Laurie Ishii and Daryl Bargy

TODAYS OUTREACH

I JUST GOT HOME FROM OUTREACH THIS AFTERNOON. IT WENT REALLY WELL! THANKS SO MUCH FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO WERE PRAYING FOR US AND ESPECIALLY FOR ZIGGY AND PABLO.

WE WEREN’T ABLE TO STAY OUT VERY LONG (IT WAS AND STILL IS SOOOO HOT OUTSIDE) BUT THE SHORT HOUR THAT WE WERE OUT WAS VERY PRODUCTIVE.

WELL… OH DARN. I JUST GOT A PHONE CALL FROM DARYL AND HIS TRUCK STALLED, THE STARTER ISN’T WORKING – SO HE’S WAITING FOR A MECHANIC. UGH.

SO… ASIDE FROM THAT HAPPENING – THE OUTREACH WENT WELL. WE SAW ABOUT TEN PROSTITUTES – TWO WE MET BEFORE, AND THE REST WERE NEW FACES. ONE WENT BY MICHELLE, WHO WASN’T VERY OPEN – ANOTHER WHO WENT BY “FANTASY” ANOTHER “STAR”, ANOTHER “PROMISE”… WE WERE ABLE TO HAND OUT TEN BAGS TO THE GIRLS AND TALKED WITH THE GIRL WHO WENT BY “PROMISE” FOR A BIT. SHE SAID SHE’S GOING TO COLLEGE AND HAD BEEN TURNING TRICKS FOR THREE YEARS. A GIRLFRIEND OF HERS TURNED HER ON TO THE GAME.

THEN WHILE WE WERE TALKING TO “FANTASY” AND ANOTHER GIRL (WE DIDN’T GET HER NAME) A PIMP IN A LIME GREEN SUV CAME BY CUSSING AND “SPITTING” (NOT LITERALLY SPITTING – IT’S A TERM) AT “FANTASY” AND HER FRIEND – SO WHILE MY FRIEND WAS TALKING TO THEM I RAN UP TO THE PIMPS SUV AND HANDED HIM A PIMP TRACT.

AT FIRST HE LOOKED AT ME CRAZY AND I JUST SMILED AND INTRODUCED MYSELF AND NOTICED HE HAD THREE GIRLS IN THE CAR WITH HIM. HE READ THE BEGINNING OF THE PIMP TRACT AND WAS VERY RESPECTFUL TOWARDS ME. I ASKED HIM IF I COULD GIVE HIS GIRLS SOME GIFT BAGS AND HE SAID YES – I TOLD HIM THAT I HAD TO GET THEM IN THE CAR AND HE SAID THAT THEY WOULD WAIT FOR ME TO GET THE BAGS. WHEN I CAME BACK HE THANKED ME AND TOOK 3 BAGS AND I ASKED HIM AND THE GIRLS WHAT THEIR NAMES WERE – HIS WAS J*****, AND THE GIRLS HAD TRIPPY NAMES I COULDN’T HARDLY PRONOUNCE LESS REMEMBER – AND I NOTICED THAT THEY SEEMED VERY VERY APPREHENSIVE ABOUT GIVING ME THEIR NAMES WHICH IS TOTALLY UNDERSTANDABLE…

I TOLD THEM WE’D PUT THEM ON OUR PRAYER LIST (GOD KNOWS THEIR NAMES) AND JEREMY SAID THAT THEY NEEDED PRAYER – AND THANKED US FOR PRAYING FOR THEM. ALL IN ALL IT WAS GOOD AND J*****’S CAR IS VERY RECOGNIZABLE SO WE’LL KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR HIM NEXT TIME WE’RE OUT.

THANKS AGAIN FOR YOUR PRAYERS!!

Today’s Outreach – Awesome!

First of all – Praise God I got a voice mail from a young man named C**** – we met him on outreach one morning when we had a team from Fresno with us. This guy has SUCH a calling on his life and has such a beautiful spirit. He received Jesus as his Lord and Savior – he’s a meth addict and is still on the street – but he kept my phone number and called me to let me know that he is SO READY TO GO TO THE DREAM CENTER!!! But when I tried to call him back at the number he called from some guy who said he didn’t know C**** answered – then I called another number he left and got a voice mail so I left a message and left the for the Dream Center and for him to call me. PLEASE PRAY that he will get the message and that he’ll call me back!!!

