It has been an undeserved blessing to meet the heroic people I have in the last few days.
Glen Parks of Freedom Firm is an attorney from the US. He and his young family came to India to rescue girls out of brothels. So far they have 100 girls in a recovery hostel.
Freedom Firm uses undercover agents to search out trafficked women. They collect evidence then convince the police to raid the brothels. Glen does the legal work to represent the girls and prosecute the traffickers. The women are trained in jewelry making and given every assistance for recovery.
I had two questions for Glen. Is trafficking really an ongoing problem and can we partner with him? He gave strong yes’s to both questions.
After Glen, Richard and I drove 12 hours south into the jungle covered mountains of Kerala. We met with another strategic partner who loves the downtrodden.
Pastor John and his family have run Maranatha orphanage near Thekkady, Kerala for years. John also pastors a church. After allowing me to preach on Sunday, he donated a day to travel into the forest of Mankulam where we are considering a hostel for trafficked victims.
I stepped onto the property while praying. God seemed to confirm it was the right place. He spoke through wild flowers that marked the boundary lines. This would be a place for damaged girls to recover inner purity and flower before Jesus. It is a big dream and we wait on the Lord. Pastor John was marvelous in the early negotiations with the landowner.
After flying to Chennai we met with Isabella who runs Madras Christian Counselors Social Services (MCCSS), an anti-trafficking organization founded 42 years ago. Isabel is direct, godly, big-hearted, and fun. We hit is off and she had several suggestions for how we can work together. I am sure we will be future partners in some way.
Isabel introduced me to 19-year-old Flower.
In Kerala, Flower’s father died and her mother left to find work in Kuwait. Flower stayed with her older brother. He drank and beat Flower. She sought help at her married sister’s house only to have her brother-in-law attempt a rape.
Without telling her family, a girlfriend took Flower to Chennai in another state and introduced her to someone who knew of job openings. Flower followed the lead and was allowed to share a room with six girls.
The door was locked from the outside.
The next day, men drug some of the girls into cars while they fought and screamed.
Then they took Flower.
“Where are you taking me.”
“To work. Isn’t that why you came here?”
Flower cried and refused to go. By now, she guessed what they wanted. The men beat her. She was so uncooperative they returned her to the house.
The next day the men forced Flower into the car again. Again she cried and fought. Again they beat her and returned her to the house.
The same thing happened on the third and day. Then the police barged in and arrested everybody. A famous prostitution kingpin was taken off, Kannada Prasad. You can read about this scum at: http://chennai365.com/news/kannada-prasads-issue-geared-up-after-2-weeks/
Flower was handed over to MCCSS. She is recovering from her trauma, and sees how God was with her. It was a blessing she was arrested; a narrow escape.
I prayed over Flower and arranged for discipleship. She is anxious to grow in Christ and help us minister to other victims. Her sari was the same color as the flowers on the Mankulam property.
As we negotiated the crowds at the Chennai train station we encountered two young girls selling toys. They were from Rajasthan, a target area for abductions into slave labor. After a year or two of selling goods, they will probably be moved to the brothels.
Richard said, “If we had a place for victims we could take those two to safety right now. They are minors and the police would support us.”
As I talked with the girls, their managers appeared and hovered. The managers pay brokers to import the girls and they were guarding their investment. Look at the faces in the pictures and tell me if you wouldn’t do something to help if you could.
The photos for this entry are at http://gallery.me.com/jamesdchristian/100008
So, the big question about the girls: What if it were your daughter? Would you buy freedom for a trafficked victim?
I am not asking for help right now, only that we pray about how to help the forgotten Flowers of the third world. I am thinking about an adopt-a-victim program where an individual or group can:
Pay – for the investigation to locate and recover a victim.
Pray – for salvation, and full recovery.
Parent –her via phone or email.
For now, just think on it.
Next stop, 5 back-to-back ministry days in Nellore training evangelists.
Woo hoo, it’s fun being an unworthy servant.
Jesus said, “So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’” Luk 17:10.
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