A YEAR OF MIRACLES

It has been awhile since I last posted...but that does NOT mean that the Lord has not been moving! It just means I have been moving too much to stop and give this blog deserved attention! I want to highlight on May and June's outreach:

May:
We went to our regular clubs-Moments, Show Palace, XTC, Moulin Cabaret and Royal Palace. We prepared for about 100 girls this time, as opposed to the normal 72, because in April we ended up going back to the church to make more bags in the middle of the outreach due to large numbers in some of the clubs. We give bags to ALL women in the clubs (dancers, bartenders, waitresses and patrons);we also give them to the managers who have wives or daughters. The bags each had Laurie's famous baked goods, a book written by Bethany Scanlon-The Life of a Lie-A Dancer's Dream, which was written specifically for this ministry, a tiny little pocket book of scriptures for comfort, jewelry, the Purse Prayer and our church information.
We did not make it into Moments again, but we believed that we would soon. We did however, give them to the manager on duty-who has been so kind to take them in for us. He has been a blessing to us in his own way because of his willingness to deliver the bags for us even though the club rules there will not allow us in the door.

Show Palace was another exceptional time! When we arrived, so many of the girls working that night knew us and were happy to see us. The Lord moved mightily and two girls gave there hearts to the Lord. One of them was really crying and publicly saying that she needed God to do something for her, because she could not go on the way she had been living. THAT is why we do this! :)

Next we went to XTC where God moved again in a powerful way. Another girl was saved while we held hands and prayed. She initially needed prayer for family members, but I asked her if she had ever met Jesus personally. She said no but that she would like to. When we prayed the prayer of salvation and she repeated it after me, she began to squeeze my hand and cry. She told us afterward that she felt like something had been lifted off of her shoulders and that she felt clean! That was truly beautiful to see. We prayed for several others there for various needs. Back in April, the manager had actually stood at the door of the dressing room and reprimanded girls and men who were busting through the door too loud. He would tell them that they should respect the fact that we were having a "prayer meeting". How great is that??

At Moulin Cabaret, we spent a good amount of time talking with the manager there. He has been there everytime we have gone for the last 8 months. It has been a slow process convincing him that God loves him just the way he is, but we are still making progress and I believe with all of my heart that this man will be powerfully saved soon and will testify to the goodness of God in his life!

Our last club-Royal Palace was interesting as well. A few months back, there had been a girl there that adamantly told us that she did not believe in God. She was there again this night, but this time she grabbed Kelly, one of the team, and told here that she knows what she said last time to us, but that she wanted to find a church to bring her little boy to. She also let Kelly know that she had been previously involved in her youth group in leadership a few years back. It seems to me that God is chasing after her--even into the dark stripclubs. :)

This last Thursday-June 10, we went again.

Moments-I actually got my foot in the door without being stopped! I think I could of continued on, but I felt to stay and ask for the manager to come to the door to meet me. I am praying that act of respect will have gained more us more trust by next month!

Show Palace- We prayed for several girls in the dressing room. This place is so funny--the DJ sees us walk in and says "Look it is the church ladies...I hope they brought brownies this time" He has been saying something to the effect for months now and we love it! It is never a mockery, but almost more like an introduction.

XTC-lots of prayer for the girls. One girl asked for us to pray that God would heal the sickness in her body. Most asked for prayers for finances to meet their needs or for their children. One girl asked for prayer for her children and when I asked their ages-she said one of them was 4 and the other had passed away as a stillborn child. When I approached her to pray for her privately, she first tried to say that she was fine, but I pressed a little and she told me that her heart is still broken. I know that God hurts for these kinds of pain. I really felt His love as we prayed over her broken heart. Apparently, as I was busy praying like we had all year to do so, Tara was watching as a girl we have not seen before, started getting angry that we were there and began throwing away the gifts!! I am glad that I was shielded from that knowledge or I would of felt the need to get the ladies out of the club before some kind of chaos started. The Lord knew it would be okay and these girls that were being prayed for needed His undivided attention.

Moulin Cabaret-More time outside with the manager. I am telling you-this man belongs to Jesus. He said he is trying to get things together in his life before he makes a commitment to God. The devil always tries to use that one doesn't he? We of course told him the truth, but he is a work in progress!