Now today’s outreach – it was great – I’m beginning to notice a pattern… Pablo has gone out on outreach with us since we starting going out during the day… and he has gotten car sick. He threw up on me one day after we had a really good outreach and last week he threw up again. (Not on me this time thank God) So I didn’t take him out with me today – and lo and behold – instead Ziggy got sick – I came home to the smell of poo poo… UGH. He had an accident (BIG ONE) all over my kitchen floor – literally ALL OVER. (The reason I can tell when it’s Ziggy (his signature) is because he does “circles” – poops in at least three or more spots – whereas Pablo stays in one spot.) Plus he must have had an upset stomach other night too.

So I’m really going to have to MAKE sure to pray over the boys before outreach. Daryl and I always pray for them but I think they need some extra protection when we go on outreach.

This afternoon we prayed the whole way to the track and when we got there no one was out (no girls) and so we drove around and then saw one girl we could tell was a “working girl” so we pulled over and got out of the car. I gave her a gift bag and she thanked us and asked what was in it and why we were giving bags away. This girl called herself “H****” and she was only 19 years old. She said she’d been working for about 2 and a half years. I asked her if she had a pimp and she said she was renegade but that he was in prison.

H**** said that the way she started turning tricks was she had a “boyfriend” who knew about the Game and she wanted to “try” – so she went on one of the tracks here in Hollywood and she didn’t know that she “wasn’t supposed to get in a black guys car” – well she did and the guy was a pimp. He took her to a different track and wanted her to work and she was crying – well another pimp saw her crying and he “rescued” her and beat the other guy up and so she ended up staying with him – he taught her all the rules and language of the game.

She said he had 6 girls – she also had his name ‘branded’ on her chest – and I didn’t think about it until later – he has the same name of another girl we met a while back – a 17 year old named Y** Y** – I wonder if that’s the same pimp? I haven’t seen Y** Y** on the street for a while now – it would make sense that if that was the same pimp and he’s in prison now for like 8 months… why we haven’t seen her on the street for about that amount of time now.

Anyway, “H****” said she didn’t have a pimp right now and was mostly working off the internet but then her old pimp’s brother called her while we were talking to her and asked who we were and why was she talking to us etc. So who knows. She said she has a boyfriend but I’m thinking that maybe her “boyfriend” is her old pimps brother. Everyone is “family” (what they call their “folks”) in the Game and it really reminds me of my gang friends/homeboys – how my husband used to have his homeboys watch me whenever he couldn’t – he’d always have a couple of his friends watching me wherever I went, even at work. We were ‘closer’ than any family I knew of until I became a Christian and was ‘adopted’ into God’s family – now my friends that God has put in my life are closer than any family I’ve ever been a part of. Even my dad and I are closer than ever before because of the bond we have in Jesus.

Well, I got H****’s phone number and we asked her if we could take her to lunch sometime and she said “Yes” – so Lord willing, we’ll be able to do that sometime soon. Thank you for your prayers!

Outreach and STBEP

Today we went on outreach to talk to the girls/prostitutes again. We only had about an hour to be out there because of our schedules – there were 3 of us – me and a woman who prefers to be on the “down low” and Lauren, a college student from Reality.

It was great, because it seems like girls are pretty consistent out there – regardless of what time it is. We saw a few girls we hadn’t met before, prayed with two and then saw a couple of regulars, K***** and A**** that we didn’t recognize right away because they got hair weaves! But they recognized us right away and said, “Hey! There’s our friends!!!”

We talked with them a bit and then K***** pointed at two Hispanic girls (yes, GIRLS) who looked VERY young (13-15?) and said “Those girls are working – they’re fro across the border. You guys should go talk to them…”

Then A**** said “Yeah, go talk to them, and they better not mess wit you guys, you guys our friends, I’ll kick their butts…” Funny. Not like we’re worried about a couple of girls messing with us.

