After Hours Ministry

December 13th, 2011

Graham crackers and frosting, it’s one of my favorite snacks. I was happily partaking in this delicious treat on my lunch break when a call came in from an unknown number. I’m always hesitant to answer unknown calls but considering our ministry, I always do.

God’s timing is perfect. Any other time of day and I would have been busy engaging a classroom full of teens and preteens hoping to maintain sanity for just one more day. But it was lunchtime (did iI mention that? I really like food ) and I was ready as ever for what would come next.

The voice on the other end was unsure and quiet, “is this a helpline?” “Yes!” I replied as I quickly swallowed my graham cracker goodness. ” I want out of this life and I heard you can help, I’m ready to go today.”

And ready she was. M had packed a few belongings and snuck away while her pimp was out. As soon as she was safe she called me. I gave her a number to call for a safe house and called the woman who runs it to let her know she should expect a call. Within 2 hours she had been picked up and was being taken to safety.

As she waited we talked more and she told me pieces of her story. She has a daughter who just turned five and lives with her Grandmother. M told me of how she grieved missing yet another birthday, another Thanksgiving and that this would be the last.

She had been with her pimp for 3 years and had tried to leave before, running to a friend or a local motel, he always found her and with threats of violence or manipulation she returned with him. Not this time, this time she would go where he couldn’t find her and where she could start fresh. This morning had been the last straw, after years of abuse physically and emotionally, he threatened her with a gun this morning. She could have continued hiding in terror but somehow found the strength to run, to run towards freedom and…hope.

Hope is hard to come by in the life. All you’ve even known is a life of worthlessness and abuse, you have little skills or education, those closest to you have betrayed you. Hope is the greatest need for with even a glimmer of hope comes the possibility of a greater life.

In the middle of our conversation she said, “I’ve talked to you before, my number was different then.” I immediately knew who she was, a young woman we’d been praying for the last several months and had lost contact with. I couldn’t believe it was really her, I had feared the worst when we lost contact, knowing how dangerous her pimp was and here she was, not just alive but taking a step toward true life, the life God had intended for her.

We stayed on the line until just before the rescue team got there. Later she called me from her new home, her voice still quiet but this time rather than fear there was a sense of peace…maybe even a sense of hope. She left a message thanking me and assuring me I would hear from her in the coming days.

The coming days…they will be some of the most difficult for M. She will have to face all the pain and suffering of the last several years, unable to numb it with the false affections of others. Her greatest fears may be how she will survive outside of the life or how anyone will ever truly love or accept her.
She won’t do it alone, not that she ever was. Jesus has pursued her thus far, He has made a way for her today and ultimately made a way for her by His death on the cross, that she might be eternally loved and accepted by her very Creator. She is His beloved, may that truth take deep root in her heart and be the driving force of her life.

Thank you for praying for M and the countless others who share her story.

Purpose
Every so often when we hit the streets on a Friday night, we feel like our purpose is crystal clear. We always know why we are out on the street, what message we want to communicate and how we want to share the love of God with these women. But at times it is easy to get discouraged: do they really hear us? Do they believe? Will they remember even though we didn’t get a chance to talk to them for very long?

Friday night Ben, Lindsay and I met up at 1:30a. We spent some time in prayer as we usually do – but this time our prayer was specifically asking that we would run into a woman that really needed to hear from God. That needed to be encouraged or challenged and met on the streets tonight, the woman that wanted to speak with us because she was at that place where she was breaking.

And that is exactly what God did.

The very first woman we say after driving down the track for about three blocks was BI. She was on the phone, as usual, and seemed in a hurry to get somewhere. When we approached her to give her a bag she looked confused. She asked what it was for and why we were talking to her. We said we were out here talking to the ladies – that we wanted to let her know how deeply God loves her and that he has big plans for her life if she ever wants to get out of this.

BI had an almost scared look on her face as she began shaking her head and saying “You’ve GOT to be kidding me!” over and over again.
She proceeded to tell us that she was on the phone with her sister and had just been talking about how she was scared and tired and wanted to get out of the game. She was done. She wanted a change. She has two kids and didn’t want them to have to grow up in fear and watching their mom come home with bruises, watching her have to sell her body to make a living and making them susceptible to the violence of the pimp that controlled her life.

We walked with her down the street for a while because she was uncomfortable standing in one place, she felt like she was being followed. And eventually gave her a ride to the metro station so she could go get off the street and home to her kids.
She was not ready to seek help at the moment – she was too scared of her pimps retaliation or what would happen to her kids – but we left her with our phone number as well as the number to three rehab centers around Los Angeles that she could seek help from.