Please as you read this blog, take a few moments and ask God to bless this work. He is the One who has done everything and made it all possible. Greater Harvest Church and this Dancers To Daughters ministry completely understands that He is the author and finisher of our faith and that without His love and provision we would fall flat. We are about to celebrate our 1 Year anniversary next month!!! Only the Lord could of done what has been done in the last 12 months and STILL be planting seeds through us for an even greater harvest in the next 12!

Sharing God's Love for Valentines Day!

Thursday night, February 11, we went to the clubs with our Valentines Day bags. The bags included a heart shaped oriental style box with a rhinestone bracelet or hair comb inside each one, homemade chocolate chip cookies, the purse prayer and our church contact information. We stopped by the club that we have not been able to get into yet and the manager that always takes the bags in to the girls for me, met me outside again. I see such a longing in his eyes for something. He has very sincere and kind eyes and always seems to want to say more. He appreciates what we do for the girls, but the Owner has said that we cannot come in. In Jesus Name-that day is coming!
The next club we went to was where we have had our bible studies and 7 salvations. It has been our favorite club to go into because of the response and the favor with the manager. This time though, the club was PACKED and there were no girls in the dressing room to pray with. They were all working on the floor, so we gave them bags where they were, including leaving them on the stage for the girls that were dancing. My heart was deeply troubled leaving this club because of the previous fruit that we have seen and the level of "work" being performed this night. It is time to go back and do another bible study. On the other hand, one of the dancers there that got saved but still works there has been coming to church. She has missed a few weeks, but when she heard it was my birthday today(Valentines Day), she showed up at church to wish me a happy birthday.....that meant alot to me.
Next, we went to a club that had been shut down previously for renovations. It was reopened with new management and I wondered if we would have favor with the new guys. We walked in, told them what we were doing and asked permission to bless the girls. Both men said that would be fine, so we handed out the bags and when we were leaving one of the managers said that he thought what we just did was great and that we could come back again. Praise God! We had already claimed that place for the Lord, so I should have known a change of hands wouldn't change God's hand in it!
We then went to another club that we have been in for about 3 months. The bartender there, who is a lady, really seems to be open to us. She offered us water or Red Bull...I thought that was sweet. The manager there really appreciates our efforts in the club and I feel that he is right on the verge of making a choice for Christ. I have invited him to church and am believing he will show up soon.
Our last club of the night didn't seem to have any girls working, but we were shown the dressing room upstairs where we found T, A, N, A, and T. (using first initials to protect identity). After talking for a few minutes, I asked if we could pray with them. Nobody objected, so we prayed according to their individual prayer requests while holding hands in a circle. One of the "T"s admitted after praying that she does not believe in God. I told her to sincerely ask for God to prove Himself to her in His own way. I assured her that He would and I am praying that her heart will be receptive to the truth when answers her.
The Lord has shown some powerful things for the future of this ministry and we continue to ask for your prayers of faith with us. These girls are so important and so beautiful. My heart feels for them all the time and I am most inspired to continue this work because of the future I see for them when I pray. I see preachers, and teachers and anointed singers and counselors and pastors wives. I see moms who love their children and husbands and are esteemed in the community. I see daughters that belong to God.

Bringing Christ to the Clubs

It has been a month since I last posted....and a very busy month! We took our monthly bags to the ladies in the clubs this month for Christmas. Each bag contained a Pearl Bracelet, Necklace and Earring Set, a book, which I will talk about more below, a rose, some candy and a Purse Prayer. Our visit was well received again by all the ladies and management. Some of the ladies called me by name-which I have to admit was extremely heart-warming. One of the clubs had zero business when we walked in, which made it easy to just sit with the girls and talk and pray for a few minutes. Two of the ladies we talked with and prayed for actually called the church a few days later. I returned their phone call and spent an hour listening to one of their life story's. She has many issues and circumstances surrounding her life right now that would serve to both drive her to the Lord and to drive her away from the Lord. Please pray that God would rescue her now and place her feet on solid ground, so that Satan cannot use these circumstances to lie to her about Gods' love for her.
The book that we gave the ladies is written by Deanna (Tyra) Wilson and is called "A Wounded Daughters Diary"-Exploring Gods Grace from the Stripclub to the Classroom. It was just recently published and the lady who wrote it is a friend of mine. We went to bible college together 15-16 years ago, and between then and now-she has walked a road that would now allow her to minister effectively to the dancers we are trying to reach. The Lord brought her back into my life through Facebook and has connected us to minister to the broken people in the stripclubs. I have already had some ladies tell me that they have started or finished the book and that it is helping them. Please pray for Tyra that God would do more than she ever imagined with this labor of love in writing her testimony for others to read.
Additionally, Greater Harvest Church bought Christmas gifts for two of the ladies children that recently gave their hearts to the Lord. One of them received 4 new outfits for her 7 month old and the other received 5 new shirts and a pair of basketball shorts for her 13 yr. old son.
In looking forward to 2010, I am believing God to give us even greater access to the clubs He directs us to, for more bible studies with more salvations as a result, for a larger percentage of those that respond in the clubs to come to church and ultimately to see Daughters made of these Dancers!
Thank you for taking the time to read these blogs and to pray for the harvest. Your prayers are not in vain-I promise you.

