Mission in China Town

Every Saturday night Revolution Hawaii goes on a mission to China Town armed with home made peanut butter & jelly or tuna fish sandwiches, water, a heart of compassion, and the love of Jesus Christ to share with anyone willing to accept. For some on the street, this is the highlight of their day or even week, because not only do we come to fill their empty stomachs, but to fill an emptiness that food and water could never satisfy. It is the emptiness that longs, craves, and starves for love, for friendship, for someone to talk to, for someone who desires to help them, for someone to look beyond the filth of the street and into the eyes of a fellow human being created by God that is lonely and hurting. It was on one of these Saturday night outreaches in the middle of winter when I met many of these empty individuals, who broke me and ignited a passion within my heart to serve and minister to a group of people way different from what I was used to, but who were in desperate need of love.
The RevHI girls had just started exploring a different area of China Town, only a few blocks away, but far from our usual routes. It was cold and dark, and the rain that just began to fall sent a nervous chill down my spine. Empty alcohol bottles and drug paraphernalia littered the streets, giving an added confirmation that there would be people more than happy to get a sandwich or two. As we walked a little further it became so clear that this was exactly where God wanted us to be, but I was not ready for the brokenness and hurt I was soon about to experience that night.
Just a block away from the Salvation Army corps is one of Oahu’s hot spots for female and male prostitution. Every night they stand outside for hours, and on this particular night in the freezing cold rain, half-naked just to make a few bucks. Many have been trafficked from across the country and out of the country as sex slaves, even more choose to be out there because they say they have no other choice, while the rest simply do it out of pure enjoyment. The street corners were lined with women and transvestites flaunting everything they could to catch the eye of any man passing by.
So here we were, armed with grocery bags full of sandwiches, ready to go love on some of the most lost and desperate people of Hawaii. My heart was already broken for these girls just seeing them “working” in the freezing, cold rain, but when we actually started talking with them, hearing the stories of how and why they ended up on a street corner controlled by a pimp who had no respect for her body or life, I thought I was going to lose it. I wanted to do something, I wanted to seek justice for the girls who were out there because their family sold them, I wanted to know why it seemed like the authorities could care a less about what was going on, I wanted to introduce them all to a God and a Savior who loves and cares about them more than anyone ever could.
As I approached an abnormally tall girl shivering in the rain, I quickly realized that this girl was definitely not a girl. I handed “her” a few sandwiches and asked if she would like prayer for anything. She laughed and said,” You don’t even know how old I am do you?” I didn’t answer, but soon found out that his name was Lecka, and he was only 16 yrs. old! He also went to one of the local high schools and still lived with his parents, who had no idea that he came out here every night. My mind was spinning after learning this. What would possess a teenage boy to dress up as a woman, and sell himself for money!? I was so shocked, but knew that there were probably many others with a similar story. He requested prayer for safety and for his family and after eating his sandwiches, hopped into a car that beckoned for his services.
I haven’t seen Lecka since that night, but I continue to pray for his safety and for his family, and hope that maybe one day I will see him again, so that I might be able to share more of Christ’s unconditional and perfect love.
The girls of RevHI continue to reach out to these men and women every Saturday night, developing relationships, and sharing God’s love in hopes that one day they will choose to surrender their lives to Him, becoming new creations and filled with the satisfying love of a perfect Savior.