Boundless Mercy, an anti-trafficking prayer and outreach ministry founded by an Aglow leader in a major US city, carries His presence into night clubs, strip clubs, tattoo parlors, porn shops, and spas, distributing bags of cookies containing notes about God’s love.
In the outreaches, relationships are being built with people whom the church often shuns. Many local Aglow women and men are involved in praying for the outreach team, writing notes of Jesus' love to those ensnared in the sex industry, or even baking cookies for the outreach effort. The team befriends the employees of these establishments by giving them the cookie bags and offering to pray for them. Boundless Mercy usually visits 15 different locations on the bi-monthly outreaches.
In an outreach testimony report, one of the team members writes:
- At a sports bar-style strip club we brought cookie recipes for the cashier and waitress who had requested them during a previous visit, then ended up praying for two very receptive young women in the dressing room who were tenderhearted and appreciative. Everyone was glad to see us and receive the cookie bags. Out on the floor, bartenders and customers alike were happy to get their cookie bags.
- At a tattoo parlor “R” was working on a customer, but was extremely friendly to us. We also gave cookies to the rest of the staff and the customers. They were clearly happy to see us. We pray for whoever needs prayer, but we do not try to push anything.
- At the next club, the new men's-bathroom-janitor friend was out front when we arrived at the door. He smiled broadly when we gave him the cookies and exclaimed, "Where's my prayer?" He allowed us to pray for him right there in front of the security guard and insisted on holding our hands. One of the dancers at the bar made a point to greet and hug us. A team member had prayed with her the last time we were there, and she expressed her appreciation. We left more cookies in the dressing room for the other dancers and prayed for a very young-looking girl there.
- We were surprised to find that the ownership at a local foot spa had completely changed. Our Chinese friends sold the business and went back to China! We were glad we had included tracts about Jesus in Chinese on numerous occasions, as it turns out we will never see them again. We were warmly greeted at the next spa where the owners were also Chinese. The woman did not wish to talk, but was very pleased to receive the cookie bags which contained Chinese tracts in addition to notes and cookies.
- At a Hispanic spa the madam actually came out to greet us (occasionally she does not, as she went to jail last August and tends to be very self-protective). Although she did not want prayer, she was friendly and loves the cookies (which always come with notes about Jesus' love).
- We spent a long time in the next strip club visiting with our cashier friend “E,” who poured out to us the struggles she was going through. We also got to chat a bit with a couple of the dancers who came to the front to collect their cookies.
- Our next club proved a very fruitful visit. We spoke with a few of the women in the dressing room who were glad for our cookie bags. The security guard commented that God has answered our prayers for two of the key people he heard us pray for in the foyer over the past month. God is showing Himself mighty and powerful as a healer and friend!
- We met the new assistant manager at a porn/sex shop. She is a delightful young lady who is working two jobs to make ends meet for her college degree. She was appreciative of our visit and was delighted to talk to us. She clearly has a good mind and a tender heart.
- At another local sex/lingerie store we entered the shop expecting to greet our new cashier friend from two weeks ago and hear a follow-up on her prayer requests. However, instead a lady was at the counter who recognized us from a human trafficking meeting we had participated in at her church last year! She works at this place but has been on three of our parent ministry's van tours of sex trafficking locations in our city. These van tours so impacted her, that she convinced her manager to remove the sex rooms at her place of business; she told him she would REFUSE to work there if he did not shut them down. As a result, those sex rooms at multiple locations in this chain have been closed, and sales are UP rather than diminished.
- The Thai brothel we visit was locked, but the madam saw us on camera and stopped vacuuming to open the door. We knew something was wrong, as she had been acting strangely the last couple of times we had visited with her, and the last time we had visited, the place was locked up. She opened the door and greeted us with an outpouring of sorrow due to a recent event. She said she had thought about us multiple times. We prayed that Jesus would give her a revelation of Himself.
- The dancers at another club were grateful for the cookies. On the way back through the club to the front door, a customer at a table asked us what we had in our basket and inquired why we visited this place. We had distributed all the cookies, but we had two Bibles left. He asked for the Bibles for himself and for his male table-mate, who he said needed one as well. He then wondered why we were doing what we were doing. I told him that we have young adult children the age of these dancers, and that we wanted to show them Jesus' love and kindness. He then assured me that he respected us and was impressed. We went out to the car to get more cookies for the two customers and for the waitress, who had approached us as well.
- At another establishment we prayed with a woman who has been depressed and in despair. She is very lonely and is a believer who has been wrestling with sin and self-condemnation. She hates working at this place, as it makes her feel dirty. We assured her that the Holy Spirit was giving her discernment and encouraged her to seek another job that would allow her to get a two-year business degree on the side so she can fulfill her dream of owning her own floral shop. The team prayed for her and asked God to fill her with a sense of His love and acceptance. The Holy Spirit brought to mind Psalm 84 about how blessed the man is whose heart is set on pilgrimage (not staying the same); as he passes through the Valley of Weeping, he makes it a place of springs. The rain also covers it with pools; he goes from strength to strength. This word was in the context of not considering herself a failure. God will transform her tears and trials (she is a single mom with a ten-year-old son) into pools of blessings that will be testimonies of His goodness to her. She was weeping at the end as the Lord touched her heart with His love and presence.
- After this, another dancer came out to collect her cookies and told us she had been telling her church in a neighboring city what we do is proof that Jesus loves strippers. She visited with us, then said she really could use prayer. She was very receptive to the prayer, and told us she recently had kicked a severe meth habit. Even though she hated this job, she felt she had no choice but to return to stripping at this club to pay the bills for her three children. We prayed for God to provide for her and her family and to empower her husband to be the man He was calling him to be. We prayed for peace and freedom for her, as well as for protection.
- We did not enter the next club, but dropped off cookie bags for the security guard and janitor who happily received them. There was a note about Jesus in the bag, plus a Gospel of John, so we are trusting the Lord to minister to them from those books.
- The final stop on this outreach was a porn/lingerie shop. The employee was happy to see us when we walked in the door, and proceeded to tell us how our cookies and notes had blessed a young woman who had wandered into her shop a couple of weeks ago. This young woman showed all the signs of having been trafficked (did not know where she was, didn't know how to get out of town, etc.). The employee fed her and gave her shelter in the store until someone safe could come by and pick her up. She also gave her the extra cookie bag we had left. She told us our note had clearly helped the young lady feel more at peace.
The Vision of Aglow International is to carry the truth of the Kingdom that restores people to a radiant place of relationship with God and one another, breaks the tyranny of oppression, and brings freedom and empowerment.
Find out more about Aglow’s role in the abolition of Anti-Human Trafficking.