I would mark February as a time of spiritual growth. It was filled with conviction, fights, make-ups, reconciliation, tears, honesty and an urgent desire to spend time with Jesus. Since I was in kindergarten, I have been an extroverted, social butterfly. I do not think that this is a bad thing; however, it is easy to get burnt out when the priority of serving people is above the necessity of spending time with Jesus.
I thought of 1 Kings 19, when God goes to speak to Elijah. When He passes by, He does not come in the form of the strong wind, a powerful earthquake or a blazing fire, but instead, when God spoke to Elijah, it was in a low whisper. And that same voice that whispered to Elijah has whispered into my own heart that I am starting to love His creation more than the Creator.
I mean, can you imagine me doing evangelism as the “church lady” inside the strip clubs? How can I possibly be okay with sharing the good news of Jesus with these women, while I have yet to spend time with Him in a while? And I do not mean a ten minute devotional from my Bible app on my phone. I mean deep, intimate, prayerful conversation time with Jesus. I am thankful that God revealed that brokenness in my heart and reminded me of my desire to draw near to Him.
Every year farmers from around the United States come to Louisville for a week. Sadly where there is more men in town, there will be more customers in the club. It also happened to be the week of Valentine’s, so volunteers from Scarlet Hope made over 200 gift bags for the women in the clubs. Giving a gift to someone is always a great way to start a conversation and that is how I met Dancer “A”.
Originally I was hesitant to walk up to her because I am human and get nervous, but I ended up just sitting next to her at the bar. I introduced myself to her and then after that the words just started flowing. At some point during our conversation, I asked her if she wanted to start a family and to my surprise she was already married! She says her husband is cool with her working in a strip club and she only started this job so she can pay for school. Whether or not that was the truth, it was still sad to hear.
Our conversation then turned spiritual. “A” says she believes in God and by being a good person she has been blessed tremendously. She pulled out a wad of money from her bra and said, “See what I mean?” I humbly had to meet her where she was, so instead of rebuking and throwing scripture at her that contradicts her beliefs, I chose to remain silent and continue to listen. She also says she tries to minister to the girls in the clubs which I found interesting.
Our conversation never went from spiritual to the Gospel because we were interrupted by a customer. This is embarrassing to admit, but I was a bit mad and confused at God. Why would He interrupt me and “A’s” time together? It was going so well and then BOOM- she had to go entertain a customer! Nonetheless, I am so thankful that God provided the time I had with her. We ended our conversation with a hug and then she went on her way. I did not have the opportunity to talk with her or any other dancers for the remainder of the time I was there because the club was quite busy. It was such a blessing to be a part of Outreach during Valentine’s. We wanted to make the girls feel special because we trust and believe that God created each and every one of them with a purpose!