Unfortunately, the two girls disappeared down a street and we weren’t able to find or talk to them. Maybe next time…

Please continue to pray for STBEP – she’s going through some VERY difficult stuff right now. Physically, medically, spiritually and definitely emotionally as well. I cannot believe how strong she is sometimes. It seems as if SO MUCH of her past keeps coming up like a flood and she feels disgusting, dirty and horrible about herself and things she’s done and been through. It’s so so so sad… My heart is broken for her. Truly… sometimes I almost wonder – how can any person go through the stuff she’s gone through – and why?

I mean… she’s asked me before where God was when certain things happened to her when she was a child… and there is no cut and dry easy answer to give her… I mean, sure He was there – I totally believe that the only reason she’s still alive is because He’s been watching over her – but seriously, when she tells me that she was a little girl and she prayed and asked God to protect her from certain specific people and yet those people still hurt and violate her over and over… what do I say? I KNOW that God’s heart was broken for her, but…

Some days I honestly do wonder how, or IF she will ever get through the stuff she’s having to deal with. Some days I just cry. But I DO TRUST that we serve a BIG BIG God. I have to trust and believe that HE will see her through this – otherwise honestly, some days I just want to break down and cry for days. Daryl and I are seriously – TOTALLY believing God for her to come through this and for HIM to totally set her free and make her whole one day. She has been doing AMAZINGLY well, working with her counselors…

Last night her counselor gave her some “homework” – to have Daryl talk to her and tell her how a man is supposed to treat a woman when he loves her. It was very good – She kept saying that a woman (in the game) is supposed to be disciplined and corrected – and Daryl told her that it is NEVER OK for a man to lay hands on a woman, no matter what. She had a hard time believing that. He was told her that a man should encourage her and build her up and treat her like royalty cause she is – she’s a daughter of the King – NOT discourage her and bring her down… she’s having a hard time accepting the FACT that she is valuable and that she deserves to be treated well.

Plus she’s still got people consistently speaking otherwise – no matter how she tries to stay away from them… people that make it very difficult for me to continue to behave “Christlike”… Grrrr. Anyway, please just pray. We love her so much, and God LOVES her so much more than we ever could.

Thank you…

After Hours Needs, Prayer and Update on STBEP

Thank you SO MUCH for your ongoing prayer, encouragement and financial and support!

Well, we have been working on our 501c3 and are in the process of getting a lawyer to help us complete the last form we need to fill out to send to the IRS. Our friend Kim is helping us revise and complete our bylaws.

We will need to raise $750 to pay the IRS with the paperwork.

Finances for the gift bags are always something we need on a regular basis – we are now going on outreach during the week (Wednesdays) and there are SO many girls out.

We are still doing what we can to help meet STBEP’s needs – phone, gas (even food) and money when we can. I can only imagine that there must be some people wondering why we are still helping her (including her) and all I can say is that SHE WANTS TO CHANGE SO BAD – she is taking BABY steps – I was talking to my dad last night and I was telling him how it is SO HARD for STBEP to understand God’s LOVE without having to ‘earn’ it – in the game (and the world in general) NOTHING is free – there are always strings attached… she feels like such a failure if she just makes one mistake she beats herself up and wants to give up because she’s not changing ‘fast enough’…

She is so scared that people are only helping her because they expect something from her, and she’s afraid that she won’t be able to live up to people’s expectations and then everyone will be disappointed in her and write her off.

My dad asked if STBEP knew that it is a process – change doesn’t happen overnight – and “Have you told her how long it took you????” Lol! Yes – I have shared that it took me YEARS to screw up (and I still screw up – just not as much as I did before), learning to understand God’s love for me. I totally always felt like if I screwed up – He looked down at me like I was a failure and He didn’t want to look at my face ever again – I was disgusting to Him. Then I would get mad and think He was a jerk. I was SO mixed up. WHY would God love me??? WHY?

