HIS story In The Making

Ok, so you probably get the play on words in my title name (Her Story -- history -- get it?).

But I think that our lives should be all about adding to
HIS Story:
Making a difference in this world and showing Christ to those who think no one really cares...

Last night was another amazing night of MIDNIGHT OUTREACH.

We met at the church around 9:00 to pray and Alliece was telling some great stories to a couple of newcomers... then, when she prayed, she asked God to "give us more stories."
Did He ever!

Last night began with the realization that one of our "usual" strip club stops was shut down. There was a police raid a while back and apparently, there was some "not-so-legal stuff" going down in there, so they are closed for business.
We headed a short way down the road to another "usual" stop.

This club is an interesting story, in and of, itself.
You see, we've been informed by his bouncers that the owner is a practicing Satanist.
Um, yeah.
A Satanist, strip club owner who allows the Church to come in and give roses and chocolates to his employees.
Wait, it gets even better...
There is another strip club further down the road that we have been trying to get into for ages (no luck). Last night the Satanist dude comes out to greet us and fill us in on the closed strip club's details... then he asks us if we are going to _______?
Alliece tells him no, they won't let us in.
Get this: He CALLS the other strip club and tells them to LET US IN!
After a year of trying to get in, we finally got to go in to _______ and they seemed glad to see us! We gave the working girls roses and make-up kits and gave all the bouncers and managers chocolates and gum.

Then we headed to the inner city to look for prostitutes and to show love to the community.
We came upon a street where a man had JUST been stabbed in a fight. The fire truck and paramedics showed up right as we did and we ended up staying on that street for a good 45 minutes or so.
While there, we were able to hand out roses and chocolates to the good people sitting out on their front porches and in their yards (at midnight, no less) and gave them fliers inviting them to the Winbourne campus for church. There were kids running around everywhere so we invited them to Vacation Bible School and gave them free chocolate and gum as well.
The cool thing was that while we were there, we "found" a lady who used to come to Ladies' Thrive all the time, but whom we hadn't seen in a while, and Alliece "found" a young prostitute that she had lost track of a while back.

All in all, it was a great night and I think God more than honored our request for "more stories" to tell. All I could think about was how each of these people -- the strippers, the prostitutes, the pimps, the drug dealers, the homeless, and the poor -- each one of them are an integral part of the bigger picture, the bigger story:
HIS story.
And I feel honored to have been allowed to play some small part in that...
THANK YOU, Healing Place Church, for giving us the opportunity to participate in such an amazing outreach!

You IS In An Area!

This past weekend was INSANE.
I don't think I've sat down to reflect on any of it for more than a couple of minutes!

Friday night was our monthly MIDNIGHT OUTREACH here in Baton Rouge.
Vincent Bellipanni and Craig & Hope Boutte joined us for a night of seeking and reaching the lost and hurting in Baton Rouge... and it was anything but ordinary.

Now, I'm sure you're probably thinking: "How could giving roses to strippers and prostitutes and chocolates to bouncers and pimps ever be considered ORDINARY, anyway?"
But as Pastor Alliece says, when you're doing this kind of ministry, EXPECT ANYTHING.

We encountered cross-dressers and an apprehensive police officer who unexpectedly gave us a brief, "police escort" to our intended target.
And who could forget the enigmatic, street-walking woman who encouraged us with quoted scripture?
Basically, she told us to keep it up -- to not be afraid for "no weapon formed against us" would prosper -- and let us know that we were in the right place, at the right time with an enthusiastic:
"You IS in an area!"

You know, I have been scared walking in to Cortana Mall before.
I have been frightened while stopping at a deteriorating gas station in the middle of nowhere.
And I have prayed fervently (under my breath) when approached by unseemly characters who appeared to be straight out of "Deliverance," but I am constantly amazed by how UNFEARFUL I feel when doing Midnight.
I know that we are following the heart of Christ and I believe that God has His hand on us when we enter this particular "mission field."

It's truly indescribable; you kinda have to be there.
And when you get there, you'll know it.

PAST MIDNIGHT

Another incredible Midnight Outreach last night... it's so amazing to watch God lead!

You know, it was cold and rainy and I was thinking, "Hmmm... will anyone even be out tonight?"
Our first stop was at a local strip club and as we walked in taking roses to the girls, I couldn't help but notice the difference from the last time we came to this same club. Before, we could hardly walk through the crowd due to the throng of patrons, and before, every stage was in use. Last night, the club was almost empty (well, compared to before). We quickly passed out roses and went back to the van, but Pastor Alliece remained behind for a few minutes talking to the girl working the door. She knows Alliece from previous encounters and last night, she really needed someone to talk to. She is dealing with all kinds of health and financial issues and is desperately looking for a new job. Alliece prayed with her (discreetly) and then we were on our way. I couldn't help but think SHE was the reason we entered that club last night.

