Last week, I had the privilege of going on an operation as an observer. We only rescued one girl this time (as planned), but she was very young. I am thankful that we were able to rescue her before she was transferred to a brothel. She is an orphan and was sold to the traffickers by her own sister and brother-in-law. It gave me joy to see the hope she expressed when she was told about going to an aftercare home where she could study. The problems of poverty and trafficking are huge, but there are some differences we can make...
Friday, August 21, 2009
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Beggars
And so, with this information, I harden my heart to the suffering around me. Even passing observation tells me that it is all theater. The girl who comes up to beg, scrunching up her face as if dying of hunger, I see the next day running and laughing as she plays on the street.
But what if even the laughing and playing are deceiving--just momentary bits of happiness in a world of suffering. The divide between rich and poor is real here. The caste system, although legally abolished, still holds thousands in poverty. What will become of the girl on the street in another ten or twenty years? And if I don't like that answer, is there anything that can stop it? I wish I could write an answer, but on this front I have only questions.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Brothels
I have been thinking about what I have learned over the last twelve weeks. But I don't know if "learning" is the right word. Learning conjures up books and lectures. I think this summer has been more about experiences. This last week, I'll try to share a few of those experiences:
Earlier in the summer, I had the opportunity to visit a brothel, thanks to a connection with a local NGO called Oasis. Oasis works with both pimps and prostitutes, providing education, health care, recreational activities, counseling, and God's hope. In my work, I'm used to seeing pimps and madames as evil men and women who deserve to be jailed. But Oasis sees the same people as victims of an evil system. And I understand. Some of the madames were forced prostitutes themselves. Many of the pimps start at a very young age as cleaning and errand boys. They are thrown into a vicious system where good and evil, normal and tragic, are turned upside down, and there is no one to point out truth.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Jaisalmer
Jaipur Photos
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Agra and Jaipur
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Enemies
In Psalm 3, David cries, "How many are my foes! How many rise up against me!" But I've never really felt like I had many enemies, and this Psalm has not been particularly meaningful to me as a result. In a way, I still don't feel like I have many enemies, but in the work that we do, we have many. Those people in power who abuse that power certainly are our enemies. By rescuing victims and working for better enforcement of laws, we weaken their power.
The problems here are so widespread that we can't even count our enemies, but I am sure many of them know us and hate us. We must be wise in what we can take on with our resources; yet, as David says: "I will not fear the tens of drawn up against me on every side.... From the LORD comes deliverance."
Monday, June 22, 2009
Human Dignity
Although some girls are forced into prostitution, other girls choose it. Recently, my roommate and I were discussing why a girl would choose to prostitute herself. Certainly, there are many factors which contribute--how badly she needs money to survive, whether her family puts pressure on her, and whether she holds moral convictions about prostitution. But my roommate ultimately concluded that any girl who prostitutes herself does so because she has never learned the dignity of her own life. I'm still processing whether or not I agree with that statement, but I do believe that slavery, including forced prostittution, is a violation of human dignity.
The morning after the conversation, I read from Psalm 8 and was struck by the value God has placed on human life. Verses 4 to 6 read: "What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him? Yet You have made him a little lower than God, And You crown him with glory and majesty! You make him to rule over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet . . . ." I was reminded about the many girls who do not wish to return home because they are "spoiled"--even though they did not voluntarily enter the flesh trade. I pray that the girls and women trapped in prostitution here will come to know their worth, despite the way their fellow humans have tried to take it away.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Religion
Friday, June 19, 2009
Water
to think about the fact that our drinking water comes
(through the filter) out of that tank...
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Transportation
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Worship
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Chutney Selection
From the top, going counter-clockwise, we had pickled onions, a tomato chutney,
yogurt and black sesame chutney, mint chutney, and tamarind chutney.