I remember one night after ‘doing’ (a large amount of guys in the back room) a bachelor party one night — feeling like a piece of trash, a rag doll… after I left the party, I remember taking a cab, being dropped off at a Taco Bell just standing in the empty parking lot…with nowhere to go – crying, shaking my fist at God, “So You still love me now? Yeah right, how can You still love me!? (screaming through my tears) How can anyone love me??????”

People prayed for me, people tried to get me to come to church, people prayed ‘OVER’ me – I WANTED SO BAD TO BE FREE – but I was in SUCH BONDAGE… it took YEARS for me to come around. And God used a NUMBER of His people to show me His love, in spite of what an idiot I was – people who did not give up on me, who loved me unconditionally. Even when I was a jerk. STBEP isn’t even a jerk at all like I was when I was living in my madness. I used and abused everyone that tried to help me.

Let me say that STBEP is one of the MOST APPRECIATIVE person I have ever met. She is almost childlike when she opens a card or package one of us send her. She is so happy and so grateful!!! Her family grew up very poor… She doesn’t have the slightest chip on her shoulder as if the world owes her something – I have met so many people from down on Skid Row or the projects, ghetto – who are so ungrateful and act as if the world owes them something. To be honest, I was a bit surprised at STBEP’s attitude when I first started talking to her – she doesn’t have the ‘victim’ mentality at all.

She said that people keep telling her that her pimp doesn’t love her – and the hardest thing about her admitting that he doesn’t love her is that if he don’t love her = then no one does, that she’s worthless. (Only in HER mind – she is worth MORE than Rubies to God!!! )

She is so afraid that she has started to care a lot for those of us who are helping her now and that we expect something from her – so if she doesn’t do what people expect – they’ll all drop her. She said that’s happened to her over and over and over – all by Christians. ;-(

This is why even though her pimp treats her so bad – at least he is consistent – at least he will always be there for her. She said that it is better to have people who will mistreat her and still be there for there than to have no one at all.

It is so difficult for us as well – it’s hard allowing ourselves to get close to someone who we don’t know will live through the week… (even through the day!!!) But friendship is taking a risk – and we do love her no matter what – she is VERY lovable – not only that – GOD HAS SHOWN US SO MUCH LOVE through other people that it is a PRIVILEGE to share His love with someone else!!!

TRY TO UNDERSTAND, that there is NO WAY I would spend so much time on the phone with her, helping her, sending her things etc. – if we didn’t believe with ALL OUR HEARTS that SHE WANTS TO CHANGE – and if BOTH Daryl and I didn’t feel that GOD has put her on our hearts. There are a lot of girls who we’d love to help – but there are VERY FEW who actually WANT help and who are actually TRYING to take the steps to change.

I realize that there is a time when a person who is using drugs (like when I was) is sucking everyone dry and using people and we can see that a person is not ready and who does really want to change… that we have to step back and let the person go (my parents had to do that to me and it was the best thing that ever could have happened but I didn’t think that until after I got clean) until they really do what to change… so you let them go so that the person can come to an end of themselves…

I can’t explain how I can tell that – but I can… I’ve just been there – and I can recognize it in someone… and every person is an individual, each person is different… but drugs are also a little different than being addicted to the game… because there are PEOPLE they are addicted to as well – and in such a strong strong way… I wish so bad that I could explain the dynamics and relationship in just a few sentences but I can’t… and there usually is alcohol, drugs, money and a whole bunch of other stuff involved as well… it is so complicated… ;-( I wish I could explain it better.

Well, maybe one day STBEP will be able to explain this to people much better than I ever can. She is so smart, so articulate and communicates herself so well. I believe that one day she will help so many people, not just women trying to get out of the game, but all kinds of people from all kinds of different backgrounds. PLEASE continue to pray for her!!!

THANK YOU SO MUCH for your ongoing prayer and support!!! We love you!!!

PROSTITUTE OUTREACH…

I DO WANT EVERYBODY TO KNOW THAT JUST BECAUSE I’VE BEEN SPENDING A LOT OF TIME WITH STBEP, IT DOESN’T MEAN THAT I AM NOT STILL DOING OTHER OUTREACH AND REACHING OUT TO OTHER GIRLS.