We were able to pray with her, talk to her about how beautiful and special and unique she is and how much God truly truly LOVES her.
It was not a coincidence that we ran into BI Friday night – that she was at the end of her rope hoping for a way out and God brought a way to her.
We ended up spending around an hour with her. What a privilege to step into life with her, pray with her, love her, cry with her and seek to share a glimpse of hope with her in the midst of a really scary time.

Pray with us that BI has the courage to make a change in her life – that she would not give into fear but she would choose to pick up the phone and get some help.

Many of you have said you would like to be involved in some way, listed below are various ways you can serve with After Hours ministry… (thanks for stopping by )

Gift Bags
1) we need a coordinator who would be willing to set up meetings for volunteers to assemble bags (commitment of once a month)
2) we need small personal items (list below) for the gift bags
3) we need financial donations for gift bags (and other costs)

Training class:

If you are interested in joining us for outreach or simply want to learn more, we will be having a training class on Sunday, May 22 from 2:30 to 4:30pm. Please contact me for more class information.

Financial Donations:

Your financial donations would cover costs of gift bags, travel expenses, insurance, printing costs, staff support and various other costs we incur throughout the year. We are a recognized 501c3 and your donations would be tax-deductible.

We are working on setting up a paypal account for our website but for now any donations can be sent to AFTER HOURS MINISTRY PO BOX 93275 LOS ANGELES, CA 90093 (checks can be made payable to After Hours Ministry).

Prayer Ministry:

We go out every week and our greatest need is a faithful group to pray for us. If you would like to commit to praying for us weekly pleas email me at the address below and I will include you in our weekly mailing list.

Graphics and printing

Are you gifted in graphics and design? We need to make all new tracts and fliers for our ministry and we need help designing and producing them. Do you know someone who does printing at a reasonable rate?

Gift Bag Item List

Travel size: lotion, moutwash, sanitizer, baby wipes, kleenex,
Nailpolish
Lip Gloss
Candy
Hair bands
Jewelry (inexpensive)
Make up
Gift bags (small plastic bags with tie or small paper with handle)

*If you are interested in serving in any of the areas above please contact me at this email address standingingrace@gmail.com

You could say tonight began like any other night…we all met up at Laurie and Daryl’s and went from there to 7-11 to pray. There were 5 girls tonight and true to form we began the night with being goofy and giggling a lot… even though we faced some hard realities tonight, our sense of joy never left and we simply enjoyed our fellowship as we were out. Some of us even got new nicknames which I could never explain in an adequate way on this blog so I won’t even try.

When we first hit the track we saw a few girls here and there and at least 3 saw us and disappeared (sometimes…ok, almost all the time, they think we’re cops and they run :/ ). Then we saw a group of three girls and Julia, Katie and Lindsey went to talk with them and give them gifts. They recognized them and were friendly but said they didn’t need prayer. Katie remembered one of their names (cause she’s awesome!) and the girl was blown away, praise God!

The next girl we talked to was approached by Katie, Lindsey and Julia as well and they walked with her for awhile and she began to open up, she had also seen us out there before. She said she wanted to get off the streets right then, but as they continued talking (and she found out they were serious!) she began to back out and told a story about moving back to Georgia where her parents are… it was hard to discern which parts of the story were true. The girls prayed for her and she continued on her way.

The last girl we met absolutely broke my heart, she was 14. At first she looked sort of weirded out by us (Jen and I were talking with her) then I thought she might cry. As she talked about her family and her life I could tell she didn’t have a lot of hope and didn’t believe much for her future. I asked her if she had a relationship with Jesus, she said yes. I asked her if she knew he loved her and she hesitated a little. I asked her if it was sometimes hard to believe that He loved her because of all she experienced, she said yes. I told her that His love was real so much that He sent us to tell her about it and to offer her hope. She definitely started opening up to us as we continued talking and then I asked her how she got there and soon discovered she wanted to go home but needed a ride, so we took her home. I do believe she was working out there but it was a little bit of a strange situation. Either way, praise God for the conversation we had and that we were able to take her safely home! Once we got her home, I prayed with her and said goodbye.

By this time it was getting late and we were way off our normal track so we decided to head home…but not without a few more laughs on the way Praise God for the joy He gives!

Please continue to pray for these women and for After Hours Ministry, thank you!

My heart feels sick…

When we first got to the track it was strangely quiet… As we drove down further we began to see several girls and stopped to give them gift bags. Many of the girls we met tonight rejected the gifts…this usually happens with one or two but tonight was different. There were a couple though that changed their minds and received the gifts but they didn’t want the interaction to go any further.

