This past Friday night, our team handed out 19 gift bags. That means 19 women received the message that someone cares about them and their life matters. Despite what the world or what other people are telling them, for one moment they got to hear the truth that they are loved. This Friday was a very calm night on the streets, which is surprising since we handed out so many gift bags. Usually when a lot of girls are out, the streets are chaotic with cars and people, but tonight there was calmness in the night. I can’t help but think the calmness was happening because of the prayers our team and others have been praying. From the time we first started this ministry to now, the “atmosphere” on these streets has been changing. Strongholds on this city are breaking, just because people are praying for these women.
Each conversation we had with the girls was natural and they were so thankful for the gift. We had a few girls ask us in such a sincere way, “Why are you doing this? This is so nice.” They expressed they were so thankful and surprised that we would be out at this time to give them a gift. We got to see a girl that we have met a couple times before. She remembered us and was excited to talk to us. Each time we go out I am reminded that we are becoming friends with these girls. We aren’t just another face, but someone they are beginning to recognize and slowly trust us with hard things they are going through. At one point in the night we were standing with 5 girls just talking to them. I was in awe of what God was doing. He just asks us to go out on Friday night to reach out to his daughters with a simple message. And we do go and then God shows up. There has never been a night that God hasn’t showed up. He loves his daughters and he is always fighting for them. As we were standing with the girls, other people were watching us as they drove and walked by. They were intrigued on what was happening, and what is neat is in that moment they got to see God’s love being poured out to these girls. Other girls on the streets were watching us talk to their friends, and as we were talking they came up to us wondering what was happening. Not only are we reaching out to these girls, but also maybe for a moment we are allowing other people driving by see these beautiful women differently. That they aren’t an object, they aren’t a lost cause, but instead they are someone worth fighting for. We are a part of a bigger story God is writing. Every girl we meet has a story of how they got to be where they are. Just like any person we meet, they have a life story or trials they have overcome, or beautiful experiences they have had. This past week I’ve been thinking of the story that I have and how at times I wonder how it will help the girls we reach out to. But what I have been reminded of is the part in my story of how God never stopped pursuing me. He never stopped, and he will never stop. I want to share this message with the girls we encounter, that our team isn’t going to just stop coming out on Friday nights. We will continue to come out and continue to reach these girls. We are different than those who have walked in their lives and left them. Our team isn’t part of some “cool fad” that will die out. Our team is a part of pursuing these girls as Jesus’ hands and feet, so they can live a life of freedom. Our message is “Because You Matter”, because these women deserve a life that they have dreamed of, they deserve to be loved unconditionally, and they deserve for someone to fight for their freedom. -Brenna If you have a desire to get involved with this ministry and have not done a DTS then check out the Justice DTS at YWAM Ls Angeles and apply here. http://ywamla.org/apply-now/general-application/
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