I was at Church recently, playing keys. I feel hungry during church - long sermons always make my stomach growl. I decided to walk down the road in search of a cafe or a bakery. Five minutes down the road, there's a theatre that plays adult movies, followed by a stretch of road that leads to a busy intersection. I walked past the theatre and noticed something for the first time. There were heaps of tranvestites and not-so-pretty women, with extra layers of makeup on their face, all along the road. Some were just standing there and some were talking to people walking by. I always drive to Church and back, never walk on the streets - its a different world altogether!
In the space of five minutes, I was approached by atleast 5 men and 3 women, offering to please me for cheap. The only reply they got was a shrug and a shake of the head. That only encouraged them to bargain - Rs. 40 for a blow job!!! That's less than US$1...
Its quite sad, actually. I've never seen cops on this road either, usually they're pretty rigid with prostitution. I wanted to stop and talk to them, some of them were obviously in dire need of money, probably hadn't eaten all day long. But, I had to get back to Church before the sermon ended, for the closing song! That's when it hit me - on any given Sunday, there are over 4,000 people who go to Church. The Praise and Worship is vibrant, the sermons are usually spot-on (very hardline, but still inspiring), the fellowship is great. Church is fantastic!!! But, five minutes down the road, there's a bunch of people neglected and ignored by society - in need of counselling and support. I'm sure half of them don't even realise the full danger of contracting AIDS. So, where are the 4,000 Christians? Driving past in their cars and on their bikes...
Remember those hand bands - WWJD - What would Jesus do? I think I know the answer to that one.
