Last week my prayer ministry took me from Madison Avenue to GB Road, the “red light district” of New Delhi. It’s the most dangerous part of the city, a hotbed of organized crime, and home to around 100 brothels.
I was with five other women, headed to a village near the Bay of Bengal on a Christian mission trip. Since we had to fly into Delhi, a friend of mine hooked us up with a pastor named Brother Vijay who ministers to prostituted women. Vijay picked us up at our hotel, and we travelled by van to GB Road. When we got close, he instructed us to cover our heads as a safety measure until we made it into the brothel we were visiting that day. It was only 2:00 in the afternoon, but I guess this was a situation in which you couldn’t be too careful.
We climbed a few flights of steep, uneven stone steps in a dank and dark stairwell. Then we emerged into the reception/common area of a brightly lit brothel. It was shabby and cramped but clean, with white tiles on the floors and walls and red and blue plaster decorations stuck to the ceiling.
Along the wall, there was seating that doubled as cabinets for the women’s make-up and other personal items. A small set of chafing dishes with that day’s lunch for the women sat on one end. A few cages with pet rabbits sat at the other. There was a man standing at a reception desk to transact with sex buyers, and a large woman who served as “caretaker” – cooking, cleaning, and looking after the young women. Her name was Kushi. She had converted to Christianity in response to Vijay’s evangelism and had a tiny prayer room where she taught the women about Jesus.
The women slowly appeared from a hallway lined with small stalls. Each stall had flimsy swinging doors and a twin bed where they slept and performed sex acts. There were maybe ten in all, and everyone looked to be in their twenties and thirties. In other words, no minors. On the way over, Vijay had shown us pictures and videos of girls, generally 10 to 14 years old, whom he had rescued from brothels along GB Road with the help of Delhi police. He had made thousands of rescues over the last decade. Police don’t concern themselves with the women, though.
We had brought a variety of shawls as gifts, and each woman chose one with a mix of mild gratitude, nonchalance, and curiosity that bordered on suspicion. It was a little awkward, as to be expected, especially given the language barrier. But, as usual, prayer cuts through awkwardness. So, we circled up, held hands, and the women in my group prayed one by one.
While no one but Vijay could understand English, we edited the content of our prayers. Later, when it was just us and Vijay, we’d let loose, praying against evil and darkness and for the conversion of traffickers’ and sex buyers’ Satan-infected hearts. But in the moment, we kept it to things like, “Jesus, make your presence manifest in this place.” And, “Let each of these women feel the power of your love in their lives.” Amen. Our prayers were followed with hugs and, to my surprise, clapping.
Most of the women drifted back to their rooms. Some stuck around and introduced themselves – Pinky, Priya, and Hina. Later we’d learn that Pinky, 28, was HIV positive with three children (all from sex buyers) who were also HIV positive. They stayed in a separate part of the brothel – “inner rooms,” Vijay said.
Kushi offered us tea. Since we were wary of drinking the water, she came up with fresh pineapple juice as an alternative. The man behind the desk left to buy some for us.
While we waited, we checked out the rabbits. One accidentally escaped, which brought a little laughter and levity as it hopped around the room. Hina chased down the rabbit and picked it up by its ears.
After the rabbit was safely back its cage, Kushi asked to Vijay pray for her healing. She was recovering from sort of surgery. He told her to cover her head, and then both took off their shoes. I liked the thought that they were standing on holy ground. He made the sign of the cross on her forehead and prayed passionately in Hindi.
Then came the strangest part of the visit. Vijay made a video call to the brothel owner, a woman named Anaya, and handed me the phone. I smiled and waved at Anaya while thinking “What the hell?” Perhaps I shouldn’t have been so shocked. Obviously, Vijay would need to have a positive relationship with the brothel owner to be allowed inside.
Anaya was well-to-do with one son and two daughters. When her son was very ill, Vijay prayed for him and he recovered. She promptly converted from Islam to Christianity and started attending Vijay’s church. She had been going there for three months, but clearly this wasn’t long enough for her to feel convicted by the Holy Spirit for running a brothel.
Vijay said Anaya wanted me to pray for her eldest daughter to find a husband. So, more edited prayers while I resisted the temptation to pray for God to show her the error of her ways. Instead, I asked that God would send Anaya’s daughter a good Christian man and that God’s will would be done in her life and that of her family.
Then the pineapple juice arrived. Kushi served it in Dixie cups with pink straws. While we were sipping our juice, a sex buyer came in and requested Hina. I made eye contact with someone in my group and our eyebrows shot up together. Oh! I thought it was too early in the day for that. Even more surprising was how quick and quiet they were. Of course, the alternative would have been considerably worse. He emerged after five minutes. She followed soon after.
By this point, some of the women were slowly getting ready for the evening ahead – changing clothes, brushing teeth, applying make-up, putting on jewelry. It was time for us to go.
I saw a great deal of light in a very dark place, especially when it came to Vijay’s ministry. He is an agent of hope in a seemingly hopeless situation, affirming the power of the Gospel to change hearts and minds.
The third verse of the hymn, Joy to the World, includes this line: “He comes to make his blessings flow far as the curse is found.” Vijay is one of Christ’s blessings that flows far as the curse is found. In fact, he doesn’t just flow; he chases down the curse. He chases it down into one of the ugliest parts of the world – not only to bring blessing but to recognize where God’s grace is already at work. And isn’t that what hope is all about?
We trust in God’s power to redeem and restore because we catch glimpses of it. Maybe that’s what Vijay was trying to show me when he handed me his phone so that I could pray for a brothel keeper. My reaction should not be “What the hell?” but “To God be the glory.”
Even and especially from GB Road, “To God be the glory.” I’m feeling inspired to go chase down a curse. I hope you are too.
Adrian+
Support Brother Vijay’s anti-trafficking ministry, including rescue efforts.
- Click here to make a donation.
- Type in your donation amount and click “Continue.”
- Select “GB Road” from the dropdown menu under “Questions.”