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This is a picture of some kids we have met who live in a slum near Prem Dan. It started with them naturally tagging us as foreigners and asking for chocolate, but now we have showed them we are their friends. We have built relationship with this one family; 5 of the girls are above and there are 2 boys as well. Now we stop and spend 45-60 mins with them on our way to Prem Dan. We sit in their home with them, they are always eager to fan us because its so hot and we even have “inside” jokes. I’m not sure what it is about them, but they have stolen my heart. I haven’t seen their father much because he works, but the mother and 7 kids are so beautiful. They are so poor, yet there is something about them that radiates peace and joy. Melissa and i took the oldest daughter, Rosie (on my right in the pic) to the park the other day. We played games, ate ice cream and laughed together as friends. Its pretty amazing that all this is happening in bengali because they don’t speak english. This family is truly a gift from God and being with them is some of the best time I have in India. They have really captured my heart. We get to see them 2-3 times a week and I’m hoping to take some of the kids to church before I leave.
The girls of the family are Majida (the young girl in red next to me), Rosie (on my right), then little Rosida (shes 3 and such a cutie), holding her is Saji and next to her is Sazda (with her arms crossed). The boy in front is one of their brothers, but i forgot his name and I don’t know the names of the other two kids in the picture. Keep their family in your prayers and pray also I will know how to love as Christ does.
Another fun thing lately is that we have started having our Friday Community Night with our WMF Indian staff as well; Kiran, who is my host mother, Gita and Upendra. Last friday we played american football in a field near Freeset. It was so fun to play with them cuz of course they have never played and Gita even threw a touchdown pass during the game. We had to cut it short because it was getting dark and beth got attacked by fire ants, but fun was had by all. This friday I think we will play another american favorite, Spoons.
Time is flying by here. I’ll be home in 6 weeks. In the end of may we will be going to chennai and bangalore for 10 days. We will ride a train there (a 36hr trip) and fly home to have just two weeks left in India.
one more random thing in case you are wondering and this is not my happy place, but its getting hot here. 95-100 everyday with 90-95% humidity. I don’t know if its just our culture to ask about the weather, but in case you were wondering, now you know. 
Our schedule has changed a bit so I don’t have as much time to use the internet. I apologize for the length of time between posts, but by now I’m sure you are on the edge of your seat wondering what will happen next.
The following blog is true and real. To those of you at home you may read this and know what i’m sharing is true, but it may be hard for you to believe it is real. I understand the feeling and I don’t want you to feel helpless because you are not. We can learn together how to make a better world possible.
I recognized their faces; faces I have seen on the bus, walking on the street and eating in a restuarant. I recognized their ages; ages I have seen studying in school, laughing with friends and planning their future. But their faces weren’t the ones i have seen and although most were younger than my own sister they weren’t studying for school or planning their future. These faces, the eyes I was looking into belonged to girls standing on the street and waiting for customers.
Most of the girls aren’t there because they chose to be. What 10 yr old girls decides she wants to be a prostitute when she is grown up; by grown up I mean 14 when she is sold into the sex trade. Most likey she is from a village outside the city, from a poor family possibly without a father. A man/woman comes to her family offers the daughter work in the city as a maid or cook and says she will make good money. Out of wanting what is best for their daughter the family will agree and send her with this man/woman for work. Soon after their arrival in the city he/she will collect his/her share for bringing the girl and like an exchange of property she is now owned by the brothel owner. The young girl will quickly realize she is not a cook or a maid, but has become a sex object sold to 10-15 men a day who visit her to do has they wish. She may resist, refuse or try to run away, but eventually after beatings, rape and societal shame she concedes to her new life and loses all hope she will ever be a good person. She will have a place to sleep, eat and may even send money home to her parents who believe she is doing well in the city as a cook or maid.
This story may be about someone you don’t know or someone you hardly believe is real, but she is someone I know and when she smiles at me i know she is real. I know her name and the names of so many just like her. They greet us with smiles and appreciation as we talk on the street or sit in their room. God is the only one who can bring girls like this justice, but we can walk as Jesus would through the Gach and give these girls dignity and value. We can sit and talk with them and call them beautiful and tell them what precious children of God they are. We know their names and call them sister and weep on the inside when they must leave the conversation for a customer. Visiting them is not always easy and sometimes it sucks, but God is not helpless; in fact his word says he will be known for His justice. As i make friends who face the most terrible injustices I myself have witnessed I’m learning to believe in a God who has seen it all, weeps over it all and still is mighty to save. And so I go, and we go to know the names and faces of God’s beloved; to tell them they are worth so much, valued so much and loved so much by us and more importantly the God in us.
So where is the hope in this city block of 8,000 women who service 60,000 men a day? Well because of WMF I know 11 names and faces of women who no longer have to sell their bodies out of despair and there are another 80 women who work for Freeset. These are women who can leave the trade more easily if they want to because they do not have owners. They are also women brave enough to leave because not everyone who knows we offer new work, wants new work. Through WMF and Freeset these women have not only found new work, but friends, value, dignity and community that gives them worth. They have access to education, healthcare, and resources to send their kids to school. They are learning about themselves, how to trust, how to let others in, how to forgive, how to heal and they are learning about Jesus, the God who loves them and makes all things new.
