It’s been such a full day. You know those days
where you get to the end and feel so packed with impressions and thoughts. Today
was such a day.
This morning I took a walk to a little tea
house on the edge of the park. As I sat drinking my wee pot of Earl Grey, while
sat on the bench lined with cushions on the terrace, I was watching these
little birds on a patch of grass with flower interspersed nearby. The birds
were so tiny and energetic and darted in and out of the space, and the sun rays
made the white flowers shine. And I remembered Jesus’ words to not worry. That
if God cares so much about flowers and birds, how much more for us, the ones He
loves so dearly.
Back at the apartment we gathered together with
the Freedom61 team to pray as they were going to visit “Tina”, a woman who left
prostitution very recently. As we prayed, my heart was filled with hope for
her. Hope that she will make it. That her choice to leave would remain and that
her needs wouldn’t lead her back to the streets. Like anyone who has ended up
deciding to sell her body, it’s not going to be easy, but she is on a good
path. The team shared the challenges of work and provision for her, and as we
prayed we asked that God would truly be Provider for her. And again I was
reminded of what Jesus said: not to worry! He cares more about her than birds and
flowers.
In the evening we got into the car, headed to
one of the areas where women sell their bodies along the highway. It was with a
quiet excitement that we drove there. I remembered 2 years ago when I was here
for the first time and we did the same thing, only then it was one of the first
times they had gone there. Now it was part of a regular outreach, and I was so
thankful for all God has done in just two short years in this ministry and this
place. We drove around for a while without seeing any girls. Good in the sense
that they chose not to sell their bodies today. But on the other hand, no
opportunities to build relationships that could present them with an
alternative option to walking the streets. As we drove and watched for the
girls I kept thinking about their reality, and wondering what their stories
were. What was it that caused them to choose this as a solution to their needs?
And what were the dreams they had chosen to let die to be able to cope with the
reality they are living in. And I was reminded that even the weight of their
lives and situations, Jesus is able to carry.
Back at the café (where the girls in another
area come in for a coffee or soup, and a chat), as we came in, we were met by a
bustle of quiet activity. A couple of women were drinking coffee and chatting
to some of the Freedom61 team, and there was such a sense of peace and life in
the atmosphere. I walked through smiling, and was reminded, that although those
women hadn’t chosen to completely leave prostitution yet, the choice to come in
was a good choice they had made that evening (even if they would soon head out
to work again). And I prayed that they would continue to make good choices that
would lead them also onto a path of life.
Midnight has come and gone and as I write this,
as always it’s mostly for myself. It’s good to be able to put down in words
some of the processes in my mind and heart.
As we were ending the outreach, one of the team
shared that the English translation of the Latvian national anthem reads:
“God, bless Latvia,
Our dearest fatherland,
Do bless Latvia,
Oh, do bless it!
Where Latvian daughters bloom,
Where Latvian sons sing,
Let us dance in happiness there,
In our Latvia!“
And that is my heart’s desire for these women
that touched my heart today. That they would become “daughters that bloom”; and
that their lives would be full of hope and joy, and that they too would dance
in happiness.