One of the girls we met couldn’t have been more than 14… Now you see why my heart feels like it’s twisted in knots. One can imagine all the different scenarios that brought her there…that keep her there. Do remember what it was like to be 14? If you’re like me you remember slumber parties, playing sports, having a crush on a cute boy, certainly not selling your body in the middle of night just to survive.

What happened next was also unusual…we realized we were being followed by a John who was trying to solicit us. We did everything we could to lose him and just when we thought we did he showed up again. I decided we needed to leave and we headed home. For this man, for the hold the enemy has on his life,for the potential harm he could do to others…my heart is sick.

But I am thankful… For the Holy Spirit, for God’s protection, for the seeds that have been planted maybe even watered in our brief interactions tonight, for my team, and for God’s relentless pursuit of us.

Please pray for the track, for all the men and women who are there for whatever reason… All desperate for the love, freedom and forgiveness of Christ.

By Jennifer Lynn Cecil
“From the end of the earth I will cry to you, when my heart is overwhelmed; lead to the rock that is higher than I” Psalm 61:2

I hardly know what to write after last night, it was intense. The city was filled with people and it seemed like there was chaos everywhere. Even before we hit the track we talked about how it seemed we had hit a wall in our ministry… we needed to take things to the next level, but what did that mean really? Not to say that we answered that last night, but I certainly felt it. There are just a few people I want to share about…

C****** and C****, a man and a woman walking together…at first they walked by us but then Julia offered the woman a gift bag and Daryl asked if we could pray for them. He was very excited to receive prayer and began telling us all the ways we could pray for them, mostly for her. After we prayed she said, “I know what you guys are thinking but I’m just dressed like this because it’s hot”…we told her we just wanted to talk to her about Jesus and pray for her. The interesting part was that the guy with her said to her, “no, they are talking about your heart”… now, I can pretty much guarantee that she was working and he most likely had something to do with that, but there was a genuineness in him that seemed to really want to let God work.

C*** is a little older and recognized us from our times there before. She kept saying things like, “oh great, I’ll be sure to tell the other girls about that” as though she was very content with her life and didn’t need rescuing herself…I don’t know if she really does think she is fine or if it is a cover and she will eventually let her guard down, but either way that’s our pray: that the walls would come down so Christ could come in and set her free.

V******* couldn’t have been more than 14 years old, it took everything in me not to take her off the streets with me right there and then. She said she was coming from a party and didn’t have the money for the train to get home, obviously she would need to “work” for the money. She said her father was in prison and apparently her brother was just down the street, waiting to meet her. I don’t really know what to say, its devastating to see a young girl put in that position, most likely believing that it is her only option, and yet not even seeing as Daryl put it, “the train wreck her life is headed for”. Please pray that we will be able to contact her again and that she will open with us and be willing to get off the streets.

There is one other woman I wanted to mention, actually one of the first we saw, when she saw us she said, “not tonight, not tonight…I know God is with me, i know God” She said she would take a gift bag but didn’t want to talk tonight. Isn’t that how we can be? She was obviously convicted by our presence and if she wanted to continue in her sin she had to get out of there. How often do we say that to the Holy Spirit ourselves? “I know You, but not tonight…I’m going to do things my way.”

We are so devastated in our flesh, so desparately unaware of our need for our Savior, so broken and hardened, so deceived…I left the night feeling so overwhelmed, like the burden was too much bear. I cried the whole way home and asked the Lord to take these burdens which I know are not mine to bear. He is so faithful, pursuing after us relentlessly, I know my heartbreak is but a glimpse of His for the lost. Would you please continue to pray for the men and women in the game, that they will come to know Jesus and He will set them free. Will you pray After Hours Ministry, for our next steps to be made clear to us by the Holy Spirit and for the faith and the means to carry them out. Will you pray that we will see what God is doing rather than what we expect and that He will bring us in step with His plans for His glory.

Blessings to you!

I just got home and although it is late, I wanted to write down a few thoughts from tonight’s outreach while they were still fresh in my mind. The night started out slow and we were driving down the track wondering where the girls were until we saw the first one of the evening. Julia and I went to meet her – her name is W**** and she was a sweet girl who was genuinely pleased to talk to us. She told us she’d been doing this “all her life” and that she was concerned about her health since she had high blood pressure and was a drug addict. She said she was tired of this lifestyle and was open to us praying for her later (she didn’t seem comfortable with us praying in her presence). My heart broke for her and Julia and I prayed for her as we walked away. Meanwhile Jen and Daryl were talking with another girl across the street.

