February 20, 2007

Last night (2/20/07) we went to the strip clubs, and it was awesome! We had 18 people on the team. That's the most ever. We had 6 first-timers -- four of whom were from Ireland, one from The Netherlands, and one from Houston. We had to split into 3 groups so that everyone would be able to go inside at least one club. Toni (the newcomer from Houston) attends Houston Dream Center, and the Dream Center provided and prepared 48 of the bags last night. Thank you, Houston Dream Center! Ewout, who is from The Netherlands, hung out with the guys in the parking lot. He and Wes talked to the various security/valet guys.

At the first club, we met the security guard in the parking lot. He was the one who had previously told us not to bother giving bags to the girls because they weren't appreciative enough. He greeted us with a smile and told us to go on in. Wes and Ewout talked to him while we were inside. As we walked into the club, one of the dancers was walking out. Debs and her buddy started talking to her while the rest of us went inside. The day manager was working a double so it was good to see him again. When I told him I had missed seeing him and was glad to see him, he was shocked. He said, "You really missed me?" I told him he had always been kind to us, and I appreciated that. He just smiled. Another manager(?) was sitting at the bar. He told me he was working on algebra. He opened the door to the office to show me an algebra problem on the white board.

Debs and her buddy continued to talk with Theresa while the rest of us went outside. Theresa has 3 older kids that she has not seen in 15 years. They are living with her parents. The kids are Christians. She wants to come to church. Debs got her phone number. Theresa is only able to see out of one eye right now. The other eye was burned by contact lens solution.

Outside, the security guard was very friendly and told us to take our time. One of the dancers had been talking to him, Wes and Ewout while we were in the club. She started using foul language, and the security guard told her to watch her language and to show some respect. Too funny.

At the second club, Amanda met Bella who wanted to know who provides the bags. Amanda told her that 3 churches provided the bags this night and that each church's info was in the bag. As we were driving off, the valet stopped Wes and gave him his business card. He does financial planning as his day job. He told Wes if he were invited, he would come to our church and teach people about estates, trusts, and financial planning. I told him that we have a lot of people off the streets in our church. He said it didn't matter because he had other training in life skills and drug counseling, and he knows how to talk to people and what they need. He said if we opened the door, he would come in. He said he wasn't sure he would be invited. Wes asked him why not. He whispered to Wes, "I am Muslim." Wes told him that was okay that we would open the door to him and that Jesus had the door open to him as well. He laughed, thanked us, and told us to call if we are interested.

We stopped at a couple of modeling studios on the way to the last club. The last club is the one that may/may not let us in. They had a new cashier who let us walk in. I kept the cashier distracted & occupied with my dog Chassie. I just happened to carry her in to this club. Chassie kept the cashier's attention while the girls were handing out bags in the club. The cashier told me she has a 4-year-old daughter. The cashier didn't look to be over 18 years old.

As we were preparing to leave, one of the dancers came out to the van. She said that some of the girls had not received bags and were disappointed. Ewout handed her several bags. The team began talking to her. Her stage name is Lisa. She is involved in an abusive situation. Her boyfriend beats her and on her car. The team prayed with her and made sure she had the prayer line number to call if she gets into another abusive situation and needs help.

It was an interesting night. As I continue to mull over last night's events, I get a small glimpse of the Lord's heart for his sheep. His unfailing love pursues us all the days of our lives. (Ps. 23:6 NLT)

Please keep all of these people in your prayers. As always, thank you for your continued prayers and support. We couldn't do this without it.