Freedom Stories

Claire was in a loving and supportive family. Her grandparents took care of her and loved her. They put her through school right until she finished high school. And at school, Claire was a bright and bubbly student that enjoyed her classes.

*Janet shares her experience of growing up as a child of the sex trade. She and her six siblings all faced a fate similar to their mother: a freelance sex worker in the Philippines. But God had a different plan for their lives and the lives of their children.

Third-world poverty fuels the cycle of uneducated families, continuing to push women towards the sex trade. Read about how college education opens doors that provide real, gainful, dignified employment opportunities!

'When the mamasan saw Clara and her cousin, she yelled at them and said, “Stop standing there!” She threw several“uniforms” and heels at them to choose from. Clara was crying when she saw the reality of her situation. She was not used to that lifestyle or wearing that type of clothing; she was just a simple girl from the province. Clara begged the mamasan, “Oh no—can I just be a waitress instead?” The mamasan refused and exclaimed “No! Your looks qualify you to be dancer. So go and be a dancer!”'

Jona was unaware of what was about to happen, but she trusted that everything would be alright since her mother knew the truth behind it all. When she arrived, Jona was in complete shock. She saw almost naked women walking around to earn a living. When Jona met the volunteers with Wipe Every Tear, she was in complete disbelief. She kept wondering, “Who would put girls like us through school? Do these kinds of people still exist? Are there still people in this world who won’t see us as dirty women?”

In June of 2017, Rosalie met the missionaries from Wipe Every Tear. Because of her yearning to go back to school, she wanted to believe their offer of help. But one of her colleagues said, “Don’t believe them. They’re going to take you to a house and sell you.” Yet something was still stirring within her. Rosalie prayed, “God, please give me 500 hundred pesos. I really want to see if Wipe Every Tear is real. If you give me this, I will have money to visit their home.” The following day, God gave her 500 pesos. God heard her prayer and He answered! Rosalie went to work that night knowing that she would leave for Manila in the morning to visit Wipe Every Tear. 

But when I close my eyes, I remember the sights and sounds of Manila in July of 2018. I see color and cathedrals and tropical flowers spilling over fences and cracked walls. I hear dogs barking and chickens clucking and moped motors roaring outside my window. I feel the upbeat rhythm of music from dance videos and see women laughing together as they follow along. I hear the voices of women and men lifted together as one, singing and worshiping the God of the oppressed and brokenhearted...

When we started our class, each of the lovely women in our care were in a different level of abilities. Some were already advanced in terms of skills and techniques but haven’t realized that yet. Some were skeptical about joining the class, saying that they don’t have talent or are not good at anything in the arts...

When Wipe Every Tear began a food relief program in March, we couldn’t have anticipated the effect it would have on bargirls and scholars alike. Women from all walks of life were being given new hope and freedom! Ali, a Wipe Every Tear scholar, is one of the many women that has been deeply impacted...

God has been moving miraculously in the last eight months. We truly have so much to be grateful for. There is always reason to hope and always something to be rejoicing over.

To call her beautiful is to give her opportunities to create jewelry that emphasizes the beauty that has been implemented in her- made from real gold, sterling silver, and genuine pearls. She is the pearl of great price.

She walks out into the sala, living room, with her housemates, and greets me with a smile. “Hi, Ate, I missed you…” she says softly. (Ate is the Tagalog word for “older sister”, a term of respect.) Out of respect to her healing, I don’t offer my arms for a hug. She doesn’t have to hug me if she doesn’t want to. She was forced to have too much physical contact before...

But, Jesus had a very different plan for me. When I met these women, I recognized that I wasn’t the one that was going to be ‘rescuing’ them…. They quite literally rescued me...

He loves her with a fiery, all consuming, gentle, and passionate love. We certainly cannot get in the way of His plans...

“Lord we pray for George…” Seated behind a mic at the prayer meeting last night, the air was dense with laden prayers for George Floyd's family, our country, repentance from racism and confession of disunity in the church. Suddenly, I was compelled to pray for Derek Chauvin, the police officer who murdered George – but I hesitated...

“You may choose to look the other way but you can never say again that you did not know.” -William Wilberforce. In a world so rundown with distraction, it is easy to choose ignorance over knowledge. For some, it is a conscious choice to bury their head in the sand. For others, it is a lack of tangible experiences...

COVID-19 has flipped the world upside down in a matter of weeks. This is an unprecedented time. Amidst all the chaos, let us continue to rest in the peace we have in Abba. The unknown doesn’t have to be scary because He is in the unknown. In chapter four of the gospel of Mark, Jesus declares peace over troubled waters...

Throughout the entire Old Testament, we see Abba fighting for Israel. He wanted to provide them with His riches and glory and they continued to deny Him. But, He never stopped pursuing them. His heart for Israel is a beautiful reflection of His heart for all of His children...

God will often reveal parts of His character to us, whether through prayer, reading the Bible,worship, or just daily living. When we understand more of His character, there is an inclination to be more like Him. His dreams become our dreams, His vision becomes our vision, and the things that break His heart, break ours as well...

In verses three and four of Leviticus 25, the Lord said to Moses, “For six years you shall sow your field, and for six years you shall prune your vineyard and gather in its fruits, but in the seventh year there shall be a Sabbath of solemn rest for the land, a Sabbath to the Lord. You shall not sow your field or prune your vineyard” (ESV)...

The 4th Annual Gratitude Gala was an amazing time for so many of Wipe Every Tear’s supporters to gather together and hear about what God has done through Wipe Every Tear this year. Everyone had a wonderful time learning about the growth of the women in our care. Karissa Valdez, our keynote speaker, gave a beautiful prophetic word...