Women on the corner

Everyone knows there is prostitution.  It is talked about in different contexts and glamorized by Hollywood with Julie Roberts in Pretty Woman.  I have never encountered prostituted women (the politically correct term since calling them prostitutes is too much of a label I guess), until I moved to this part of Clifton last year.

We live two blocks from the street (the largest prostitution area) where these women walk up and down and men in Mercedes, BMWs, Minis, etc. all stop and pick them up at all times day and night.  I was shocked.  I couldn't understand.  These women are no Julia Roberts either.  They are all drug addicts and continuously look strung out at all times. 

As soon as I realized what was going on (it took me a couple months to get it), my heart broke.  I couldn't stop thinking about these girls.  This was awful.  I couldn't imagine their life, nor wanted to, but I was haunted by them.  Dan and I passed them every time we got on I-75.  This past spring, one girl was completely bloodied.  I started praying for these girls and found that I was having nightmares about them.  I wanted to do something for them, but what?

This past August, I had a patient who was a girl who worked down my my house as a prostitute for drug money.  She gave me a lot of insight about how prostitution works, pimps, and other things that I have never known.  She told me that she was often homeless and would go hungry to buy heroin.  After having her 4 days in a row, I asked her if there was something I could do for those girls; maybe I could take food.  My patient said bottled water would be the best.

That is where is sparked.  I talked to a friend about passing water and protein bars out to prostitutes.  She thought it was a great idea.  She also had a friend who was completely wanting to do this.  We gathered together and prayed.  Every Saturday morning (except the days I work), we go out passing out water and protein bars.  I continuously look for the pimps, but there have not been that many girls out when we've gone out.

Please pray that God's love would shine through us as we pass the water out to them.  We are not trying to take them out of prostitution nor take their time talking about Jesus, we're just giving them water and protein bars and hoping they feel/experience true love.