The following blog, “Good House, Bad House” is written by my teammate Amanda Howard. I really couldn’t have said it better myself. Check our her other stories at www.amandahoward.theworldrace.org…
You know that feeling when your heart hurts so badly it sinks into your stomach and makes you feel nauseous? It’s the feeling you getting after suffering from an intense break-up or attending the funeral of a loved one. You feel like you have a knot in your throat and it becomes a challenge simply to swallow. It’s the adrenaline that rushes through your veins when your 2/3 of the way through a gut-wrenching film and you’re just dying to know whether or not the protagonist will survive.
That’s how I feel every day.
That’s how I feel when I think about child sex slavery.
That’s how I feel every time I picture a little girl being sold into the brothel and her mother thinking she has a promising future or job ahead of her.
That’s how I feel every time I see a little boy selling flowers in the market, knowing that in the distant future he will be transformed into a woman against his will and sold for sex.
That’s how I feel every time I imagine a child abandoned, lost, and alone, just waiting to be rescued.
It breaks my heart like nothing I’ve ever experienced, and sometimes I want to run home and immediately tell you the truth and reality of the world we live in, but sometimes it’s to heavy to even put into words.
This morning we were given the opportunity to visit the Hill-tribe Villages to see where the children come from that live at “Remember Nhu”. I didn’t really know what to expect, but as we arrived, it looked like many other villages I had seen before.
One thing I noticed was that, as usual, many of the houses were made of natural materials. However, a few of them were much fancier. It didn’t take long for our contact to explain where the money had come from. Many of the families sell their children out of desperation. They are poor. They are starving. If they don’t send away one child, the others will die. Many times the families are tricked into believing it is for a decent job, only to later discover that the children end up in a brothel. So I ask you: what would you do if you had 5 children and your entire family was starving? Would you risk sending one of them to spare the rest?
The good news is that at the end of the day, my heart still aches, but it is not without hope. I still writhe in pain at the thought of the many children crying out in desperation, alone and in need of a Savior, but I rejoice in the fact that they are never truly alone. Their Father has not abandoned them, not for one second, and His heart aches for them more than I could ever begin to imagine.
I am surrounded by stories of hope. It was difficult seeing the families in the village today, knowing that many of their children were missing, but it was beautiful coming home to our children at Remember Nhu and knowing that they had been saved. Their Father heard their cries, and He brought them home. And for that, my aching heart finds a reason to dance with joy.
Psalm 116:5
Dear Steph,
As I read Amanda’s blog, I could certainly identify with “that feeling when your heart hurts so badly it sinks into your stomach and makes you feel nauseous.” I’ve experienced it this week more times than I care to mention, and that was before I read you most recent blogs. We who are reading your blogs are affected by just hearing about what’s going on there, so I can only imagine the impact it must have on you who are there to actually witness this darkness in our world. But as Amanda said, though her heart still aches, it is not without hope. God did not lead you to each of these places to take away the pain or dramatically change things while you’re there — He sent you to give the message that there is HOPE! In your dad’s Sheepfold last week, we were reminded that “God made it very clear in his Word that while we remain on this sin-cursed earth, we will experience suffering. The peace, joy and very life you long for is an indication that you were not meant for this earth.” Though we are not rescued from the pain and trials of this life, He has promised, to those who believe, that He will come back to take us from here to live in that perfect world for ETERNITY. The choice was made way back in the Garden of Eden, and that choice took us out of Paradise and into the world dominated by evil. But our God, in His mercy and through His son, gives us a second chance to make the right choice; and how good is God to bring His message of HOPE throughout the world through willing & courageous hearts as yours and through the missionaries who have gone before you and will go after you. Rescuing every one of those children while they are here on earth is an unrealistic goal to try to attain; but the goal of bringing HOPE that they can one day live with a perfect God in a perfect world for all eternity is not at all unrealistic — and by His grace and power, you are doing just that — one child at a time.
“May our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who loved us and by His grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.” (2 Thess. 2:16-17)
In His Love,
Angela
Angela, thank you for your powerful words of encouragement. It’s so amazing to see the love and support of Stephanie’s church family at home, and your prayers and encouragement do not go unnoticed!