All she wanted was to learn. All she knew was how to be a Hindu.
All her parents wanted was a way out of the slums.
She was the only girl among 4 brothers, living in a small house made of scrap metal.
He singled her out. He offered nothing to her brothers but to her he offered a job and a place to learn. He was her uncle.
Her parents agreed. They sent her off with promises of prosperity.
All she wanted was to go to school.
He took her to his dusty carpet factory. This was where she would work to earn money for her family.
She knew not the horrors she would encounter there. She knew not that she would never see the inside of a classroom.
She went to bed that night completely in ignorance and woke up at sunrise to finally realize what she had gotten herself into.
There were countless other 9-25-year-old girls and boys crammed in that small factory to work straight until sundown.
In the darkness, her uncle revealed more of his secrets.
He made them all drink alcohol and consume other non-descript substances. It didn’t matter if they protested, he would eventually show his power over them.
Most of the children gave in easily but this girl saw through everything. She knew it was a trick.
She saw what he did to his “favorite” employees. He used them for his own pleasure.
When he came to her room one night and touched her on the arm, she sat up and pushed him away, yelling loudly so everyone could hear. God showed her favor that night and he pushed no further.
That night she decided she would run away. She had helped others run away in the past and now was her time. She refused to end up like the older girls there. They had no hope.
All she wanted was to learn. All she wanted was to sit in a classroom and learn.
The next day her friends distracted her uncle by talking to him about a problem in the factory.
“Run while you can,” one of them whispered to her hurriedly.
While his back was turned, she quickly climbed out the window, her heart pounding in her ears.
Don’t stop for anything. Keep going. Keep running.
She continued to run full speed ahead for over an hour.
She was a deer in the headlights. She had no idea where she was going or what was around her. She didn’t even know where she started running from.
She ran through a busy street. A small car pulled up to the curb. “Are you lost? Do you need help?” a woman yelled to her.
There were tears streaming down her face. She was terrified but she got into the car, frantically explaining where she had come from between sobs.
Sirens. Sirens were blaring. She thought for sure it was over. They would take her and bring her back. She didn’t belong with these people. She didn’t even know their names.
“Who is this girl? Is she yours?” The policeman asked gruffly.
“She is my daughter.” The woman claimed confidently.
They let them continue without further questioning. The Lord’s favor was over her before she even knew who He was.
They drove all around the city, trying to find someone who could help her. Some place where she could stay the night. At last they remembered a believing couple who would surely be more than willing to take her in.
She arrived at their home, shaking in fear. All she had ever known was how to be a Hindu. She had never even met a Christian before. She had no idea that a man named Jesus had ever walked the earth.
It wasn’t long before she was hearing all about Him.
These people who fed her, clothed her and gave her a place to stay believed that this man called Jesus was the one true God.
These people who treated her with more dignity than she had ever known thought that Jesus was the one who allowed her to escape and find them.
These people who let her learn, the one thing she always wanted to do, prayed every day to this God called Jesus.
All she had ever known was how to be Hindu. Who was this God anyway?
She pretended to believe for a while to make her new family happy. If she didn’t believe in Jesus she thought maybe they would no longer treat her so well.
They told her she was like their daughter and that their sons were like her brothers. She had never known such a loving family before but who was this Jesus?
After 3 months of living in a constant state of confusion, she got an answer.
She dreamed that an angel had appeared before her and declared, “Wake up, daughter of Jesus!”
Her eyes snapped wide open and she felt the presence of the God enveloping her.
For days, she kept hearing a voice whisper in her ear, “you are my daughter, you are my daughter,” over and over again.
Now, when she heard these people talk about this man called Jesus, she realized exactly who He was and is and always will be. He had to be real because He talked directly to her. She heard His voice in her ear! No god of hers had ever done that before.
He is her Father. Her safe place. A good God. The only God.
She accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior. She was hungry, desperate to know more about Him now that she knew He was real.
After becoming fluent and completely literate in Nepali and English, she decided to go to a Discipleship Training School (DTS) in Nepal.
She graduated and helped the same organization that had taken her in, do work in another city in India.
She shares her story openly now. She wants it to be heard because she knows it has power.
She may be small but God has given her mighty words and incredible joy as a testament to His sovereignty.
The man who took her in all those years ago received a prophesy for her. He told her she would become a leader in ministry and I believe it wholeheartedly. Everything about her screams of the Lord’s power, goodness and joy.
As much as it may shock you, there are hundreds of thousands of girls and boys today who are where she was at 9 years old. Some of them never get the chance to escape like this girl did.
Thus, I challenge you to intercede for those who still are under the oppression of child labor and slavery.
I challenge you to ask the Lord what your part is in it. Research the products you purchase and make certain you’re not endorsing it without knowing.
Ask the Lord to open your eyes to see where people like her are in the United States because it doesn’t just happen in Nepal.
Maybe one day you could be a part of a story like this. Maybe one day God will use you to set these captives free.
