25/04/2026
Today we celebrate our 17th Anniversary. It was on this day in 2009 that we did our first Streetreach on Union Avenue in Bakersfield, California’s red light district. Story in comments. 👇🏼
I remember our first Magdalene Hope Streetreach as if it were yesterday. On April 25, 2009, I met my friends at Starbucks in downtown Bakersfield, where we would pray and ask God to lead us that night and, boy, did he ever. God had told me a month or so prior to pay the women on Union Ave to tell them about Him.
He said, “Tell them that there is a Father in Heaven who loves them and has a purpose and a plan for their life.”
As we drove down Union, I asked God for a sign of what to do. A few moments later, I saw a sign that said, Sunset Motel. I felt the Lord highlighted this sign to me.
I thought, ‘Jesus is the Son. We will sit on the wall in front of the hotel and wait for someone to walk by.’
I shared with the others in my truck what I felt the Lord was doing, so we made a U-Turn, parked, sat on the wall, and prayed while we waited.
About five minutes later, a lady walked by us and I asked her if she had a minute.
She said, “I’m kind of busy. I’m working right now.”
“I’ll pay you for your time.”
“How much?”
“How about $30.00?” I said.
“That will get you about ten minutes. What’s the catch?”
I handed her the money and asked her name, to which she said, “My name is Laura.”
“The catch is, there is a Father in Heaven who loves you and has a purpose and a plan for your life,” I replied.
“I find that hard to believe.”
“What? That there is a Father in Heaven who loves you? Or that He has a purpose and a plan for your life?”
Quickly replying back, Laura said, “Honestly, both.”
After a moment to collect my thoughts, I said, “Just the fact that I can look up and see the stars and the moon and stand here and have a meaningful conversation with you, and that you can understand me and I can understand you, tells me beyond a shadow of a doubt that there is a God.”
“I’ll give you that. But I have a hard time believing He has a purpose and a plan for my life.”
“Why is that?” I asked.
“I am an educated woman. I can speak four different languages and cuss in seven.” That made me chuckle. “I was an executive in a corporation, but three years ago, I started using he**in, and now I’ve lost everything that is near and dear to me on this earth. So, yeah, I have a hard time believing that He has a purpose and a plan for me.”
I wasn’t sure how to respond to that so I thought, ‘What would Jesus do? Find a need and fill it.’
“What can I do for you? What do you need?”
“Well I owe $55 for a day and a half on my room,” she said.
“What’s the name of your hotel? We’ll run over to the ATM, get the money, and meet you there and we’ll pay for your room.”
“Why? Why would you do that? You don’t even know me.”
One of the people on my team named Priscilla asked God, ‘Why are we doing this?’
God said, “Tell her it’s for Hope.”
Priscilla said, “I asked God ‘why are we doing this?’ and I'm not sure what this means to you, but He said, ‘Tell her it’s for Hope.’”
Laura’s eyes welled up with tears. As one tear ran down her left cheek, she said, “Do you know that’s the name of my three-year-old granddaughter that I’ve never met?”
I was shocked! We prayed for her, got the money, and paid for her room.
We became close over the next month, going to her room to visit, take her food, and do bible studies with her a few days a week. She accepted Jesus into her heart, and after about a month, asked me to stop by her room.
I showed up and her bags were packed. I asked her why her bags were packed and why she wanted me to stop by.
She said, “I’m headed to Mexico to marry my fiancé, settle down, raise a family, and quit this lifestyle. I wanted to personally thank you.”
“For what?”
“For helping me believe again.”
Wow! I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I was trying to not be overcome with emotion and stay composed, so I only cried a bit as I hugged her goodbye and thanked her for her friendship.
I never saw her again. I think about her often and I like to believe that she did what she said. I like to imagine that she is well, raising a family and is helping other people walk out their pain, helping them process trauma, and all is well with her soul.
I knew after Laura left that God’s hand was all over Magdalene Hope and this calling was my purpose on this earth.