MONDAY KIM AND I WENT TO COURT WITH THE 18 YEAR OLD WHO JUST STARTED PROSTITUTING ABOUT 6 MONTHS AGO. HER JUDGE GOT HER OFF WITH “OPERATING A BUSINESS WITHOUT A LICENSE” !!!!! – SHE WAS ARRESTED FOR SOLICITING – SHE TOLD ME SHE GOT BUSTED FOR PROSTITUTING AT A HOTEL…

ANYWAY – SHE WAS GIVEN 5 MONTH PROBATION, AIDS CLASSES AND SHE WASN’T ALLOWED TO ADVERTISE IN CRAIG’S LIST ANYMORE.

HER PIMP WAS THERE AND HE MADE HER MOVE WHEN HE SAW US SITTING NEXT TO HER. (HE WASN’T IN THE COURT ROOM WHEN WE FIRST GOT THERE)

I WAS ABLE TO GIVE HER A TWLOHA http://www.twloha.com/the_story.php CARD AND SHE READ IT AND PUT IT IN HER PURSE, ALONG WITH MY NUMBER.

SHE HAS NO MORE COURT DATES, SO WHO KNOWS WHAT WILL HAPPEN NOW…

THE OTHER DAY MY FRIEND AND I WENT ON OUTREACH LOOKING FOR GIRLS AGAIN AND WE SAW SOME OF THE SAME GIRLS WE SAW OVER THE WEEKEND. IT WAS GREAT – THEY WERE REALLY HAPPY TO SEE US AND WE HAD PABLO WITH US AND ONE OF THE PIMPS HAD A CHIHUAHUA TOO SO HE CAME OVER AND LET PABLO AND HIS DOG PLAY TOGETHER.

WHILE TALKING TO THE GIRLS K***** ONE OF THEM SAID THAT SHE DIDN’T WANT TO BE OUT THERE EXCEPT THAT HER HUSBAND IS IN PRISON. SAME WITH ANOTHER GIRL, A****. A**** AND HER FRIEND P****** ARE GOING TO SCHOOL (COLLEGE) AND I ASKED THEM IF THERE WAS ANYTHING WE COULD HELP THEM WITH (MAKING SURE TO LET THEM KNOW THAT WE COULDN’T PROMISE THEM ANYTHING) AND THE TWO WHO ARE GOING TO COLLEGE SAID THEY NEEDED BUS PASSES, AND K***** SAID SHE NEEDED A JACKET. SHE’S STAYING IN A MOTEL.

IT’S SO AWESOME CAUSE MY GIRLFRIEND TOLD ME TODAY THAT SHE BOUGHT K***** A JACKET!!! I CALLED THE METRO AND THE LADY I TALKED TO WAS NOT VERY HELPFUL – SHE TOLD ME THERE ARE ONLY TWO PLACES I CAN GO AND GET A PASS AND WOULDN’T TELL ME PRICES SO I’M GONNA TRY TO GET SOME BETTER INFORMATION, AND SEE IF WE CAN AFFORD TO GET THEM PASSES.

ANYWAY, I’VE GOT ALL THE GIRLS NUMBERS AND ONE OF THEM CALLED ME YESTERDAY… I TOLD THE ONE GIRL WHO’S STAYING IN A MOTEL ABOUT THE WALTER HOVING HOME AND DREAM CENTER AND SHE TOOK THE NUMBERS DOWN. I SHARED THAT WE WANT TO START OUR OWN HOME TO HELP WOMEN AND ALL THREE GIRLS SAID, “IF YOU GUYS START A HOME WE WOULD COME!!! WE BE KNOWIN’ YOU – IT’S HARD TO GO SOMEPLACE WHERE WE DON’T KNOW NOBODY – BUT IF YOU HAD A PLACE WE’D GO!!!”

SO WE NEED TO BE PRAYING ABOUT GETTING A HOME GOING ONE DAY – I WOULD LOVE TO START A DISCIPLESHIP PROGRAM FOR WOMEN OUT OF THE GAME… ONE DAY. AND HAVE STBEP WORK WITH US!!!!

