Engaged

It was late at night, and while most of the house was in quiet slumber, she had been in her room alone--with Him.  I knocked on her door and she welcomed me in.  She was sitting happily in her chair, Bible and journal open before her.  Her eyes and face shone as she exclaimed, 

I'm engaged!  

My eyes wide-eyed in wonder, I wanted to know the story. With the passion of a madly in love school girl, Valentine shared how it had happened.  

It had started earlier that day when she'd gone on a run in the countryside.  She saw a gray, heart shaped stone, and passed it by.  Then, as if He wanted to make sure she got the hint, she saw another bigger, heart shaped stone--but this time with a reddish hue.  She then received what was like a personal text message from the One she was falling hard for:  

I LOVE YOU

Hours later, sun already long gone, she was moved to the mirror in her bedroom.  She looked intently.  Instead of shame, she saw beauty.  She saw herself the way He sees her, and she believed it--she believed Him.

She said,

It was like Jesus 
took me to the mirror,
and said,

"Look how beautiful you are!
 I love you!
 Will you marry Me?"

And I said, 

"Yes, of course!"

A fallen woman.
A dirty woman.

Now dressed in white,
in the splendor of His Glory.  

Once muddied, 
now fit to be married.

The Big Day will be on Easter Sunday.
Valentine's getting B A P T I Z E D ! 

"And until that day, 
 I want to prepare myself 
 to be His bride."

Glorious! 
and still every bit of 
A S T O U N D I N G 

...

"My heat is stirred 
  by a noble theme
  as I recite my verses for the King:

  At Your right hand is the royal bride--

  Listen, O daughter,
  consider and give ear:
  Forget your people
  and your father's house. 

  The King is enthralled by your beauty;
  honor Him, for He is your Lord.  

   All glorious
   is the princess within her chamber; 
   her gown is interwoven with gold. 
   In embroidered garments 
   she is led to the King."  

    --from Psalm 45: 1, 9, 10-11, 13-14

Astounded

The lyrics below keep running through my mind, and my soul is singing on behalf of what is taking place right now in our new guest Valentine.  I've changed the words a bit to fit her circumstance.  Click here if you'd like to listen to the song as well, and sing it on her behalf. 

Astounded, astounded 
That Your gospel beckoned me her
Surrounded, surrounded 
But I've she's never been so free
Determined, determined 
Now to live this life for You
You're so worthy 
My Her greatest gift 
Would be the least You're due

This will be my her story
This will be my her song
You'll always be my her Savior.
Jesus You will always have my her heart 
--Befriended by Matt Redman

ASTOUNDED

tr.v.  a·stound·ed

overwhelmed with amazement;

astonished greatly;

shocked with wonder or surprise

Valentine
has now been here for one week.  Only one word keeps coming to mind the past few days about what I'm getting to witness first hand take place in her life: a s t o u n d e d.  

I am completely, in every sense of the word, astounded.  I am overwhelmed with amazement, and shocked with wonder at the work of God in Valentine's life in just one short week.  Let me fill you in with a little background first, and then I will share why I am walking around filled with uncontainable JOY about what's going on in her life.  

I knew

that one day she would come.  I hoped she would come--but really, I knew in my heart, one day she would be here with us.  

  

I didn't expect 

that she would be our first guest, and that her heart would be so hungry for the Lord.  

I knew 
that in the process of her being here, that she would come to know Jesus, and that she would change as He healed her devastated heart.  I knew these things.  

I didn't expect 
it to happen so quickly, I guess...within the first days of her being here.  Or so dramatically, and radically.  

Valentine 
was the top money maker in the brothel that I used to visit once a week.  She was the prettiest, the sought after one.  

Valentine 
was the one that turned away clients when I visited her, because, well, she was the girl in the brothel that had the option to pick and choose her customers.  

Valentine 
was also her p!mp's prized girl (at that time, it would be more accurate to say she was his prized possession).  I knew she had power in the brothel.  I saw her take control of certain situations, and just knew--this girl rules the roost.  

Nevertheless, out of all of the girls in the brothel, she was the one with whom I had the most favor.  She was the one who welcome me into her room at night.  She would close her door, and stop working, so we could talk and pray.  

I knew that she truly believed in Jesus.  I knew that Jesus was changing her heart.  I could see it.  But then, out of nowhere, she was gone.  After a year of seeing her almost every week, she was trafficked to another city.  This is typical in this business--never anywhere for too long (I consider it only the grace of God that we even had an entire year together).  Her p!mp decided it was time to go, and she would do what he said.  No time for goodbyes.  

Not knowing yet that he had taken her, I showed up one night to celebrate her birthday.  I had made her a vanilla cake with vanilla frosting, as that was her request.  I came with a new Bible, and with a handmade book I had made for her.  I was so excited to celebrate this special occasion with her.  I approached Valentine's room and was met by new girls standing in her doorway, telling me with as much pity as they could muster, "Sorry, she's working in another city."  I fought tears as they streamed down my face.  I knew that I wouldn't see her for a long time.  

Thankfully, Valentine had my email.  Over the next two years, when she was desperate for help, she would write, and ask for prayer.  We stayed in touch.  

Jesus continued to pursue her.  I received an email one time from her, describing a very vivid dream that she had had, of seeing the face of Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.  She said she was filled with joy, and that in the dream that she saw me, and said, "Look in the sky, it's Jesus!" and I said, "Yes, He loves you."  I knew He was continuing the good work He had begun in her.   

Months later I received an email telling me that she had run away from her p!mp and that she was trying to start a new life. She had a regular job, but was struggling daily with flashbacks of all she had suffered--not just from the job itself, but of being beaten and brainwashed consistently by the man who said he loved her.  

