Psalm 34:18 “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed”
Nothing makes me feel more desperate than knowing that there are precious women out walking 82nd Avenue because they are forced to be there, or don’t see another solution to providing for their family.
Psalm 34:18 “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed”
Psalm 34:18 “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed”
Nothing makes me feel more desperate than knowing that there are precious women out walking 82nd Avenue because they are forced to be there, or don’t see another solution to providing for their family. Hope82 was launched this year out of a vision to fill immediate needs for women working in the sex industry on or around 82nd avenue. This last weekend we got a call that a young woman was out working because she needed the funds to throw a birthday party for her grade-school daughter. When the officer who picked her up asked me if I could get a bike, in 48 hours, for the little girl, I wanted to tell him “seriously?! I’ll get you a pony if you want! Of COURSE we can find a new bike!” I immediately hung up the phone and started looking online for a sweet new ride for this girl, and offered my friends and family the opportunity to bless this family. On Sunday morning at Hopecity church, the church that launched hope82, people approached me one by one with wadded bills in their hands to give towards the bike. By the end of the service, I was holding the exact amount of money I needed for a brand new bike, a helmet, and a bike lock. The church also generously contributed a birthday cake, goody bags, decorations, a piñata full of candy, AND everything we needed to furnish an apartment for another young single Mama who is getting out of the life.
In that moment, I have never been more proud of my church, and of THE church in general. For Christians to recognize a need and to jump out of their seats at the opportunity to light up a little girl, and to take the pressure off of a woman who needed some kindness and a blessing just makes me feel like we are finally getting something right as the body of Christ. The verse quoted above reminds me that despite the great despair and pain these valuable women and their families have had to endure, that the Lord is near – and He is anxious to rescue their crushed spirits. I got to see that in action this past weekend as I put out a plea for the things and the funds we needed to help these two families! The church responded both generously and with great joy, anxious to bless these women. It was an active response, a rescue in a sense, of their crushed spirits.
There are times that I get discouraged with the church and with the body of Christ as a whole. It seems like we aren’t doing enough, I still hear stories of churches turning away victims of prostitution, of churches who refuse to dedicate babies born out of wedlock, or refusing to baptize the homeless. Those stories break my heart. But seeing the response this weekend of the church to rescue those with crushed spirits makes me think that we are getting some things right! What church in their right mind launches a ministry to women on Portland’s infamous 82nd avenue? It’s dangerous, it’s not a lot of fun, it’s time consuming, and frankly, it’s very difficult. BUT Hopecity church launched hope82 out of a sincere desire to rescue and support and to demonstrate that the Lord is near to the brokenhearted. It’s been a wild ride; full of threats, spiritual attacks, balloons, bikes, apartment supplies, disappointments and victories, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. It is humbling and heartbreaking to work in and around the world of the commercial sex industry, but after seeing the look on a darling little girls face as she received her bike, I can’t imagine doing anything else.
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