***Ask your parent to read this first :)***
Hi!
If you know me well, you know that I am passionate about few things. The first is Christ and the second is riding my 4 legged friends, but you may not know the third. I am passionate about helping sexually abused and trafficked girls. What really put a spark for it in my heart was the Gospel for Asia film Veil of Tears. It describes the hardship, discrimination, abuse, and death of millions of women in the entire world. I heard for the first time about bride burnings, human sex trafficking, and marriage at young ages like 8. I was caught off guard and felt like I needed very badly to do something to help them.
That’s when I found out about Gospel for Asia’s blogger team.
Every month they send me something to share about to move readers to do something. I have spent too much time ignoring the resources they’ve sent, so I want to apologize to all the women in Asia who could’ve been changed.
The topic I’m to write about this month is the date October 11th; which is the International Day of the Girl Child.
Imagine with me just for one moment these things:
You are a beautiful girl. You aren’t loved. You’re abused by your own family, and your parents hate you because you’re just a girl. You want to find work, so you labor. You earn your money, but your father takes it for gambling and alcohol. After you can’t make anymore money, your family sells you into slavery. You’re innocence is stolen, and you have no one to love you.
This is how life is for many girls in India, Cambodia, Nepal, Thailand, and many other countries. Life is hopeless for these girls simply because of their gender.
I heard about a girl named Mayuri who was 14 years old. She was also hated and abused by her father for being a girl. She worked in the fields with her mother everyday. But, the money they earned was little, and it was usually taken by Mayuri’s father for gambling and drinking.
One day, Mayuri’s mother, Olimani, wanted a future for her daughter and arranged a marriage for her to a man named Rafat. The marriage seemed peaceful and lovely, but after a while, Rafat became tense and angry. He wanted to have a son that would bring his family pride, honor, and wages. Mayuri was still only 14, and she remained barren for more than 4 years. In Southeast Asian culture, women are blamed and abused for being barren. After the 4 years ended, she became pregnant and the couple rejoiced; but then the baby was born.
It was a girl.
After another few years, she became pregnant again; but gave birth to another girl. Rafat abused her and hated her for bearing only girls. He spoke badly about her in front of his family, and when Mayuri had had enough, she ran away and returned to Olimani. Mayuri’s mother was now alone, her husband had married another woman. When Mayuri went to find work, and she met a man who told her he could get her a job in another country – if she paid her way to get there. Mayuri was overjoyed, borrowed some money and gave it to the man. After he received the money, he did nothing for her. He was a fake and now she was in a hole of debt with interest. How would she provide for her two daughters? She prayed on her knees every night to all her Hindu deities, but nothing happened. So, in order to save her children, she became a prostitute. Many years later, Mayuri discovered a tumor in her abdomen and she was certain there was no hope left for her.
But she was wrong.
Gospel for Asia Pastor Patakin visited Mayuri’s home, even though everyone despised her for being who she was. He shared Christ with her many times until she decided to come to church one Sunday. An article on gfa.org put it this way:
During one Sunday service, Mayuri was touched as Pastor Patakin shared Psalm 91:15-16: “He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him, and show him My salvation.”
Pastor Patakin spoke of many women whom Christ had healed from deadly diseases.
“If you pray to God, He will heal you and give long life to you,” he said.
Mayuri believed and put her trust in God. Then, like all the women Pastor Patakin had talked about, she experienced the Lord’s healing touch.
Thanks to our awesome God, Mayuri was healed from her cancer and she is filled with the joy and love of Christ! I wanted to tell all of the women in the world that they are worth so much and that the one who made you loves you! From the abused girl in Asia, to the captive slave in Iraq, he loves us all.
“Today, I am living; that is only by the grace of God! I was totally healed from my sickness by the blood of Christ. … Now I am living by faith in Jesus Christ.”
-Mayuri
All for now,
Emily 😛
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My sweet Emmy, I am SO blessed to be your momma!! You touch my heart when I see your heart love as God teaches us to! Christ is seen sweet one! I love you!! Glory to God!! 🙂