”I will plant her for myself in the land; I will show my love to the one I called ‘Not my loved one.’ I will say to those called ‘Not my people,’ ‘You are my people’; and they will say, ‘You are my God.'”
Hosea 2:23
Along dirt crusted roads we traveled weaving between the busy Nepali people eagerly waiting to know our assignments for the day. Upon arrival to our host’s home we gathered along brightly colored floral mattresses. The children greeted us with giggles and hugs as we sat down.
After a few silly icebreaker games and introductions we were asked to listen so that we could be given instructions by our host mom. She began to describe that the remaining of the day would involve a few of us staying home to tutor the children who lived in the home and the rest of us would go on a prayer walk to pray over those involved in selling their bodies to make a living. Our host mom explained with painful detail the darkness involved in the ministry. My heart began to break for the women. I couldn’t shake the heavy feeling in my chest building up as she went on. I knew that God was calling me to go.
Two of the women in the house lead us out to begin our trek across the city to the prayer site. Our faces rested with solemnity as we processed the gravity of the situation. My body shook with fear and anxiety. My heart was on the ground in pieces as we hopped off the packed bus to begin our walk.
As I gazed across the flood of people I prayed to God that he would give us something; a word, a vision, a song. I prayed that he would lead us. We walked for a while until the women said that we had arrived. We were greeted by a smiley woman with lips painted scarlet. Our group of 11 packed into her tiny restaurant with blue walls and exchanged conversation communicated through our translator.
The restaurant that we went to was a place that our host family had been praying over for two years. It had previously been a cabin bar owned by the woman with scarlet lips. (For some context, a cabin bar is a place that holds multiple different closed in rooms where men can order drinks or food and use the women that are serving them however they please.) It wasn’t until Tuesday that our leaders found out from the woman that she had shut down the cabins and it is now a normal restaurant. God told the woman who lead us there that she was going to “see something new today”. The “something new” was answered prayers.
God loves his children. He hears our cries for help and he responds in the right timing. He is our Creator and he knows what is good and what is right. This experience has shown me just how important the power of prayer and patience is. God stirred something inside the woman painted with scarlet to tell her to shut down the bar and our host family’s prayers were answered after two years of crying out to Jesus. Our Father hears us and loves us so fully. He is good.
