"And the prostitutes believed Him..."

This is a re-post from the blog of my dear missionary friends, Sammy and Lindsey Romero (www.romerosonmission.com), who are serving here in the Philippines in Malaybalay City. My team is beyond blessed to be hosting this beautiful young woman at our cottage in Camiguin for a few weeks as she continues to gain strength in following the Lord!

And the prostitutes believed Him... 

~by Lindsey Romero

She came to our house crying last Sunday. I knew her, but I didn't know.

She said she had seen us at a wedding recently and felt like she should come and talk to us. So, I listened.

She wept as she told me her story. Six years ago her already very poor family hit rock bottom, and a neighbor asked her if she was willing to do anything for money, and at the time, she was. She's only 20 years old. You do the math.

Customer after customer, night after night her life spiraled out of control. Partying. Drugs. Drinking. Cutting. Six years later, sitting on my front porch, she was broken, used, beat down, crushed, and nearly destroyed by sin, evil, and bad decisions.

She said she wanted to change. She said she hated herself and couldn't live like that anymore. She wanted to ask God for forgiveness but that she was "too dirty."

I took a deep breath, prayed to the Holy Spirit for the words I didn't have, and told her how much God loved her. I told her the story of the prodigal son and St. Mary Magdalene. I told her that Jesus came for sinners, that He had been waiting for her all these years with open arms, loving her and waiting for her to turn around and come back to Him. 

We hugged and cried, and I asked her if this was that moment, and she said yes. Right there on the porch, she gave her life to Jesus. Heaven rejoiced!

The next morning, she made her confession with a priest. She gave Sammy the SIM card out of her phone and moved in to our spare bedroom for a week. 

The kids loved having her here, especially Evie. Our eldest daughter has a special way of letting the Lord use her, and when they would talk I'd get goosebumps sometimes. Jesus was speaking healing and value and appreciation and love into the life of this wounded young woman through my child.

"Wow, you're such a great artist!"

"You're really smart."

"Wow, you're such a great cook!"

"You look so beautiful this morning!"

"Thanks for helping me pick up my toys. You're really helpful."

"I'm glad you're here. You're so nice."

Sammy and I stayed up late at night teaching her about Jesus and the Bible, about her beauty and value in the eyes of God, sharing our testimony with her and answering a million and one questions. She was hungry for all of it. We never saw her without her Bible and journal. She jogged to Mass every day at 5:30 a.m. She joined us in all of our ministries and brought down the house last Thursday when she shared her testimony at our weekly Bible study in front of all her neighbors. It was super powerful. There wasn't a dry eye in the room.

She is bold and unashamed. She's a missionary now. She doesn't miss the chance to tell someone, anyone what God has done for her. After a great week staying with us, our holy team of single women missionaries on Camiguin Island invited her to stay with them for a while. She is eager to learn from them and serve with them, and we are excited for her to have this opportunity to learn and grow in her new relationship with the Lord!

Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him." 

-Matthew 21:31-32

“Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. 

-Luke 15:4-7

"So if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation: everything old has passed away; 

See, everything has become new!" 

-2 Corinthians 5:17

Please pray for our friend! She needs all of our prayers as she continues to run towards Jesus and away from her past, and as she seeks to restore relationships and trust within her family!

Thank you, Jesus, for coming to save sinners all!