The next couple of girls we met were S**** and M**** both of which were open to talking to us as well. We had seen S**** before and she remembered us. She sounded surprised when I told her she could call the number on the matchbook we had given her if she was ready to leave the game – she acted as though she might actually call – I pray that she does. She also stated that every time she’s in a funk, we show up…coincidence? I think not! M**** asked for prayer for deliverance and salvation and admitted she was addicted to drugs too.

We came across a few others – some who would simply take the gift bag but not really talk to us and some who refused all together. Later we saw K***** on the same corner we’ve seen her before – when Daryl suggested she call the number on the matchbook she simply stated she wasn’t ready yet (said she had a bunch of the matchbooks already lol). All in God’s timing…

Lastly we met with P**, another girl we had seen before. She’s an older lady and remembers Julia from a while back. She claimed to know Jesus and stated he was the reason for her standing there. At first I thought she meant he was the reason she was standing on the corner but then realized she meant it literally – that he was the only reason she was still standing period! She let know that tomorrow was her birthday and let us pray for her on that corner tonight.

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.” – Luke 4:18-19

“Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” John 4:29

Jesus tells us exactly who we are and we rejoice because of who He is…He is the one who is able to cover all our sins and we do not need to fear who we are when He comes to us, instead we rejoice and worship Him.

Tonight we went on outreach and there was a slight difference to what we were saying to the women and men we met…”we are here to reach out to men and women who are in the game” …that one phrase let them know that we knew who they were, we didn’t just happen to see them on street or think they were there for some other reason and we were going to offer them something real.

We met a lot of girls tonight, many didn’t give us their names, some were very straightforward about wanting nothing to do with us, but many received our gifts, talked with us and prayed with us and there was a marked difference in their countenance when they realized why we were there. I’ll tell you about just a few of them…

K***** we drove around and around to finally catch up to this girl, we would see her, turn around and she would all of a sudden be on the other side of the street, once she disappeared completely with a trick and then she was there again. At first she seemed like she was just going to walk quickly by us but when I offered her a gift she stopped cold and her face changed completely, I could see the heartbreak in her face, she immediately asked me my name which may not seem like a big deal but it was a wall coming down…not just us trying to connect with her but her connecting with us. She wanted us to pray for her but not there, so we prayed as she left.

Next we saw S**** and she was sweet but probably new to the game and was quickly joined by her friend who was not happy that she was talking to us, however; when her friend approached us and found out who we were she became very attentive and as a third girl approached she said, “so we can call you if we want to get out of this life?” yes!!! We gave them all gifts and our phone number.

S***** and C***** were together and were obviously being watched by a guy who stood nearby, so Daryl went to talk to the guy and give him a pimp track while Jen and I approached the girls. The one girl thought we were cops and pretended to be looking for the bus but when she saw us engage the other girl she came back and they both opened up to us, they wanted out and C***** especially was brokenhearted because her son had just been taken away by CPS, she began to cry and both were eager to receive prayer right then and there.

G***, when we told her we were there for men and women in the game she said, “that’s me”…I really don’t know if I’ve seen so many honest reactions in one night but it really seemed that our honesty and willingness to seek them out gave them the freedom to be honest with us.

I am so thankful that Jesus loves us based on who He is, not who we are and I am privileged to share that love with others. Praise Him for an awesome night!

I have taken a break from ministry to complete writing my memoir … below is something that happened years ago while I was still using. The name of the guy here has been changed.

This was one of my most humiliating nights as a junkie prostitute…

I was at home alone, trying to figure out what I would do for money. GOD PLEASE. THE LAST THING I WANT TO RESORT TO IS GOING TO SEE GEORGE. I made a few phone calls, and wasn’t able to reach anyone. I rubbed my nose with the back of my arm, snot spreading across my sleeve. DAMNIT! I’D BETTER THINK QUICKLY, BEFORE I’M TOO SICK TO DO ANYTHING. THINK, LAURIE, THINK!!! I grabbed my head, pacing back and forth. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, GOD. I CAN’T, I WONT. NOT HIM. The sun began to set. The sky was a deep blue violet, tinged with different shades of mauve … such a contrast compared to my sick, black soul.