Fast forward about an hour... We are driving around trying to find someone, anyone, working the streets. They have apparently been run off from their old territory, but (like Alliece said), it's not like they all made a career change just because the cops showed up. So we drove around desperately praying for God to show us something -- to open our eyes to their new locations.

Driving down a dark, residential street in northern Baton Rouge, we spotted a woman walking in the rain. We pulled up beside her and offered her a rose. She asked if she could have 2 more for some other ladies who were in the house, so Alliece stepped out of the van and came around to talk with her. The woman (aged in her 50's or 60's?) had just been thrown out of the house by her daughter (again) and had nowhere to go.
A homeless grandmother.
As Pastor Alliece told her about the nearby Dream Center and how we could help her, the woman began to cry. She told Pastor Alliece that after her daughter had kicked her out, she had been trying to drink herself to death.
She was literally trying to kill herself with alcohol. Alliece and Charity held her and prayed with her for some time and got her name and information. I hope she comes to the Dream Center so that we can minister to her more!

We found a few more people to give roses to -- and a new idea for our midnight outreaches: Hospital emergency rooms!
But the majority of our evening was spent looking for any sign of the elusive prostitutes and especially the underage ones who we so desperately want to get off the streets.
As we drove around, I kept remembering Alliece's words regarding their similar ministry in another state: in the beginning they just prayed for FAVOR and for God to lead them to where the people were. And they thanked God for the day that would come when they would be able to make a connection with these women and when they would be allowed to enter those clubs... and when that day finally came, they were just in awe.
I thought about that and all I could see, staring out the dark, rain-splattered windows was the possibility of what could be.
I can hardly wait.

If you are wondering what it is we do, exactly, you can read my first MIDNIGHT post here: MIDNIGHT OUTREACH

God bless Healing Place Church for allowing us to do this important ministry. We truly want to be a HEALING place for a hurting world.

MIDNIGHT

Up to 80% of strippers were raped or sexually abused as CHILDREN.

Up to 60% of exotic dancers suffer from severe depression and other psychiatric disorders.

ONE IN FOUR (!!!!) children becomes a victim of sexual abuse (isolated or repetitive) before their 18th birthday.

The average age of a beginner prostitute is between 14 and 16 years of age and fully 42% of all prostitutes begin hooking before the age of 18.

Up to 95% of prostitutes have been raped or sexually abused AS A CHILD.

Every time you see a pornographic photo of a woman, every time you watch an exotic dancer perform, every time you pass a hooker on the street or in a hotel... You are looking at someone's LITTLE GIRL.

NO little girl dreams of growing up to be a stripper.
NO young girl aspires to become a prostitute.

This is someone's DAUGHTER.
A LITTLE GIRL who, at some point in her life, was violated physically and/or emotionally.
She is not an OBJECT or an ILLUSION.
She is just like YOUR DAUGHTER or YOUR MOTHER or YOUR SISTER.
She is someone's daughter or mother or sister.

Last night, for the first time, I participated in HPC's MIDNIGHT OUTREACH.
We left around 9:30 pm and hit various bars & strip clubs around the greater metro area. We gave the working girls roses and other gifts and we gave the bouncers/owners/managers chocolate.
This is NOT what you may think.
We do NOT go out to preach to these girls. We do not criticize; we do not chastise; we do not look down on them... We don't tell them they could do better or that they need to come to church or that what they are doing is wrong.
WHY?
Because they already know that.
Our SOLE PURPOSE is to tell these girls (and guys!) that God loves them -- that WE love them -- right now, right where they are.
They do not need to DO anything or BE anything more than they already are to receive this love.
And what they are is a precious CHILD of God who is hurting more than you or I could ever know.

Not too long ago, I asked God to break my heart for the things that break His.
I think He has answered me.
My heart ached last night for those ladies I saw. As I looked into their eyes, I could sense an unspeakable desperation. Some eyes appeared vacant -- a telling sign of the drugs that kept them going. Some would not look me in the eyes at all.
One girl stopped dancing and leaned down to thank me and as I looked into her eyes, I thought, "Dear God, she can't be more than 16 or 17 years old! This is somebody's child!"

But they are all children.
And my heart is broken.

Heal my heart and make it clean
Open up my eyes to the things unseen
Show me how to love like you have loved me
Break my heart for what breaks yours
Everything I am for your kingdom's cause
As I walk from earth into eternity
-- lyrics from HOSANNA by Hillsong