TOUCHED BY A BROTHEL

                    I WAS TOUCHED IN A BROTHEL

There is something so special about a scarlet woman. Once you are caught up with her, she has a way of sinking you into herself. Her provocative nature is so appealing, it is almost impossible to resist and that is most likely the least of her qualities. You would come to admire her courage, as she is fearless, roaming the dangerous streets at night looking for those interested in her charm and seductiveness and she captivates them by her dressing which is usually too much of too little.

My first encounter with her was in a brothel, the building was at the end of a crescent which was a perfect hide out for the kind of activities that went on there at night. The inside was dark, irrespective of the fact that I went there during the day. It wasn’t scary dark, but appealing dark. The kind of darkness that draws you to itself and wakes up something nasty inside of you as you enter its terrain.

The walls were decorated with paintings of naked women waiting tables. It gave new comers an idea of what they were to expect and just how they were going to be treated. At the entrance, you are greeted by a bar and the bar man is ever ready to mix whatever concoction you need to get you high up and ready for whatever pleasure waited for you afterwards. As you take your sit on one of the tables, you can see that the bar leads to a passage lined with rooms and your imagination will immediately run wild because you know she is waiting for you there, ready and willing…

We were a group of about thirty people, male and female, all dressed in a red shirt that read “Baba God noni”. We had food, drinks and a band with us that played non-stop music that blended with the environment we were in.

I was selected as one of those to enter the place as men were only allowed in at night. The whole idea was to evangelize to as many as we can find outside of their rooms, persuading them to renew their minds, to receive light and accept Christ. It sounded very easy, I had it all planned out, I would enter and approach anyone I see, hand out a flyer, tell them Jesus loves you, if they are interested, I tell them the rest of how they should renew their minds, receive light and accept Christ. If not, I would just step out of their way and go to the next person I find and hand out a flyer…Piece of cake.

I was a learner, truly I was because as I entered the place, there was a rush that went over me like never before. It was that of complete soberness, I was caught by what I saw so deeply, I didn’t realize how time had gone by. I suddenly wanted sit down and absorb all that was around me. I didn’t feel like sharing my speech anymore with anyone else, it really seemed completely useless… People lived like this every day, this was their reality, this was what they knew, and some have been doing this for more than twenty years. Even the new comers where so young, they probably didn’t have a choice but to be there. I just couldn’t do it, my words didn’t really come from the heart, they were rehearsed, planned out and not a single emotion was put into it. I empathize with them and thought to myself for one second, if this was my reality and a girl in a tee shirt walked up to me looking like she has it all figured out and tells me to change my own mind, and that her Jesus loves me, would I believe her or call her bluff…. I probably wouldn’t believe her myself.

So I just sat there, with the flyers in my hand and I couldn’t help but feel sad. The women I saw were beautiful, they were human beings who abuse their bodies daily in exchange for money. They could get a job, they probably would do better if they just started their own legitimate business selling products or services but this was deeper than physical change of minds. It was a spiritual battle, even when you enter the place, you can sense entities around you, and it’s like you are no longer yourself but have been possessed by something you can’t explain.

 I became repentant, I asked God to help me do something. Reach someone if I can, from the heart this time. What can I do to help, how can be an instrument used to touch people that are hurting, people in severe darkness, drawn in so deep, they need divine intervention to pull them out of it. What is my own role? An onlooker? A critic? A Solution?

I stood up and approached a young girl, I sat with her for a while talking about how beautiful her hair was and by the time I was through with the compliments, she was giving me all her attention so I started to tell her of a friend I had who I wanted her to know about. 

That was the beginning of my evangelism, my true story inspired by a scarlet woman in a brothel.

I was touched by the state they were in, that I couldn’t help but be motivated. At that moment it occurred to me that I could start with what I had. I may not have enough money, may not have a place to accommodate anyone, I may not have this or that. But I do have talents; a voice and my writing. lol.. It may be shabby, not good enough, unprofessional, and unrealistic and it might not change the whole world but it might reach just ONE person, who will hear the word, believe it, accept it and also produce someone else who will do the same... Making it all worth the try.

I may not be a preacher, I may not be that talented in writing, I may not even be that devoted in religion, but I know that ever since I gave my life to Christ, I have been passionate about sharing this experience. My life became better, my hope was restored and I was given a second chance at life. I was renewed, all my atrocities were forgiven. lol …and they were a lot…  Most importantly, I had an opportunity to start all over and I was equipped with grace to continue to stay that way. 

Salvation, isn’t the only step of a new beginning but it is the first step to getting there. The beauty about it is that it happens when you decide not take that journey alone, but to tell someone else whom you know needs salvation as much as you do. You may not have the world, but am certainly positive that you have talents which can be used effectively in this ministry.

                Share the word, shine your light!

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