“I fell off a ladder and broke my neck and back,” Jenny explained.
“Oh, no!”
“Yep,” Jenny said, “it’s a miracle. Even my doctor says that I shouldn’t be able to walk.”
Each week, the strip club staff watched Jenny’s progress. They realized that nothing would stop her. Although Jenny thought they were at the strip clubs for the dancers, many others were touched—the managers, waiters, bartenders, doormen, the people at the front desk and even the patrons. The ladies didn’t discuss Jesus with anyone until they had developed a solid, trusting relationship.
One of the questions Jenny often asked was, “What are your dreams?”
“No one’s ever asked me that,” one girl said.
“It’s been so long I can’t remember,” another said.
“Holistic health,” a young, single mother said. “I’ve always dreamed of working in holistic health.”
At home, Jenny researched information on schools of holistic health, how to get financial aid and day care programs. She printed the material and put it in an envelope. The next Monday, she handed it to the young woman.
“You did all this for me?” the girl asked. A month later, she left to pursue her dream.
Life and Death
“Everyone has a different story,” Jenny explains. “Some dancers have been sent to work there by pimps or boyfriends who want the money. Some are single parents who can’t make it on a salary from McDonald’s®. Others are there to get money for college.
“We pray for anyone who wants prayer. Some dancers have moved on to different careers. But so have DJs, managers and bartenders. And yet, no one gets upset with us.
“There is one national chain of strip clubs that won’t allow any type of ministry inside. One night we were at a stoplight when a man on the sidewalk said, ‘Hey, don’t you hand out cookies? Could you come to our club? Just give them my name at the door.’
“We’d been praying about how to get into that club. We gave his name at the door and were ushered inside. We’ve been told numerous times that other groups haven’t gotten past the front door.
“The tragic thing is that the dancers often end up being trafficked out of the clubs. Some think they’re going to be spending time with a single client and go willingly. Others are drugged. They wake up naked and captive somewhere.
“One of the girls we befriended was raised in a Christian home but had gotten away from her roots. One night she called one of our leaders and said, ‘There’s stuff going on here and I’m scared. My friend and I need out of here, now!’
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BVOV : 19
