Street Update!

Today a man came by our clothing table with no shoes and an open wound on his foot (his toe was busting out of his sock). I had the opportunity to clean and bandage the wound and give him a new pair of socks. Also we had a new pair of shoes stored in the truck and they were his exact size, which was such a blessing since we didn't have many shoes left at the clothing table by the time he got there! On a cold day like today, I am so thankful that we were able to take care of him in such a tangible way. Please continue praying for Michael, as he is an alcoholic living on the streets and has a medical condition which causes him to lose his balance.

Strip Church Training Update

Weekend of Oct 11-13, I went to the Strip Church training in Miami. Initially I went into the training excited yet uncertain about these next steps of ministry. After years of praying for the issue human trafficking, Mary Anna and I both felt it was time for action. Little did we know that action would mean outreach to workers in the sex industry and having the opportunity to go to this conference. 

From the moment the training began, to the last session we had, I couldn’t begin to explain the overwhelming emotions of peace, excitement and readiness I felt knowing this was where God had me. There were over 21 ladies from all over the country, some housewives, some ex-industry girls and others who had never done anything like this but feeling God’s tug on their hearts. We heard from speakers from several different ministries that taught on topics like “how to get into the strip clubs”, “what to do when you are in” and other practical issues in approaching this type of ministry. In addition, they took us to the clubs and where we were able to apply what we learned. Personally this was amazing because originally, I wasn’t signed up for outreach (there were limited spots available). However right before I left, I received an additional $100 gift and learned they had room, so I was able to pay the exact amount I needed for the outreach! PRAISE GOD!

In general, the outreach was amazing as my group went to 5 different clubs and brought gifts and love to the dancers, waitresses, bouncers and managers. At one of the clubs, a client was so surprise by our actions that he kept repeating “the church is at a strip club, what? The church is at a strip club!” I guess you can say we rocked his world right there. J

Overall, I am still blown away at all that God did during that time and super excited to continue forward in this ministry. Right now, Mary Anna and I are still processing all that we have learned and hopefully in the next couple of months we want to expand the outreach to strip clubs. Stay tune for more updates! Until then, please continue to keep us in prayer as we are need wisdom on how we want to move forward from this point on. Thank you once again for all those who gave towards this and made this happen!

Making gifts for the club

new friendships and like hearted women

Strip Church Training

There are 127 Strip Clubs in New York City, 1 within our neighborhood of Flushing. In my last newsletter, I shared how Mary Anna and I have been prayer walking downtown Flushing and desiring to reach the ladies who work there. If you’ve been following my latest email updates, shortly after our decision to go into the club, we found it mysteriously closed. Since we had gifts already made, we decided to go into the Asian massage parlors and give them away there. From that time on, we’ve been going bimonthly and building relationship with the women who work there (See June & August update for more details: http://adorkableamy.blogspot.com).

It is our heart to continue this type of outreach and be trained and equipped so we can reach more ladies working in the sex industry. In October, I will be attending a mission training through Strip Church in Miami. Along with the training, Mary Anna will have an opportunity to do outreach at the clubs there, so we can gain more experience and ideas on how we can effectively reach the ladies here.
 
Recently I learned that though the strip club was closed down, they will be opening another one in that same location. Though I am not thrilled that this is happening, I know it is God’s desire for us to go and be light in the dark and often forgotten places of society. To show the ladies that they are loved, valued and have purpose.

Please would you join me in prayer and support to make this happen? The conference takes place Oct 11-13, 2013. I need to raise $700 in order to cover the cost of the flight, registration and hotel. Any additional money I raise will go towards the outreach (as we’ve been using our personal expenses to cover the costs of gifts for the ladies). You can give online by going to https://www.wepay.com/donations/stripchurchtraining or if you are interested in receiving a tax deductible donation, you can give by going to the Strip Church fundraiser page I have created. The first portion of the funds ($337), I would need to raise by Sept 18th in order to pay for a discounted hotel fee. Go to: https://www.myxxxchurch.com/campaigns/view/adorkableamy.html

For more information or questions, see the bottom of this newsletter on how to contact me. 

