Ministering to Girls Caught in Sex Trade
It was 1995, I took a team of about 40 young people from Omaha to Tampico, Mexico on a mission project. We arrived well past midnight. It was a hot night and the church was still up waiting to greet us.
Clint Bokelman was their leader. He was from a Presbyterian church. When I used to belong to one, people called us “the frozen chosen.” We Presbyterians loved our theology sometimes more than people.
My life had been transformed by listening prayer. A few years earlier, having lost my job, struggling in my marriage, I was in the worst spot I’d ever been in. And it was there that God spoke to me. He told me he loved me in a way that seemed as loud as an audible voice. The experience wrecked me for ordinary living.
And so I challenged Clint to listen to what the Lord was wanting to say before he did anything. One day I told him, “There’s a red light district in Tampico. Go and minister to the girls who are being sold there.”
Clint knew a little Spanish and took a small group of students with him. They went to this part of the city where it was just row after row of brothels. Clint and his students were shocked.
As they looked down the street, a long row of small rooms stretched out for maybe three blocks. And inside these rooms were teenage girls.
Clint had no idea what to do. The team circled up and prayed, “Lord, how can we show these girls your love? We barely speak the language, show us what to do.”
They finished praying and one of the students said, “Hey there’s a person over there selling jewelry. What if we bought necklaces?”
Clint said, “What a great idea!”
Another student spoke up, “There’s a flower stand – what if we bought roses to give away?”
Now they had a plan. They went and returned with 30 necklaces and roses.
Next, they went to the first room and knocked on the door. A little girl maybe 16 years-old opened it. One of the students held out the necklace and a rose to her.
The girl stared at them, not knowing what to do. Finally she asked, “How much do they cost?”
Clint knew the Spanish word for gift and said, “Un regalo.”
The girl was overcome. She began to cry and cry. Clint says he still remembers how overwhelmed she was and how much it overwhelmed all of them.
Eventually, wiping the tears from her face, she reached out for the necklace and took the rose.
Her countenance changed. She smiled. They had a conversation with her using their broken Spanish.
When they finished, the students turned to one another. “That was amazing! Let’s go to the next door.”
Knocking on the door, the same thing happened. The girl opening it wanted to know how much what they were offering cost. Once more they explained that this was the free gift of a God who knows her and loves her.
And so they continued reaching out to the girls behind the doors. And as they did so, their courage began to grow. They began to see how frightened and alone the girls were. They began to realize that what they had to offer was a lot more than a flower and some jewelry. The students were offering connection and hope.
Clint shared the story with me last month. It’s been 29 years and he still can’t tell that story without feeling the emotion that he felt back then. Since then, he’s come to know God as a father looking to find his lost children. He’s come to understand that what he felt then is God’s heart longing to touch them through we humans. He’s connected his theology with his feet and his hands.
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Seth, how anyone could read your retelling of this narrative and not have spiritual entrails spill out on the floor is beyond me. The juxtaposition of brutality, sadness and grace is palpable. We need to be ready to “suit up and show up” every day unafraid of being wrecked in the journey.
Yes. My own healing was not enough. I had to share that hope with others. If people can just experience how easy it is to partner with God in this way, it can be such an ongoing source of hope in their lives as well.
What a beautiful experience. It would be so hard to walk away though and not rip those girls out of those rooms and take them away. 😭Were they able at that time to rescue any of the girls? Thank you so much for sharing Seth!
You’re right, Sandy – it’s so hard! What we’ve seen in rescuing girls caught in the sex trade is that you have to have a good followup plan. When we did that in the inner city of Philadelphia, for example, we had a number of partnerships with ministries that helped them in their journey back to sustainability.
Hi Seth
Those are the kinds of experiences that change peoples lives.
That’s a lot different than just building a house. It’s sharing in the
suffering and hardships of others and then watching their response
when they experience Jesus in you.
That’s exactly what happened to me when Joe took me to Rio Bravo many years ago.
It had a permanent impact on my life and I still pray that God won’t let me
become insensitive to the needs of the lost and poor.
Richard – me too. The Mexican slums had that impact on me. And I’ve found that I need to have my heart broken regularly to stay sensitive to God’s calling on my life. I have been so encouraged by your life, Richard. You have continued to respond with compassion to those who so many others no longer respond to because “it’s too dangerous.” Thank you to you and Gail for your wonderful example.
This was such a beautiful testimony of God reaching out to His children in such a simple way. I am hoping that these girls truly know there is a God who loves them and will help them. Thank you for doing the will of God.
I love this story. I remember reading “The Art of Listening Prayer” in 2015 and it put into words a practice I had done years ago after being filled with the baptism of Holy Spirit. I was raised in a Methodist church which never really spoke about the power of being filled with the Holy Spirit nor the fact that we could hear God’s voice personally. I would sit with the Lord and as I conversed with Him, I would write the things I heard Him speaking to me. It was life-changing.
I hope someone reads this story and says, I want to try that just like Clint and his team did. What an impact they made on those girls 29 years ago and what an impact can be made when we listen to His voice.
To imagine the change that’s made when a young girl feels true connection and hope. When she doesn’t feel judged but loved. Help us, Lord to make a difference in some young persons’ life today and every day.
If Clint is reading this, I want to say how special him and his wife are to the Kingdom of God. I had the privilege of meeting them, but so many young people I run into say how much he impacted their lives. Truly a man who listens to God and acts on what he hears.
Becky – you are such an encourager! Thank you. And what a story you have lived into. I will pass this on to Clint.
Clint is a sensitive tuned-in soul. Glad you two are still connected.