I was first called to missions in July of 2010 as I was praying with Terri, a woman caught in the trap of prostitution, on the streets of Atlanta, Georgia.
Just minutes prior to praying with Terri, I was overcome with fear. (Surprise...) With every prostitute, there was a pimp nearby. It seemed so foolish for a group of teenage girls to approach a prostitute in the dark of the night. I tried looking at the situation in several different lights, but I just couldn't rationalize what we were doing. I was uncomfortable. It wasn't safe.
As the girls and I approached Terri and handed her a rose, we simply told her that she was beautiful and that she mattered. She looked at us for a moment and said, "You are beautiful. Thank you for this. The world really needs more people like you all."
Terri's words caught me completely off guard. Every woman we had approached before her had simply nodded and accepted their rose. Most wouldn't even accept prayer. Terri, though, had given me the perspective I hadn't taken on the situation, the outlook I needed.
That night, Terri made me realize that I was doing so much more than just handing her a flower. My team and I were being used by God to encourage her. We were showing her that she was accepted for who she was. We were lifting her spirits amidst a world where she felt alone. When I saw the joy in her eyes and I felt the tears fill mine, I knew that this is what I was meant to do with my life. In that moment, I wanted nothing more than for others to be overwhelmed by that same Godly love.
As I was reflecting on the night on our way back to the church, God put Isaiah 41:10 on my heart. "Do not fear, for I am with you." (NIV) It was then almost as if He was saying, "See what you would have missed?"
And I couldn't be more thankful that I didn't miss out.
