Let your Kingdom come

So over the last few months I have been processing all that living life here means.
I have been working through the idea of what a loving God amongst a community of pain brokenness and despair looks like. I have been working through what the now but not yet looks like in my community.
As part of that process I wrote a prayer which I would love to share

God we are waiting here
Surrounded by darkness and despair
I get down on my knees and beg
Let Your Kingdom come

Day to day I see Your presence
but I am left dissatisfied
We need more of You
Let Your Kingdom come

I trust in Your grace and mercy
but how is it real for
the girl who sells herself night after night
Let Your Kingdom come

I know my faith is weak
and there is much I don't understand
but my heart is broken so I will continue to pray
Let Your Kingdom come

A Glimpse of Hope

It has been a couple of months since my last blog and yes I could say I have been too busy to write, but the reality is that I was tired of writing about sadness, brokenness and despair.

I had no stories of joy to share. I had become overwhelmed by the darkness I saw, so much so that I could not see through it to the light.

But last weekend I caught a glimpse of light. It was more than a glimpse it was a shining ray of hope.
Last weekend I had the privilege of interviewing a potential new girl. We interview not to determine if they get a job but more to better understand their circumstances so we can holistically work towards their freedom.

Lets call this new girl Asha.
Asha has an Aunty who works in the red light area but Asha was from Murshidabad, the village where we are hoping to start a prevention unit.
Asha and her family are poor and could not afford the day to day needs so were sending Asha to work in the red light area. Asha was going to be sacrificed so the rest of the family could survive. This is an all to common story.

But Asha's story doesn't end here.

She met two of the people I work with before she began her life in the sex trade. She was offered a job with us instead of having to sell her body.
As the realisation of what was happening hit Asha's mother she cried.
She cried with joy in the knowledge that her daughter was going to have a chance at life.
Asha never has to know the horrors of what happens in the red light area.
She has been offered her freedom before her dignity has been stripped away.
These are the stories of light and hope that burst through the darkness and despair.
This is what we are about
There will be more of my friends who suffer, there will be more heartache, there will be moments where I cry out asking where is God, there will be moments when I cannot see the goodness of God; but in this moment I see it.
I see God at work in our community, I see His intervention, and so I will hold on to this when all I see is darkness. I will look into the faces of our nearly 200 girls and hold on to that hope.

Yesterday Asha had her first day at work.
Oh what joy and hope she represents

A Life to Remember

This post comes after much thought about how to describe the death of one of my friends who worked with us.

Her death is not the sum total of her life, there was more to her than that. She had joy, she had a faith, she was loved, and she loved.

The days before she died were very precious and special. We laughed together, we cried together, we talked about when she would come back to work, we prayed together.

The day she died was a hard day, but a beautiful day. On that day we gathered as a community/ a family we shared stories about her, we cried, we laughed. The thing I remember most about that day is the way I was looked after by others from our community. They, having known I had been at the hospital brought me sweet tea to drink. My close friend who doesn't work with us, came so she could support me as I supported her when her brother died. These things are beautiful.

The days following were difficult, we were feeling sad, angry, guilty; but we gathered together we prayed and we supported each other.

Beautiful girl
Loved and cherished, it's a shame you did not understand.
Beautiful girl
Mother, wife, sister, friend, there is so much you have left behind
Beautiful girl
We will miss your cheeky smile, your infectious laugh
Beautiful girl
How we have grieved your loss
Beautiful girl
You taught me so much
Beautiful girl
We miss you

The Remedy

Came across this song on my Itunes today and thought the lyrics by David Crowder Band were good enough to share.

Here we are
Here we are
The broken and used
Mistreated, abused
Here we are

Here You are
Here You are
The beautiful one
Who came like a Son
Here You are

So we lift up our voices
We open our hands
To cling to the love
That we can’t comprehend

Oh, lift up your voices
And lift up your heads
To sing of the love
That has freed us from sin

He is the one
Who has saved us
He is the one
Who embraced us
He is the one who has come
And is coming again
He’s the remedy

Here we are
Here we are
Bandaged and bruised
Awaiting a cure
Here we are

Here You are
Here You are
Our beautiful King
Bringing relief
Here You are with us

So we lift up our voices
And open our hands
Let go of the things
That have kept us from Him

He is the one
Who has saved us
He is the one
Who forgave us
He is the one who has come
And is coming again
He’s the remedy


Oh, I can’t comprehend
I can’t take it all in
Never understand
Such perfect love come
For the broken and beat
For the wounded and weak
Oh, come fall at His feet
He’s the remedy
He’s the remedy

So sing, sing

You are the one
Who has saved us
You are the one
Who forgave us
You are the one who has come
And is coming again
To make it alright
Oh, to make it alright
You’re the remedy
Oh, in us
You’re the remedy