You like what you do!

You are a stupid woman!

You will never be anything more than a ________!  

Finally, again, by the grace of God, she had had enough.  She escaped from him.  She ran as far away as she could, and was in hiding for months before she contacted me.  

After months of prayer, she, and we, knew it was the right timing.  She was ready to do whatever it took to have Jesus heal her of all she'd experienced.  We booked her flight, and on Valentine's Day she arrived. She had warned me before on the phone, "I'm very different now than I was before.  I don't think you'll recognize me.  I don't wear make-up anymore, and I've gained weight, and my hair is different..."  

When I picked her up at the airport, she DID look different.  I had to truly study her face to know that it was her, and almost force myself to walk up to her, because honestly, she looked like death.  That was 7 days ago.  Now, she has come to life.

Astounding.  

I don't even know where to start except at the Name of JESUS.  Jesus has prepared her for this time and place.  He truly went ahead of her and leveled every mountain that could be in her way.  He had wooed her over these past three years, and she was ready, totally ready for whatever it was she needed to do to have Him heal her.  She has given him her heart, and is falling in love with Him.  

Valentine 
is now
smiling
singing
glowing

She is 
reading God's Word and it's coming alive to her

She is 
praying passionately for her family to know Jesus

She is
beaming with light and life and joy

Valentine 
is now saying things like

I'm filled with the Holy Spirit!

I'm like a flower, opening, and coming to life!

The only man I want in my life is JESUS!

Praise the Lord!

Halleluja! 

I want to go upstairs and 
read my Bible right now, is that okay?

I can't wait to go to church! 

And I see her with my eyes
and I hear what she says with my ears,

and I get all big-eyed,
and put my hand over my mouth 
to cover the drop of my jaw,
and I smile ear to ear
as I shake my head
in a daze of utter wonder and bewilderment.  

Like
come on, 
this is not REALLY happening right now 
in front of my eyes, is it?!
Is this really 
Valentine?

The girl I once knew?
The girl I picked up just one week ago?
The girl that cried and cried and cried
the first day of being here, 
as she told me what she'd been endured
the past three years?

I am Astounded.  Shocked.  
Wonder. Fully. Surprised.  

At her
At His work in her
At Him
At His showing off of Himself
at what He can do in her
in such a short time.

And it's like He's saying,

You think this is BIG stuff?
You haven't seen nothin' yet.  

Tomorrow's VALENTINE

Tomorrow afternoon 
comes our long awaited VALENTINE.

Years of dreams will be answered 
the minute she walks through our doors.  The thought of the grandness of this moment brings me to humble tears.  It is monumental, for sure--for us, and for her, more importantly.  

Yes, we have had many guests in our home 
the past 2 years--but tomorrow marks the first time that the reason that this home and ministry was built comes to fruition:  for women escaping the lifestyle of prostitut!on to find healing, hope and a future--as they come to know JESUS.

What has not gone unnoticed 
is that she is arriving on Valentine's Day.  Interesting that this dear one has spent years giving her heart and soul and body to men who have not loved her--but rather have done the opposite.  Oh, how our sweet Savior must have wept for her, time and time again, for all that she experienced. 

Yet tomorrow begins 
a new day for her--to meet Jesus in a real and personal way. To get to KNOW Him for the first time in her life--and to fall in love with the only Man who deserves her full heart and soul and body, 100%.  A Man, and God at the same time, who will treat her with all the love and dignity and respect she's always deserved.  A Man who will redeem her, restore her, heal her, and call her Beloved.  

It is the deep desire of my heart 
that this dear one truly comes to know Him as the Savior of the world, and of her weary soul.  May she say YES to Him, and to the pure love He has to offer her.  

I heard this song today 
while in the car, and again, came to tears at the thought of her arrival, and how perfect the words fit: 

Weak and wounded sinner

Lost and left to die
O, raise your head, for love is passing by
Come to Jesus
Come to Jesus
Come to Jesus and live!

        --from a beautiful, beautiful 

         Untitled Hymn by Chris Rice

May this dear one, 
who I will now refer to as VALENTINE, 
become forever His.  

Never Say Never

Never
did he ever think
that she would one day leave.

Never 
did he even fathom
that his girlfriend,
his top money maker slave,
would one day have enough.

Never 
did he believe
that the one he'd beaten to the ground,
time and time again,
would one day get up off that ground
and walk right out the door. 

Never
did he even consider
that his brainwashing,
his cruel twisting of words,
telling lies of her worth,
would one day be held up
to the Truth that would set her free.

Never.

Never
did she ever think
that she would do such a thing for love.

Never
did she even fathom
what would become of her 
for loving him
and trying to provide for her family.

Never 
did she even consider
leaving him,
or stopping doing 
that which was killing her--
body, heart and soul. 

Never 
did she ever expect,
or believe she even deserved,
to be forgiven for what she'd done,
to be given a second chance,
to be offered new life, and pure love.
For yes, she had welcomed the part
and didn't fight the hands that held her.

Never.

Until she met Him.

With Him, 
it was ALWAYS.

It was always His plan to love her.
It was always His plan to redeem her.
It was always His plan to set her free.

It was always His plan 
to save her,
to forgive her,
to cleanse her, 
and to give her the gift of faith,
and the seed of h o p e in her heart,
that would one day grow big enough 
to grant her the wisdom and strength
to say GOODBYE to him
and HELLO to Him

Hello to 
new life
and hope
and healing
and to a whole new world 
of truth and love and beauty.

Never Say Never.

***Our guest is scheduled to arrive mid-February.  
      Rejoice with us, but for those who are so led, 
      please join us in fervent prayer for this dear one as well.  
      Thank you so much!