That not even ONE would Perish!!

The more we do this, the more we are amazed at the strategic and creative and loving ways that God will move to turn these ladies into His daughters! If you read back to the last bible study, you will find that Becki, Kelly and I had quite a chaotic environment to hold a bible study in. One of the girls was especially bent on making a distraction. That is time that the bouncer came in and gave his life to the Lord. Well, when we went back this last Tuesday, I specifically prayed for that particular girl, before we ever got out of the car to go in. I asked God to make it possible that I could present her to Him that night. We went to the dressing room to wait for any girls to come in. This one girl was the first to walk in and she did so with her arms outstretched to give us a hug!!! She went and got another dancer who remembered us from XTC a few months ago. The two of them sat and listened for about 40 minutes. They had a lot of questions, fears and concerns about Christianity. God was faithful to fill my mouth with words of comfort and truth that they could understand. I asked them both if they were ready to commit theirs lives to Jesus. To be honest, I was not sure I would get a positive response. They BOTH said they wanted Him to come into their hearts!!!!! Before we prayed for them individually, I asked if anyone else in the room wanted prayer. We ended up with 9 of us in a circle holding hands. Two were guys who had come in to pick up two of the girls to take them home!
Jesus meant it when He said to go into all the world and preach the gospel. It is also true that we can do this because we can do ALL things through Christ who gives us the strength!! Please pray for our continued success, for signs, miracles and wonders to follow us, and for our protection.

Plowing the Ground

Last Thursday night, our team went back to the clubs. Each time we go, it is amazing to see the difference in experience.

We went back to Moments, where we were told last time that we could not leave the bags with the girls. Kelly and I made it into the doors this time and met the manager at the front. He was the manager that had allowed us to give the bags in previous times. I told him that it was good to see him and he agreed to take all of the bags back to the ladies. Thank you Lord!

Next, we went to Show Palace, where we have been having the bible studies in the dressing room. The receptionist, bartender and manager now know me by name and acted excited to see us. As we made our way to the dressing rooms, the DJ announced over the speaker that the "church ladies are here". LOL! That is really funny! The dressing room had girls that were all new to us in there. We gave the bags, answered some questions as to why we were doing this, and then prayed in a big circle. One precious girl was five months pregnant, and though she was cold to us when we first walked in, she was crying at the end of the prayer. I put my hands on her pregnant belly and prayed that God would protect and bless her child. I brought up the bible study to these new girls and they agreed that they would like to be a part of it!!! One girl responded by saying-"sure..it can't hurt." On our way out, I saw one the ladies that I had purposely brought a bible to give to her. I didn't realize that she was there, because she was out on the floor working. She stopped dancing for a moment, gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek. I told her that I had the bible for her. She was very thankful. I set the Word of God on the stage next to her and when I walked out, I turned and saw the bible sitting up there where she was dancing. What a beautiful and perfect image!!! Jesus is the Word made manifest and that is exactly where He wants us to take Him--to the hurting, to the shamed, to the sick, to the lonely, to the sinner, to the backslider. He has no problem being in the midst of people in these conditions. We are so honored to be His ambassadors!

