India.
I am in India!
A country vibrant in culture, history, and people, India makes up 17% of the world’s population. Its a busy place. Even at 4:30am, there are people out and about with things to do. The horns seem to never stop blaring as the cars, buses, and tuk-tuks fly up and down the roads. The food is spicy, with mostly vegetarian options, and not to mention that it is all eaten with just your hands. As a woman, I wear clothing that covers my shoulders, all the way down to my ankles, even in the 100 degree heat. Despite the heat, pipping hot cups of chai are drank every afternoon, and have become one of my favorite rituals.
This month, my team and I have been partnered with Rescue Pink, a ministry that works to prevent female infanticide. Many people do not want female children due to the financial burden that they cause. Dowries, although technically illegal, are not a thing of the past. They still cause parents the worry and wonder of how they will ever afford to get their girls married. Each day, we have had the opportunity to go and talk to women and collect their stories. Sitting in their homes and listening to them talk about their lives has been such an honor.
I cannot imagine living in a world where my main duty is to simply get married and produce male children, all for the sake of financial stability. This is the burden and task that these women have been saddled with. In being a listening ear, we have been able to give them a bit of a different perspective. They are so much more than that! They are loved and valued by the Creator of the universe!
Rescue Pink has an entrepreneurship program that empowers women to start their own business to provide for their families. They also have a nutrition program that provides vital nutrients and classes to pregnant and nursing mothers. These are the women that we have been meeting. RP is teaching these women the importance of female children, but also the means to supply for their needs.
In the evenings, we are at RP’s center, spending the evening with girls, ages 5-12. The girls come to work on homework, practice English, and get some nutrition. The moment we walk through the door, we are greeted by 15 or so little voices and told over and over again how beautiful we look. They jabber away at us in Telegu, and we bobble our heads as if we know what they’re saying. They recite little poems and stories in English that they are required to know for school. We teach them songs and little games that are then played over and over and over again. We then serve them a boiled egg and a steaming cup of buffalos milk, and perform a little dance or song to entertain them as they eat.
Honestly, for many of them, I don’t know exactly what their lives look like at home. We know that some aren’t fed very much, or their father doesn’t want them, or their parents are struggling to make ends meet. I imagine that many of them feel the weight of the burden that their parents feel, something that no child should ever have to face. But when they come through those doors, they are in a place where they are safe, they are loved, and they are wanted. Due to the political and religious beliefs of India, we are not allowed to directly evangelize to these little girls, but I believe that they can feel the love of Jesus every afternoon. Each one of them are so precious in His sight!
All these women and girls are smart, beautiful, and strong, and they are the ones who are going to change their communities and the world.
