Bar Girls

Olongapo/Subic Bay Freeport Zone was home to an old American Navy Base which shut down in 1992. The architecture of the place is circa 1960's and the atmosphere is one which holds only the sins of the past generation of sailors and marines which called this place home. Upon my observation the main industry here is tourism, but not the white sands, sippin' a pina colada on the beach sort of tourism. It's the 'grimy bar full of beautiful Filipino women selling their bodies and their dignities for a chance to attain the American dream' sort of tourism. It breaks my heart.

This is the 5th country in which I've had the blessing of being able to minister to prostitutes and as usual God just stirs my heart for these women. The prostitution industry is different in every nation, of course, it's not limited to any one mindset. The primary reason women enter into prostitution here is that they are hoping for something better. They are hoping that a nice white man will come and make her his 'girlfriend' and that she will end up living a comfortable life with him. I don't want to paint these women as naive or 'gold-diggers' they are simply blinded by the enemy's lies that would tell them the best hope they have for a full life is to sell their bodies 7 days a week until someone eventually comes along and rescues them. 

Last night we met 4 beautiful women at one of the bars that caters to middle-aged foreigners. Along with our ministry contact here (a former prostitute who was reached out to by a YWAMer herself in the bar she worked at) we were able to share with these girls about the dreams that God has for them and the destinies that God wants to fulfill in them. We reminded them to dream big and that they were loved as they were by the one who created them. We invited them to church this morning and they were able to come! What a blessing!

This friday we will be hosting a beach party for all the girls that we have been, and will be meeting over our time here. Please pray that we would be able to build relationships with the women over this next week. Join with me in praying for the salvation of two of these women, that they would enter into the discipleship program here and begin experiencing freedom in Jesus.