Gifts for the ladies

Victor's Story

Amy's Adventures: Victor's Story by Amy HoYin Wong

The Lord Rejoices Over Us: Ladies Outreach Update

Zephaniah 3:17
¹⁷ The Lord your God is in the midst of you, a Mighty One, a Savior [Who saves]! He will rejoice over you with joy; He will rest [in silent satisfaction] and in His love He will be silent and make no mention [of past sins, or even recall them]; He will exult over you with singing.

It’s been over a week since last outreach to the ladies at the massage parlors and I stand amazed at what God is doing here. For those of you that do not know, my friend Christine came with us and was a translator on our behalf. Usually we go bringing baked goods, a gift bag full of goodies and a bookmark with scripture in Chinese.  At times our actions appear small and insignificant but our heart’s desire is to share God’s love with them.

At one of the massage parlors we went in and the first lady we saw (Mimi) recognized and was excited to see us. Since Christine was able to translate, we were to answer her question of why we keep coming back. Mimi’s eyes lit up as shared how she is a Christian and explained how excited she was that we were reaching out. She had started going to church the moment she came to the United States and shared how sometimes because she works every single day and has 12 hour shifts, she felt extremely lonely. Yet she said when she prayed, she knew God was with her and she felt His presence. This was extremely encouraging for us because for years, Mary Anna and I have been praying for the ladies to know God and for Him to encounter them where they were at. Not to mention, one of our firm beliefs here at Street LIFE Ministries is that God has bought people from around the world to the United States so they can come to know Him.

Mimi told us how she tried to go to church in China, but felt that churches there did not teach the Bible so she knew coming to the US, she had to go church, even risking the possibility of losing her job (which she boldly asked her boss to let her off for a few hours every Sunday despite the fact that he doesn’t usually let his employees off). This encounter fell nothing short of confirmation that God was doing a work among the Nations and also the ladies we’ve been praying for.

In the end, during our prayer time with Mimi, Mary Anna felt God give her a picture of Jesus jumping up & down, rejoicing that Mimi was coming to know Him and that their relationship together was growing. She felt God saying that He was going open doors that she never thought possible or imagined, that this was only the beginning. This whole encounter made me think of Zeph 3:17 and the rejoicing that God has for Mimi and the ladies who work at the massage parlors. 

There’s so much more I can share about what happened that night but I want to keep this update short. If you would like to hear more or just have questions, you can feel free to contact me! Once again I want to thank you for reading this update & all your prayers for it!

Gifts & Goodies We Gave Out That Night

Video Update!

Hear me share about our New Mobile Resource Center & Summer Outreach.



Pictures & Recent Newsletter with more about it...

 

Thanks so much for reading & listening to my video update! I hope you are well. :)

-Amy

"Wo Ai Ni" - outreach to women

A few weeks ago I shared about starting an outreach to women in the sex industry. We’d been praying over a strip club in downtown Flushing, hoping to build relationship with the ladies that worked there. Back in April we asked the manager for permission to go in and befriend the ladies; he was hesitant to give us an answer but told us he will talk to the “house mom” first.

Flowers with the notes

After that encounter, we were determined to go back. Excited to be a blessing to them, we brought flowers with handwritten notes attached. What happened next took us by surprise. When we got there, it was closed. Unsure of what to do next, we prayed and asked the Lord where to go. We made our way to Main Street and went into a few Asian massage parlors, some of which are fronts for brothels. That night, through my limited Chinese and our gifts, we gave away all the flowers and shared a few moments of joy and laughter.

This past week, we went back to the same massage parlors (along with some new ones) and handed out gift bags complete with Chinese pastries, candies, the Gospel of John in Chinese, and a bookmark with Psalm 45:11-15. When the ladies asked us why, we simply said “wo ai ni” – “I love you” in Chinese, which made them laugh and joyfully say the same back to us. One lady opened her gift bag, found the Gospel of John, and starting reading it in front of us. For me, watching her was humbling, knowing deep down she had a hunger for God. Another lady read our bookmark out loud and smiled as its message hit home. The whole experience was amazing because I am reminded how God wants us to bring His light to the darkest places (you should’ve seen how creepy looking some of those places were!).

Please continue praying for us as we pioneer this type of outreach to women and build relationship with them. Thank you so much for reading this!