Freedom
Written by a worker among prostitutes in Southeast Asia.

 “I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love; I lifted the yoke from their neck and bent down to feed them” Hosea 11:4

We met Kay over a year ago almost by accident. We were visiting a different girl in the same brothel who was out of town. Kay was kind and politely listened as we talked about God’s love for her. Over the next few months, she seemed interested, but she continued to tell us that she was preparing to fulfill her dream of moving to Hong Kong. As her departure date neared, we shared more and more with Kay, giving her copies of the Jesus film, “The Passion of the Christ,” and other tracts for her to watch and read at her convenience. A week after her alleged departure, we passed her brothel. She was sitting in front with a customer. When she saw us, she simply said, “Sorry.”

Although we felt disappointed and somewhat betrayed, we tried to see Kay several times over the next few weeks, but we could not make contact. We thought she did not want to see us anymore. But even then the Father was working in ways we could not see or understand.

A few months later we saw Kay again, and she invited us to come in and chat. She told us stories of how she had watched the movies we had given her over and over again and how she had read anything about Christianity that she could get her hands on. She was listening to preachers on TV and the radio. She couldn’t stop. It was as if she was being drawn.  Over the next several weeks, we continued to meet with her, answering endless questions about our beliefs.

And then it came …the tide turned. On Christmas Eve, my friend received a text message. Kay was at church. She just felt drawn. I wondered if she had just gone to “check things out” or because she thought Christians went to church on Christmas. Whatever the reason, Kay continued to attend church faithfully, and she developed a hunger for the Word of God of which I have hardly seen the equal. From that time on, she gladly accepted our requests to visit. She still had many questions, but she was eager to find the answers in Scripture with us. Often she had memorized key verses from our previous visit.

Our biggest obstacle was that Kay, while overflowing with enthusiasm to study the Word and clearly possessing the peace and joy that only God can give, was still a prostitute. As a young widow and mother of three kids, it seemed to be the only job for unskilled, uneducated women that paid enough to support her kids. Nevertheless, she knew she could not continue in that life and claim to be a follower of Christ. And so she set a date for leaving the lifestyle.

As the date approached, we talked to Kay about sacrifices. She was going to have to make a lot of them very early on. After only a few months as a Christian, Kay was being challenged to sacrifice in a way many of us have never had to face. But she faced it all with a peaceful smile, knowing already that the Father would provide whatever she needed.

The day after she left the red light district, Kay sent me a text message from her village. She would be there a few weeks before coming back to our city to find work. When she returned, we met with her again. My friend and I had  found a job for her. Although it didn’t pay much, she could start immediately. However, when we met with Kay, she was beaming. She had been accepted into a training program for overseas workers. The Father was fulfilling her dream of going to Hong Kong, a place where she could make enough to provide for her family in a legitimate way.
 
A few weeks ago, Kay was baptized, and she is already sharing her faith with the people she loves. A skeptic asked her what we had said to her to make her convert. Kay responded with surprising clarity, “It wasn’t them. God used them, but it was God that changed my heart. It was God that drew me to him in such an irresistible way. It is only God who changes people’s hearts.”

Pray that:

Kay will continue to grow in her faith and will share with others how God has changed her life.

The training program to which Kay has been accepted will offer a legitimate means for Kay to provide for her family.

Other women like Kay will realize that God can deliver them from a desperate situation.

Pacific Rim is a region of the International Mission Board, SBC.