My day, and prayer for outreach Friday…
Well, I took the bus to the Grove this morning. I wanted to get some fruit from Farmers Market and I also had to go to Whole Foods across te street. But first I went to Nordstom, cause I am almost out of my mascara.
When I went to the makeup department which is smack right there as soon as you walk in – across from the shoes (two of most women’s biggest weaknesses) along with purses not too far – I saw a purse with a sign that said, “Huge Sale” and I thought it was cute so I picked it up. Yowza!
On sale, it was $841.00!!!!!!! The original price was $1400+ I couldn’t believe it. I mean, I could believe it, but what I couldn’t do is imagine spending that kind of money on a PURSE! That’s insane. I could never justify spending that kind of money on a purse… I could buy a small used car for that amount of money!!! CRAZY! I just couldn’t ever justify spending that kind of money on something like a purse.
Anyway, I went to grab my Lancome mascara (which is the only mascara I like after trying many, many, many different kinds and have always gone back to this particular mascara) I used to have a real problem spending over $20 for mascara but I believe there truly are times where you do get what you pay for. I’ve tried to get the chepaer stuff and it just doesn’t cut it. At least for me and my stubby eyelashes.
After I grabbed my mascara, I noticed the MAC (Makeup Artist Cosmetics) counter – I LOVE their eyeshadows and lipsticks. They stay on like no other. Seriously, they have some that you can eat, kiss etc. and it won’t come off. I’ve been looking for some natural looking lipstick or gloss and so I decided to look at the colors.
A woman who works there in the MAC area came up to me and started asking me if she could help me find anything. Now usually I don’t care to have a sales person help me cause I pretty much know what I like and I don’t wnat anyone trying to talk me into buying something I don’t want. But this woman was different, very sincere, and very sweet. I was wearing my ‘The Devil’s a Pimp don’t be his Ho” shirt, and she asked what it said so I moved my hoody so she could read it. She laughed.
So I let her help me – she was so helpful and just really nice. I ended up buying a lipgloss and left to go to Whole Foods. Well, as I started crossing the street, I started thinking – why hadn’t I shared Jesus with her? As I kept walking, I felt a little convicted. Not condemned, just convicted. I told the Lord that if He wanted me to, I’d go back and talk to the woman, and tell her that God loves her. Her name is Katherine.
When I got to Whole Foods I got distracted, and then I had a guy in the grocery section ask me what my shirt said. I moved my hoody again so he could read it. He laughed, and said, “Too bad everyone doesn’t know that!” I agreed, and shared with him that my husband and I minister to pimps and prostitutes, and he said his mom has a ministry to people who are into witchcraft. (Wow, cool) I gave him a matchbook and one of my tracts. His name is Garbriel. He said he doesn’t go to church so I invited him to Reality LA.
Well, by the time I was finished shopping, my bags were full and HEAVY – all I wanted was to get on the bus and get home ASAP. So I did, and when I got home, I looked at the lipgloss that was still on my lips (it was the kind that stays on all day no matter what you do kind) and I did NOT like it at all. I thought about it, and thought that I’d just take it back tomorrow, after my neurologist appointment. Then I remembered Katherine, the woman at Nordstrom.
So, I prayed, and decided to go back right away, return my stuff and also share Jesus with Katherine if she was still there.
She was. I felt bad returning the lipgloss, but it was $20 and I was having buyers remorse. She helped me again, and after I found a color that I REALLY liked (and still do) I thanked her and then asked her straight out if she had a personal relationship with God. She said no, that she’d been raised in a Presbeterian church even though her mom is Buddist – and said that her morals come from te Bible, but that she didn’t believe in religion.
Anyway, I just shared with her that it wasn’t about religion but about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and I also told her how I really felt that I was supposed to come back, after I went all the way home…but that I came back not just to exchange the lipgloss, but also to tell her that God loves her. She thanked me and I invited her to come to Reality LA and gave her a matchbook and tract too. Please pray that Katherine would get saved! I know that God wanted me to talk to Katherine, and I felt good about going back and exchanging the lipgloss and even about spending $20 I wasn’t intending to spend.
I spoke with my friend Charity earlier today and she said that the tract with my testimony is in the process of being translated into Thai right now! Annie Dieselberg from Nightlight in Bangkok saw my tract and asked if she could have it translated into Thai to give to the women/girls they reach out to in the bars. Wow! That’s so cool! I feel like I’ll have some kind of connection with the women out there in Thailand! Maybe I sound like a dork, but I feel so honored to have them use the tract of my testimony – I didn’t think that my story is relatable to the women in Bankok when Annie asked if she could have it translated, but she said that the women would read it.
We are also going out this Friday to a new area – we need lots of prayer – I have a feeling that we may see some familiar faces out there (of the pimps at least) because I know that our friend G goes to this area quite frequently. I want to call him maybe tomorrow to see if he’ll be out there. We have 5 people going with Daryl and I this time, four girls and John, Chraity’s husband. It should be great! I’m so excited! Sara said she was out there a couple of weeks ago – early (about midnight) and there were LOTS of girls. The weather is warmer so more girls!
PLEASE keep the outreach in prayer!!! Thanks so much!