Why did i say don’t feel helpless? Well, I’m sure you, just like us here don’t think 11 women is enough when we can help more women find new life and hope. You probalby will never be able to see these faces for yourself, but more women can experience the worth and value God has given them as his daughters. We must be willing to give of ourselves and our resources because until we are willing to give ourselves a little less and others a little more then and only then, can a better world for these women be possible.
If you are interested in specifically giving/praying to help women leave the trade and find new life, just let me know because just like you think, we do too; 11 is not enough.
I didn’t realize it had been so long since i have posted anything. Lets see, well i guess Easter has come and gone. It was strange not celebating it traditionally with family and friends. On palm sunday we had a celebration at Beth’s apt. All the Sari Bari ladies and some of their children came over for a nice lunch together and we watched the Passion of the Christ. One of the ladies said, “I never knew Jesus did that for me and I have never done anything for him.” We had a really fun time together. You can be praying for the ladies as they continue to learn about Jesus through devotionals at work and through relationship with us as well. Easter was pretty much a normal sunday; church, lunch, language class and dinner.
Last weeks highlights:
My first visit to Sonagacchi; my thoughts about it are still jumbled so if they ever clear up i’ll share more later. I am going back again this Wednesday.
Time with some friends we made on our way to Prem Dan. They are some kids that live in a slum and ages range from 2-16. We now regularly stop and talk with them whenever we go to Prem Dan.
2 movies; a bengali movie named Kaal and the english movie, Namesake.
Last, but maybe the best was Subway for dinner on friday. A real live Subway restaurant. We were like kids in a candy shop. It was just like home.
ok, i’m going to try and post some pictures. it will be easy to tell whether i am successful or not
It might take a couple posts to catch you up on all the fun that has happened this last week, but to say the least, Nepal was fun, relaxing and a powerful time. We were able to spend quite a bit of time with the WMF Kathmandu staff. The field director of Nepal is also the Regional Director of SE Asia (currently Nepal and India, but Thailand is coming soon) and his entire family is in Nepal with him. He is married and has 4 beautiful children that have spent their entire lives overseas. The oldest is 6 and the youngest is 1 and Silas and his family have been in Nepal 8 years. There are two other american girls on staff who are both in their late 20’s plus a number of Nepali staff as well. Their ministry in Nepal to the poor includes a large focus on drug addicts. They experiecend a huge revival a couple years ago when almost all the guys they had been ministering for years got saved and radically transformed by Jesus. There are some amazing stories and testimonies that come from these guys who now love and serve Jesus. There is also a Nepali family who has a home for elderly women. A Nepali woman felt called to open her home and care for elderly women who otherwise would have no one to care for them. She visits women in the area and also has some who live with her. Another focus of WMF’s ministry is to destitute girls in need. Another nepali couple has opened their home to girls who for many reasons cannot stay with their families. Most come from poor poor villages outside the city. The couple has 3 biological children and 6 other girls that have joined their family. They have kept it small because they want the girls to be coming into a family, not just a home. 9 kids may not seem small and 3 more are on the way, but the love in that home and community is unmeasurable. We got to go with their family to the swimming pool the day before we left. It was the first time all of the girls had ever been swimming. It was a ton of fun to watch them enjoy the simple fun of a pool. This family is certainly unforgettably precious and fun.
Other than being in Kathmandu, we were able to spend 3 days in Pokhara. It is about a 6 hour bus ride from Kathmandu, outside of the big city with a beautiful lake and a view of the himalayas on a clear day. The first day we went canoeing on the lake which was so peaceful. It felt a bit like home. The second day Kyle and Melissa rented bikes, Jesse rented a motorcycle and I rented a Moped. Yes, a moped. I had never driven one before, but an adventerous spirit came over me that said, what the heck i’m in nepal. The roads weren’t that crowded, but I got to use my horn, dodge water buffalo crossing the street and constantly remind myself to stay on the left side of the road. It was super fun and something I wouldn’t normally do, but totally worth it. We all rode to a cave and explored it some and then zipped around town a bit. The next morning we got up early to see the sunrise and the mountains from a spot above the city. It was a clear morning and the mountains were amazing. They are so huge. Their vastness makes them seem a bit unreal and almost right in front of you, but then you have to remember oh yeah they are like 24,000 ft tall, of course they are going to look huge. I never thought I would see the Himalayas. It would be sweet to go back someday and go on a trek. They were pretty spectacular. Pokhara was certainly a refuge. Just being with nature made my heart happy.
When we returned to Kathmandu we had a Momo making lesson. Momos are similar to chinese pot stickers if the momo’s are steamed and you can also eat them fried. There are a couple large Nepali brothels here (full of nepali girls who have been trafficked here) and so we wanted to learn to make momos so we could make them for some of the girls. One afternoon we made over 500 momos. They are about bite size and we filled ours with buff (buffalo cuz they don’t eat beef). These little Nepali girls were packing away like 20 momos each. It was crazy. I topped off at about 20 and I was so stuffed. It was quite a fun experience. I’ll let you know how it turns out if we attempt to make momo’s again.
Nepal was a great trip. We ate good food, mostly good american food, watched a few episodes of American Idol, enjoyed time together as a team and rested in the arms of our Savior. I was super blessed and I’m very thankful for the time there. It couldn’t have been better. I am also glad to be back in India. I started to miss it; well miss the people more than the city, but either way its where I have been called and the Lord is watering the joy and peace I desire here. He has good plans for us here and I’m thankful for India.