Our next stop was Moulin Cabaret. They had a new manager, but he listened to our reason for being there and then escorted us in. Immediately, we saw three ladies standing together to the side of the stage. I attempted to hand a bag to one of them who quickly told me -"No thank you". She was very irritated at our presence there and I tried to explain what was in the gift bags and gave it another shot. She still refused to take it. I simply handed a bag right past her to another girl and then to the other one. One of the other two grabbed my arm and whispered in my ear-"what church do you go to?". I told her and she said that she really needed help. I walked her to the bar and saw that Kelly was behind me walking with the other girl who accepted the bag. We sat and talked and she explained that she was homeless and that the other girl talking to Kelly was her daughter. That literally broke my heart. She said that when we walked in the door, she saw so much compassion on my face that she knew she could talk to me. I explained to her that what she saw in my face was the love that Jesus has for her and that He wanted to make a way out for her. Since then, we have put her in a hotel for the week, gathered a few clothes for the two of them and stocked them on groceries. Please pray for this mother and daughter. The mother committed her life to Christ last night and wants to be picked up for church on Sunday.

Our last stop was at the Royal Palace, where we were successful in getting in again. There was not alot of personal contact with the girls, as they were all working, but we did get a few hugs.

There have been 2 girls and 2 patrons of these various clubs that have attended church more than once now and we are really believing for a complete healing in their lives. Please continue to pray that we are equipped with the necessary resources to help them in their present financial conditions and also that the forces of hell will be pushed back, so that these beautiful daughters of God can experience true and lasting love.

Another Bible Study, Another Victory!

Last night, I went back into a local Men's club to have a second bible study with the ladies that work there with Becki and Kelly. It was a much different experience than the week before. Last week, as you remember from my last blog, was supernaturally easy with 4 salvations as a result! Last night, it was evident that Satan was furious. You see, two of the girls that were saved last week, actually came to church on Sunday and were really ministered to, and are planning on coming back this week. When we arrived last night, with homemade cookies and gifts in hand, we were met with a new group of girls that were not interested in us being there at all! Without getting into graphic details, the opposition was great and meant to make us very uncomfortable. I was determined to minister to somebody regardless of whether or not we were to have a formal bible study. I began to talk to a lady that was getting ready and she opened up to me about how she felt she should be a part of what we were doing, but didn't want to get into something that she couldn't follow through with. As we were talking, a couple of girls began to gather, including two that were there last week. I began to speak to them as a group and pulled some chairs up to have them sit. I began to talk about the Love of God and then the bouncer for the club walked in and sat down. I invited him to stay and be a part of this bible study on God's love. He said he would stay. For about 30 minutes we attempted to teach about His love and we were constantly interrupted. I just pressed on through the lesson, making sure to address each one in there by name as I spoke, attempting to make it personal for them. The bouncer pulled a chair up to be closer to the group. By the end, everyone was either pulled away from the study, had to go dance, or was leaving the job for the night. Everyone except the bouncer. He just stayed and focused on what I was preaching. We gathered what girls were standing at the mirrors for a time of prayer. Most of them had some type of request for prayer. When we finished praying as a group, I asked to speak with the bouncer again on a personal note. I explained his need for a saviour that would give him the peace he was longing for. I asked if he would like to ask Jesus to be his Lord and Saviour. He humbly told me yes and we bowed our heads to pray. There we were in the middle of this busy dressing room in two chairs, holding hands and bowing our heads to pray a prayer of salvation out loud. Talk about a strange picture! I could see in his eyes the gratefulness he was feeling when we said Amen. Please pray for this man-I sense a call to the ministry on his life. We will be going back in a couple of weeks, so please keep the Dancers to Daughters team in your prayers.

A BIBLE STUDY IN THE DRESSING ROOMS??

Yes, you read the title correctly! Last time, I asked the girls at Show Palace if they wanted to have a bible study there at the club. I got a good response and permission from the manager before we left that night.
It was scheduled for tonight, Tuesday-October 20th at 6:00. I went with Tara this last Saturday night to post a couple of flyers reminding them and inviting the ladies to come.
We got there tonight (myself, Becki and Kelly) with a bible study prepared on "Knowing God". When we got there, we walked into the dressing room and kinda waited a few minutes. There ended up being 4 women that sat down and wanted to be a part. 3 of them were dancers there and 1 was actually a patron! For about 40 minutes I talked about a biblical view of God vs. an innacurate view based on our broken experiences in life. All 4 women were crying at some point. At the end, I asked each one individually if they would like to commit their lives to the Lord from this moment on and trust Him to lead them where He desires. Each lady thought about it and guess what???---ALL 4 of them said a prayer of repentance and asked Jesus to come into their hearts!!
The harvest truly is plentiful.
Please be encouraged by this to find the broken people around you and just ask them if they would like a new start in life-a life with Jesus. You will be surprised how ripe the harvest is!