On the second day of the Nicaragua trip, our team went to the brothels to invite the people to our clinic. While almost everyone on the team jumped right in as if they knew exactly what to do, I was taken aback in shock. Simply put, I did not know what to think or feel towards these women sitting in the chairs waiting for their customers. Seeing my team members’ eyes glistening with tears, I was determined not to be emotion-driven but demanded to know exactly why I should be feeling pity for these people. Feeling extremely frustrated, I eventually stepped outside of the brothel and asked for one of the team members to pray that God shows me what to do.
Then we got to the last brothel. Hoping that God heard my prayers, I approached one of the prostitutes in the chair amongst other team members. As I was standing quietly, our translator asked me to tell the woman why we were here. Though I did not feel ready at all, I started speaking. I told her that we were here to tell her the good news that God has forgiven all our sins. I declared to her three times that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). And I told her that God’s love is much greater than her dedication to her children, for whom she could not give up the humiliating yet lucrative job at the brothel. Later I realized, this was my first time preaching the full Gospel.
Through this experience, God has unveiled to me the simple truth: we should simply love one another. In my service to others, my focus had always been to find out what I could do for the other person. This approach often leads me to make certain judgments about the other person’s situations. At the brothel, I was placed in a situation in which I had absolutely nothing in common with the women that I had a hard time understanding their point of view. Then I realized that such is completely unnecessary, as it was God’s commandment that we simply love each other and leave everything else up to Him. My old approach has helped me sympathize easily with others, but it also prevented me from separating the person from his/her life story. Just loving them for who they are is enough and all that God has asked of us. This new approach has liberated me from the wrong perception that I need to put myself in other’s shoes in order to help them. Now I strive to see another human being for who they appear to be, instead of consciously groping for reasons I should take pity on them. This is also a crucial perspective for an aspiring physician that I am. I am grateful for this lasting legacy from the Nicaragua trip, where I challenged myself and grew as a person so much in the short span of a week.
Then we got to the last brothel. Hoping that God heard my prayers, I approached one of the prostitutes in the chair amongst other team members. As I was standing quietly, our translator asked me to tell the woman why we were here. Though I did not feel ready at all, I started speaking. I told her that we were here to tell her the good news that God has forgiven all our sins. I declared to her three times that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). And I told her that God’s love is much greater than her dedication to her children, for whom she could not give up the humiliating yet lucrative job at the brothel. Later I realized, this was my first time preaching the full Gospel.
Through this experience, God has unveiled to me the simple truth: we should simply love one another. In my service to others, my focus had always been to find out what I could do for the other person. This approach often leads me to make certain judgments about the other person’s situations. At the brothel, I was placed in a situation in which I had absolutely nothing in common with the women that I had a hard time understanding their point of view. Then I realized that such is completely unnecessary, as it was God’s commandment that we simply love each other and leave everything else up to Him. My old approach has helped me sympathize easily with others, but it also prevented me from separating the person from his/her life story. Just loving them for who they are is enough and all that God has asked of us. This new approach has liberated me from the wrong perception that I need to put myself in other’s shoes in order to help them. Now I strive to see another human being for who they appear to be, instead of consciously groping for reasons I should take pity on them. This is also a crucial perspective for an aspiring physician that I am. I am grateful for this lasting legacy from the Nicaragua trip, where I challenged myself and grew as a person so much in the short span of a week.
