Why Prayer Matters
Our team has been going on outreach to illicit massage parlors since February 2018, but we began impacting our city first by raising awareness and educating on the realities of human trafficking in our community and taking small groups into areas where sexual exploitation happens, asking God to move powerfully to break the chains of injustice and addiction. Our first official prayer drive was August, 2017. We joined together for worship and prayer, inviting God's Spirit to move freely sitting in strip clubs parking lots, driving by low cost motels and massage parlors throughout our city. Determined to not turn a blind eye to the reality that trafficking happens in our own community, we opened our hearts to brokenness and desperation that those who are victims must face. These nights become nights of breakthrough in our own spiritual journey to address the needs of every person touched by this issue.
Prayer Drives are still a huge part of laying a foundation for the outreach we do in our community. We know we will be more effective at reaching people and breaking through the darkness when we pray. Each time we go on a prayer drive, we fervently pray for victims to be set free, to be empowered, and to find escape and ultimately healing. We also pray for churches to begin to rise up to pray and take action against the greed and lust that fuel this multi-billion dollar industry and to become a safe haven for those healing from the evils of the industry. We pray for the plans of traffickers to be exposed and the every evil act that is done in darkness to be brought to light. We pray for law enforcement, for shelters, and for outreaches that go in to areas of exploitation and reach women and men who are desperate for hope.
When we go on a prayer drive, we follow a fairly similar route. One particular night we went out was no exception. About 1/3 of the way into the route, we parked behind a Waffle House restaurant by the dumpster. Our van was directly facing the rear entrance to a massage parlor. We saw a light flashing just above the door with the word stenciled in bold letters "MASSAGE". Just then a man, head down, walks quickly, enters the door, and we begin praying fervently.
"God touch his heart. Let him hear your voice."
"He is searching for love. I pray that he changes his mind and walks out."
"Let him see her as a daughter or a sister."
I hear the voice of my friend, Flor, who is gifted in intercessory prayer begin to pray, "Oh Jesus, we call them johns because they don't want to be known. But I know that you call him John, the Beloved. We say that you are John, the Beloved and you are known by Jesus!"
That night, he does not leave the parlor as we continue to intercede for this young anonymous man, but months later, something else happens. After praying behind the same dumpster for over a year and a half...the massage parlor next to the Waffle House is now an empty parking lot.
That location no longer holds the secrets of countless men with empty hearts running to the arms of exploited Asian women. God has set them both free!
We continually see God perform miracles as we dedicate ourselves to the preparation and the spiritual work of intercessory prayer over our community. Will you join us for our next prayer drive and cover our city in prayer? For more info, please follow our Facebook page, or you can email [email protected] for our next scheduled prayer drive.