OUTREACH YESTERDAY…

I DON’T HAVE MUCH TIME TO WRITE AND I’LL BE GONE ALL DAY SO I’M GONNA TRY TO DO THIS AS QUICK AS POSSIBLE SO I GET IT DONE AT ALL…

LAST WEEKS OUTREACH WAS AMAZING TOO – WE HAD “CHURCH ON THE STREET” – WE MET THREE PROSTITUTES AND GAVE THEM EACH BAGS AND PRAYED WITH THEM AND AFTER THAT MET THREE MORE – BUT THEY DIDN’T LOOK LIKE THEY WERE IN THE GAME, MORE LIKE THEY WERE CRACK/COKE PROSTITUTES.

ANYWAY, IT WAS AWESOME, WE LITERALLY WERE PRAYING AND THEY WOMEN WERE CRYING OUT TO GOD – THEY KNEW GOD AND WERE BACK SLIDDEN.

LAST NIGHT WE RAN INTO THREE GIRLS, ONE WHO WE REALLY HAD A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO PRAY FOR AND TALK TO – SHE IS ONLY 20, BEAUTIFUL – BEEN IN THE GAME SINCE SHE WAS 14 AND HAS A SON BY HER PIMP. SHE HAD TEARS IN HER EYES WHEN SHE SAID THAT SHE REALLY DIDN’T WAT TO BE IN THE LIFE BUT THAT IT WAS SO ADDICTING, THE MONEY – SHE SAID SHE DIDN’T KNOW HOW TO GET OUT BUT SHE DIDN’T WANT HER TWO YEAR OLD SON TO GROW UP WITH HIS MOMMY BEING A PROSTITUTE… HE SEES HER GET DRESSED EVERY NIGHT BEFORE SHE HITS THE STREETS…

SHE WAS SO SWEET AND SHE GAVE ME HER NUMBER TO TRY AND FIND HER A PLACE TO GO WHEN SHE’S READY. JULIA AND JENNIFER PRAYED WITH HER AS TWO GUYS PULLED UP AND I WENT AND TALKED TO THEM – THEY WERE REALLY STONED AND ONE WAS SAYING THAT HE THOUGHT IT WAS GREAT WHAT WE WERE DOING AND SAID IF HE HAD A PROSTITUTE HE WOULD MAKE HER BE A SQUARE.

THEN A COP PULLED UP BEHIND THEM AND I WENT AND TALKED TO HIM AND THE GUYS PULLED OVER – IT WAS CRAZY CAUSE THE DRIVER CAME AND TALKED TO THE COP TOO – HE SAID HE PULLED OVER TO TELL US WHAT A GREAT JOB WE’RE DOING (HE WAS CRAZY, I’D NEVER BE WANTING TO TALK TO A COP IF I WAS STONED!)

THE COP TOLD HIM TO GO ON HIS WAY AND THEN DARYL WALKED UP AND THE COP (I THINK HIS NAME WAS CULLEN) AND HE KEPT SAYING THAT HE DIDN’T WANT US TO GET SHOT OR KILLED, ASKED ME IF I KNEW WHERE WE WERE (LOL – LIKE “SURE, WE JUST ENDED UP THERE ACCIDENTALLY”) AND I TOLD HIM THAT YES, WE KNEW WHERE WE WERE, AND YES, WE REALIZED THE RISK WE WERE TAKING, SHARED THAT DARYL AND I CAME OUT OF THE SAME BACKGROUND – HE WAS GENUINELY CONCERNED AND I COULD TELL HE THOUGHT WE WERE CRAZY AND SAID HE’D WISH WE’D GO OUT EARLIER, BUT WISHED A GOOD NIGHT.

ANYWAY, I’M IN A HURRY BUT WE RAN INTO CHRISTIAN AGAIN (THE GUY WHO GOT SAVED A FEW WEEKS AGO) AND HE IS SERIOUSLY CONSIDERING GOING TO THE DREAM CENTER DISCIPLESHIP AND WANTS ME TO CALL HIM TODAY. OKAY I’VE GOTTA RUN GOT A LOT OF STUFF TO DO TODAY GOD BLESS!!!