12,000.
Without a background, or a story, or even an explanation these appear to be simply numbers. Numbers alone seem innocent, normal, and mathematical.
These are not just numbers.
12,000 is the number of young women trafficked from Nepal to India alone each year This number represents only about 43% of total victims.
And 379 is the number of different cultures and people groups here in Nepal…where approximately 1.8% know Jesus.
Thousands of girls between age 5 and 14 are forced into child marriage each YEAR.
I have been in Nepal for about a week now and I can promise you the culture is rich, vibrant and exciting. The people are so friendly and I have had many conversations with the local people. They are quick to help and offer whatever you may need. The mountains are beautiful, the air is fresh, and the sites are amazing. Everywhere you turn there are cute shops, exotic food, and big smiles.
88% of the population of Nepal is Hindu. In the Hindu culture/religion they don’t value their baby girls, because their religion tells them not to. In the Hindu religion it’s very important to have a son because the son performs a ritual that gets the parents into heaven when they die. Many baby girls are aborted or killed when they are young, many are left to be forgotten about, and some are even sacrificed to “the gods.” The man we are living with explained that when some families don’t have enough money to fix their roofs, they sell a daughter and then use the money. These beautiful girls are not valued and they are not protected. Human trafficking is a huge problem here in Nepal….and these little girls and young women I’ve been describing are the victims of a spiritual war.
The two little girls in this photo are protected, because they were born to a wonderful family who loves the Lord. But what about the rest of them? The other girls of Nepal?
Satan has blinded people.
Tricked them into believing the “gods” they worship are the right ones.
And murder and neglect is happening because of it.
The house we are living in is surrounded by the foothills of the Himalaya Mountains. The views are breathtaking right from our rooftop. However there is more to it than meets the eye. On one of the hills visible from our roof, there is a Hindu temple. Every two years human,yes, HUMAN sacrifices are made there.
And if you’ve put two and two together; those sacrifices are the precious little girls.
This month we are working with a man named Bhuvan and his family. Bhuvan has been working to raise awareness about human trafficking, help girls get out, and trains girls and young women to travel around Nepal and raise awareness about the reality of human trafficking. After the training these girls go into schools, villages and towns. Their goal is to reach all of Nepal so young women may be aware of the issue and can be cautious to avoid becoming a victim of it.
So far he has hosted over 25 World Race teams in his home over the past few years.
This month we will be living with him, his wife and his three children in their home. (Abhishika is 8, Abhipraya is 4, and the baby boy (Babu) is 14 months. (the three in the above photo) His niece (Kabita 17) and nephew (Umesh 14) also live with him.
We will be doing a lot of behind the scenes work for his program and I am really excited to get started. My job in particular will be to take the topics he has given me and write a 30 page training manual on each subject stemming from research and the bible. This manual will then be put on the website as well as used in the teaching for the program.
I can already feel God working in this beautiful country.
I may not get to be on the “front lines” physically rescuing girls from trafficking, but what I am writing will be read throughout all of Nepal.
Please be praying that I can articulate clearly what God wants these precious children to know.
