Twelve months ago, I began working with The Mustard Tree Foundation as Project Director for the Rahab project. I knew that I was stepping into some very large shoes and I felt daunted by the task, aware that we had a lot to do to move the project forward to meet the needs of our service users and that there were many, many people who knew so much more than I did.
I also knew that there is a great deal of prayer around Rahab and there is support from different agencies around Reading. I soon discovered that I would find the women we support fascinating, interesting, open hearted, friendly, troubled, hurting and, sometimes, angry.
I started by observing on outreach nights absolutely amazed at the friendships that other team members had with the women. Sometimes there was a hug, other times a catch up as they show us photos of their families and always a check in to see how they are and if we could do any more for them.
Other times there can be arguments, concerns about someone who is high on drugs or so drunk they can hardly stand or worries that the women we support are in a very dark place with their mental health. The challenge there is going home at the end of the outreach, desperately wanting to do more but knowing our boundaries.
The love and Christian grace the volunteers have for the wellbeing of the women mirrored the love Jesus Christ had for the marginalised “We love because He loved us first…” (1 John 4 v 19). In the last twelve months, I have seen the impact of a simple gesture that makes someone smile and the result of letting someone who is hurting vent knowing they will not be judged.
In summary, I have witnessed the love of Christ on the streets of Reading. There is a lot of work to do and it is a huge task but I know that God is guiding us in our planning, He is protecting us as we go out on an evening and He loves the sex workers unconditionally. It is simply our role and privilege to share that with them.