New Life
A little girl was asked to draw a picture of something children have the right to. Her answer was to be protected. She grew up working in a factory and one day she fell asleep while working. As punishment, she was violently stabbed with scissors. After this incident she fled the factory wishing to call the police. Because she had been so oppressed and under-educated, she didn’t even know how to dial a phone to call someone. Instead she ran to the home of a former customer who had shown her kindness. This customer after seeing her wound and how upset she was immediately took her to the hospital where they cared for her. From there she was passed on to the New Life Center.
The new life center is an organization that works to provide education; vocational training and other developmental things to tribal girls that are either at risk for being sexually abused or already have been. After arriving at the center the girl said that her two biggest dreams were to meet her birth mother and get an education. The New Life Center taught her how to pray and she began to pray for these things. Within a few months her mom was found and she was able to meet her. Eventually she was also able to attend school and begin her education. What a great story of hope!
It has been neat to be encouraged through these different ministries here in Thailand. The amount of oppression and spiritual darkness can be overwhelming, but God is at work here. He is bringing up a generation of believers that are hungry for him and are seeking to bring others to him. The task at hand is huge, but God is even bigger than anything the world can throw at us.
This truth is becoming more and more evident through the children at TawSaeng. These children have already experienced things way beyond anything anyone ever should have. And yet, they still have joy. Today they received their Christmas gifts from the staff. It was just a simple outfit, but the way their faces lit up as they pulled the clothes out of the bag was beautiful. Every child had a huge smile on their face and some started pulling the new clothes on without even taking off the clothes they were already wearing. This joy and appreciation for the little things is something we should all take away from these precious children. Even as Christians sometimes we loose sight of how blessed we are. New clothes are not something we are usually truly joyful about. But God calls us to be grateful for what we have, even in the hard times. We must not loose hope. If not for ourselves then let it be for God’s children and his glory.
-Kelly Griffin
Remember to laugh, even if you look ridiculous. :)
