!

did we strike gold or what?

turn the bag around and

there was a Goldschatz chocolate. 

Click here to learn the significance

of these special chocolates.

and you already know that each

was accompanied by a beautiful card

okay, almost done and ready to put them in the baskets!

let's get our jackets on

as it's time to put these precious gifts into

 the hands & hearts

where they belong

 we headed to the Reeperbahn first, to the 4 brothels and 1 'gentlemen's lounge' our team visits once a week. we also went to all of the women that work and stand on the street of the Reeperbahn, and in addition we went into a closed off street of the Reeperbahn that is for men only where women sit in windows. a few nights later we also went to the other red light district of the city to finish it off. 

we gave out every single gift. 
250 women!

the women LOVED the gifts.

and yes, we told them that
the bracelets were made just for them
by women in los angeles

Really? How nice!

and we told them how
women in texas handmade the cards

They're so pretty!

some came clamoring up to us, saying

Can I have another one for my friend?

or

We heard you were giving these out--

can we have one?

some women immediately opened them

and put the bracelets on

they studied the beauty of the cards

they read what was written inside

and they looked at us in sincerity

with eyes full of unbelief yet acceptance

of the message and of the gift

and said,

Thank you.

Really.

Thank you.

So much.

to some we explained the meaning of the gift--
this is a gift to let you know
that God says that YOU are gold.

but to some, we didn't have to say a word at all.
 one woman, after surveying the whole gift,
said, I get it. I totally get it.

and, in tears, she was so overwhelmed by it that she went into her room of the brothel and closed the door.  her heart had become bare and it was too initmate and too much for others to see.

some took out the mini books of scripture and began reading them, while standing there and working!

the women we met on the streets,
that we don't visit each week
(like we do for the ones in the brothels)
said, Why don't you come and visit us more often?

many of them said,

"Why?"

"What's the reason?"

up to date we had given them gifts for

Christmas

Valentine's Day

& Easter.

a gift celebrating a holiday,

especially a Christian holiday,

they could understand.

but for no reason...

in the middle of june...

a  gift for no other reason

but to say

YOU ARE GOLD!

was a bit much...

in a wonderful way

i am convinced that these gifts have opened doors to the women's hearts for ministry that were previously shut.  the 1st gift at christmas was a complete shock to them.  the 2nd for valentine's day communicated to them, 'hey, it's not just for christmas that these women are giving us gifts.  hmmm.'  for easter, the gifts of hope with the jelly beans melted their hearts, almost 'paving the way'...but these sealed the deal.  really.  the openness the women have had with us ever since we've passed them out has been astounding.

but for our team, the most incredible thing to us about this gift is that the women are now WEARING the bracelets.

they are wearing the bracelets!

do you get the signifcance of that?

some of these women's hearts are so hard

but with open hands they not only received these gifts

but they have accepted them as their own.

this tells me that they are wearing them, believing,

yes, i AM gold

i AM worth something

i AM loved
and
i am NOT forgotten

and the fact that they wear them also says to me that they are choosing to relate to us as a brothel team...they are identifying with us.  this is huge.  HUGE. 

there is one woman i am getting to know who works on the street of the Reeperbahn.  when i came up to her a few weeks after we handed out the bracelets, she took her wrist and touched mine with it, and smiled,  and then looked me in the eyes (we were both wearing our bracelets).  it was almost as if she was saying,
hey, new friend, i've got the bracelet on you gave me
 (and since then our relationship has continued to grow deeper).

i cry as i type this. my heart is so tender toward these dear women and i am so grateful that through many different hands & hearts all over the globe, God is reaching these women. they are coming to accept His great love for them.  and this, for me, and for our team, is what it's all about.

a tremendous

THANK YOU

to karen
& the women of CVCC
and to

the other caryn :)
& women of The Heights Fellowship
...
each of YOU have been used by the
hand of God
to display His heart
to these precious women.
YOU ARE GOLD!