Red Light Districts, Neighbors, Parties, and Jesus

It's amazing to watch God change someone's life completely. And the beauty of it is the Domino effect. He speaks, someone listens, someone hears, something begins, and before you know it, the Gospel begins to influence everything we do. What a blessing.
Here's what I've been up to (Thanks to the big man upstairs):

On Friday night, Michael took Jared, Abbi and I to the red light district of Frankfurt. If you know me, you know human trafficking is a touchy issue for me because of SOS, Moldova, etc. Walking into the red light district was hard, yal. Everywhere you looked there was a sign advertising good sex, sexy women, good dancing, or a picture of a naked woman. The whole block was lit up with red lights, and every window had its own red light, signifying another woman whose life has been stripped away from her. 'Prostitutes' kept eyeing the guys we were with, beckoning them inside. While walking along the street, I kept seeing 'classy' business men coming out of brothels, buttoning their coats like nothing happened. Friends, this town needs prayer. Sadly, Frankfurt just shows it because prostitution is legal here, but many cities (yes, even winston salem), are fueling the disaster called the sex trade.

  

 

It was hard yes, but God is good. He refuels my passion for ministry, my desire for the Gospel to permeate everything in this city, in my city, in every city..


One of the biggest ministries here in Frankfurt is throwing parties. Now, it sounds interesting to hear it just like that. But what I've learned is that the people of Nordstern church network the Gospel through their whole lives. They don't just have to go to church to be a Christian, no--it permeates their whole beings. They are completely changed and always amazed by the Gospel. On Saturday, Abbi and Jared (and their awesome daughter Elise) threw a housewarming party (they moved in the apartment about a month ago). We called it operation love our neighbors.

It started at 4pm, welcoming the older residents in the apartment complex. It was so cool to see Abbi and Jared reach out and love their neighbors so deeply and intentionally. They were simply showing the credibility of the Gospel through relationships that are genuine. I got to talk to one of the neighbors, I would say he was about 70, and I showed genuine interest in his life. Because of that, he opened up to me about his whole life! He invited me to his flat so that he could tell me stories about his life in the next few weeks. I can't wait to cultivate that friendship!

The party kinda went through different phases, at about 6pm some families came, and then from about 9-1am there were abunch of young adults there. I met some awesome people (pictures to come). One of the people I connected with was in his young 20s and I asked if he attended Nordstern (an easy opportunity for me to see where they are spiritually). He said that he wasn't allowed to because of Catholicism. I left it there for a bit, but later we were sitting on the couch and I asked him why he couldn't come to Nordstern. This led into a lengthy discussion about sin, why we try and do good, etc. What opportunities I have been given.

These are just 2 stories of relational connections I have made with people here. Yes, it's hard. No, I don't understand 80% of what anyone is saying. Yes, I miss home and friends and family and comfort. Yes, sometimes I want to be normal. But I cannot. We are called to such deeper things, my friends. If I could do it all over again I would. The vision of Nordstern is life changing--because the Gospel is life changing.

I wish that I could bottle it all up and experience it all with you all, my friends. But, it's so good for me to grow up a little bit, being on my own. It forces me to realize what my real values are, and shows me how well I really stick to them.

Pictures are coming, I promise!!

Pray specifically for: Nordstern, the church here (meaning the members, how they can be a light in their community), the red light district and what I can do while I'm here to begin prevention, pray for the Holy Spirit to work and for us to trust His movement, for my personal growth and sustenance, pray for Calvary to consider partnering with Nordstern more seriously.