Prayer Walk Reflection

By: Lindsay England

One of our nights in Vancouver our group had the opportunity to head out to the streets at night and just talk with the prostitutes. This was not to be a time of evangelizing but rather to interact and try to comprehend and understand better why so many women sell themselves. I got the privilege to be in a group with Laura, someone who had worked with the prostitutes in the area the previous year. As we were walking she would just explain to us what was going on with certain people and pointing out things that are so apparent but we never would have noticed them. We met up with this one lady who we talked to for a short time. We talked a little about the 2010 games and how that will affect the homeless in the area. We didn’t get much farther than that because she told us she was working and it was a slow night because it was pouring rain. She was so desperate for money that she will stand outside in the cold and rain to sell herself and gain a little extra cash. When we were talking with her, she seemed anxious the whole time, and kept trying to look behind and around us. Laura later explained that her pimp was standing and watching just a few feet away. At first I was not looking forward to doing this because it makes me incredibly uncomfortable but it turned out educational and was a really interesting experience.