Lonely in a crowd of 100

Queen [not her real name] worked on the streets as a commercial sex worker for over 21 years. At 13 years old she was raped by 7 unknown men. She ran away from home and lived by prostitution. Many years later when we found her she was very thin, but able to walk and able to come to meetings. This photo was taken in the premises of an HIV center, where we hoped she would be admitted for HIV treatment, but she was rejected.

We took her back to Durban and put her up in a shelter. At the shelter there are about 100 men and women staying in double bunks all together, including women with babies and whole families. There is no privacy.

Last week when we visited her in the shelter she was dying- but not from HIV but from thirst. With 100 people around her, no one cared enough to get her water from the tap. She was almost unconscious but when she saw Steve [Blomefield], and he held her hand, she started to cry. In the midst of a crowd of people she was utterly alone and in deep despair. Then I came to her and she began to tell me her story, I burst into tears. Steve and I rushed her to hospital [ambulances take 5 hours to come]. In hospital she was put on a drip as she was highly dehydrated. In spite of being in the terminal stages of AIDS, she was 'discharged' the next morning by the hospital. She had no strength to walk home.

She is too weak to line up to get her medicine. She simply cannot stand up long enough, waiting for the queue at the hospital to finish, so she gives up and goes home. Neither are we allowed to take her medicine for her.

Fig. 2 Queen When stronger

Right now she is dying of hunger as she has no appetite. Her arms are being shaped, not by flesh but by the bones of her arms. She is weak but she is able to eat the Chinese noodles we buy her that are cooked by adding boiling water. She lies in bed at the shelter, paid for by House of Life Ministries each day. At some point the desire to die will be greater than the desire to live, and from that point the end will come quickly.

However she has hope, because she has surrendered her life to the Lord, and is a born again Christian. When her suffering ends, her life in glory will begin.



Fig. 3 Queen in the last stages
of HIV/AIDS

In South africa, 25% of adults are HIV positive, and nearly 100% of commercial sex workers are. They also have sexually transmitted diseases of various kinds. Most commercial sex workers have been raped by close relatives or family friends. Then they go and work as commercial sex workers in order to live.

Petra Luna
House of Life Ministries

The story of three girls

Mar 6:34 When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd.

This describes exactly the situation in point road in Durban. So many people, especially the girls are being exploited, abused, deceived and rejected. Satan paints a picture of hope and money and popularity and luxury but the truth is that they are poor, they become addicted to drugs, alcohol and are enslaved by their pimps.

A good example is N..... who is 18 years old. She was sexually abused by her stepfather. Her mother is also a commercial sex worker who did not have time to spend with her and care for her. The only choice available to her was to continue with the tradition that her mother set for her.

She ran away from her home in Cape Town and came to Durban, but her life rapidly fell apart. Instead of hope, there was despair. Instead of cash, they she was penniless. Instead of freedom to do what she wanted, she was addicted to alcohol, cigarettes and drugs such as crack cocaine and ‘sugar’.

But Jesus in his love and compassion reached out to her. I told her that Jesus loves her and died for on the cross of Calvary. With tears in her eyes, she received Jesus as her Lord and Savior. Then I sent her to a nearby mission where she heard the Word of God daily.





Fig. 1 N.......
She returned to Durban where she is receiving more discipleship daily. She is also being used by God in the meetings that I am holding, where she is testifying of how God has touched her and delivered her. The street girls are being touched and they are surrendering to Jesus. They often ask to be taken to a rehabilitation center, so I am in the process of looking for a place where the girls will be taken for salvation, deliverance and discipleship.

N ... has returned to Cape Town where her family are. She is beleived to be serving the Lord and has expressed a desire to come back to house of life as a staff member.  Steve Jan 2010

Another girl is B...... She has been sexually abused by family members. She has been beaten up by family members and clients. She now has no family to care for her. She felt that the only choice available to her was to become a sex worker.

One day she heard the gospel from me. I told her that Jesus loves her. She had a hunger for Jesus and the sacrifice he made for her on the cross. She kept coming to the meetings, and one day she felt Jesus in her heart and decided to leave her sinful life and live for Jesus.

At present B....... is being discipled and counseled. Soon she will be ready for baptism. She wants to learn computers, so she can be empowered in order to rejoin the community as a fruitful individual. Training for this At present Bridget is being discipled and counseled. Soon she will be ready for baptism. She wants to learn computers, so she can be empowered in order to rejoin the community as a fruitful individual.


Fig.2. B........

Training for this and other vocations will be done at the rehabilitation center and with Christians that have a desire to assist with life skills.

B ... has returned home to Johannesburg and is believed to be with her family. Unfortunately we have lost contact with her.

I met P...... on the street corner, selling her body to any who came by. My heart was moved with compassion when I saw this young, pretty young girl in despair. At the time I saw her she was in the act of being beaten up by a man. P.... is only 17 years old. She was sexually abused from the age of three years. The abuse continued from that time on till the recent present. She ran away from home at the age of 14, and became a sex worker.

I preached Christ to her and prayed for her. I invited her to a meeting and to see me for counseling. Ever since she began to come, listening to the Word of God, her life has been transformed. Today she is a new creation in Christ Jesus and she is full of the joy of the Lord. Isn’t Jesus an awesome God!



Fig 3. P.....

P ... went home for several months but has now returned to the streets in the point Road, Durban. Please pray for her. Steve jan 2010