I began crying, knowing the inevitable. As much as I hated to see George, he was the only trick of mine who was almost always available; so in desperation, I usually ended up calling him. I did my best to avoid him for as long as possible, in the hopes that when I finally ended up calling, he’d be happy to hear from me, and when I saw him, he was more generous than usual. This time, it had only been two weeks since I had last seen him. OH GOD … HE MIGHT EVEN TURN ME AWAY…

Ever since George had found out that I was strung out, he took full advantage of the fact that I needed heroin. He knew that I was no longer a recreational drug user and he seemed to thoroughly enjoy seeing me suffer, mocking me, calling me degrading names. When I was still only doing coke, he was somewhat civil with me – nice even – giving me coke, Valium and money. Now I was lucky if he even paid me more than fifty bucks.

As it got later, I knew what I had to do; I was desperate. I couldn’t wait another hour; by then it would be too late, I’d be too sick. WHAT AM I GOING TO SAY? IT’S NOT AS IF HE’S GOING TO PICK ME UP … I DON’T EVEN HAVE A RIDE TO HIS PLACE. I picked up the phone, tears streaming down my face. GOD, ISN’T THERE ANY OTHER WAY? Grabbing the receiver, I dialed the number and quickly hung it up before it even had a chance to ring on the other end. I took a deep breath and tried to think of what I would say. I CAN’T LET ON THAT I’M SICK, OR ELSE HE’LL TOY WITH ME. PLAY IT COOL, ACT AS IF I CAN TAKE THE MONEY OR LEAVE IT. I took another deep breath and slowly exhaled. OKAY, I CAN DO THIS. I HAVE TO DO THIS, THERE’S NO OTHER OPTION.

When I picked the up receiver again and called George, I was so anxious that my heart felt like it would pop out of my chest. One ring, two rings, three… MAYBE HE ISN’T EVEN HOME …
“Yeah.” DAMN.
“Hi George, it’s me, Laurie. How are you?” I did my best to sound calm and collected.
“Ohhhh, it’s my trashy little slut. What are you doing, calling me so soon? Don’t you know that it’s only been a couple weeks since I last saw you?” His tone was syrupy sweet, patronizing me.
“Really? I didn’t realize that; I just wanted to see if you weren’t busy, you know…”
PLEASE GOD, PLEASE … I’VE GONE THIS FAR; PLEASE LET HIM SAY THAT HE’LL SEE ME …
“What’s wrong with you? You aren’t sick, are you?” He chuckles in the receiver, and I can imagine him smiling, like the Cheshire cat in Alice in Wonderland. ASSHOLE. HE KNOWS DAMN WELL THAT I AM …
“Um… I just need some cash, that’s all.”
“Well, I don’t need to see you now, I’m busy.” Now he sounded cold.
“But I’ll be sick soon…” my voice began to quiver.
“That’s not my problem now, is it?” I started to panic…
“Come on, George. I’ll take good care of you…” I tried my best not to sound desperate. “Please baby, I promise to do you real good…”
Silence. OH GOD, PLEASE …
“How you gonna get here?”
I closed my eyes. “I can take a cab to your place…”
“Humph. And who’s gonna pay for the cab?”
I didn’t respond, hoping that he would offer to pay, holding my breath for what seemed like ten minutes before he answered.
“Hurry up and get your ass over here. I’ll take the cab fare outa whatever I decide to give you.”
“Thanks George, I appreciate it… see you in a bit…” I breathed a sigh of relief, set the receiver in its cradle, and immediately began to evaluate my situation.

I went into autopilot and called Beverly Hills Cab Company. I grabbed my Newport cigarettes and leather case full of paraphernalia and shoved them into my purse. Once I arrived at George’s apartment, I would quickly switch into the role of a prostitute, faster than Clark Kent changed into Superman. Long before that night, I had become an Oscar winning performer and best leading actress. I would transform into whomever or whatever George or anyone else wanted me to be, to complete the task at hand and get my money.

I anxiously waited on the sidewalk outside, and as soon as I saw the light blue cab turn the corner, I frantically waved. When the driver pulled up, I quickly opened the door and slipped inside.
“Take the 10 fwy and exit Lincoln” I said.
Staring out the window, I convinced myself that the night would turn out fine.

Later that night, after I finished performing for him, George walked me to the door, while he stroked my hair. Every part of me resisted his touch and made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
Smiling, he said: “I’m not paying for another cab. You find your own way home.”
“But … how much are you going to …”
He smiled and handed me a Ziploc bag full of coins: pennies, nickels, dimes and some quarters, to pay for my services – as if I weren’t already humiliated enough.

© 2010 Laurie Ishii. All Rights Reserved.
(THANKS FOR TAKING THE TIME TO READ THIS)

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