4th Annual Gratitude Gala

'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...