Once again, we release a Journal with great uncertainty of how the next week, month, or even year will unfold. At the end of 2019, we sat down as a team to choose our themes for each quarter of 2020 and before we ever heard the word Coronavirus, we chose the theme of Joy for our Fall edition. We had no idea how fitting it would be for this season.
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Tuni became a wife when she was just 9 years old.
It seems impossible, but it’s true. In South Asia, child marriage may be illegal, but it continues to thrive in poor tribal regions. (You can read more about child marriage in South Asia from this National Geographic article.) Tuni didn’t want to get married, but she had no other choice - her family needed one less mouth to feed. Tuni’s new husband, an 11 year old boy, was kind, but since they were both only children, they struggled to provide for themselves. When he died just one year later, Tuni’s family refused to take her back, calling her “bad luck” and “cursed.”
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Our world is rethinking our vulnerability and our response to injustice. We’ve opened our eyes, and we’re ready for a fresh season. Each year, summer arrives with the warmth of the sun, and like an old friend, welcomes us into the flurry of excitement for what is to come. While this summer is different than most, let’s not lose our expectation of what it can be. Let’s soak up all of the warmth, wisdom, and anticipation of this season and allow them to remind us that we are safe in the arms of a trustworthy God who is acting for our good even amid chaos.
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The Sylom Children’s Home is over 8,000 miles away from the USA.
That’s a long way, and it is easy to feel disconnected from the work you support there. Our hope is that the 2020 Child Freedom 5K will bring the children that you love and support a little closer.
YOU’RE INVITED TO JOIN THE RACE TO END SLAVERY ON SEPTEMBER 12TH. BY JOINING THIS EVENT, AS A RUNNER, VOLUNTEER, OR SPONSOR, YOU’LL BE ABLE TO IMPACT CHILDREN THAT SEEM A WORLD AWAY.
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Surya Bhaga was born into a poor family in a rural farming village in South Asia.
Her father farmed a small plot of land while her mother worked for a wealthy family, but even with their combined income, they only brought in $1 a day. Their situation grew even more desperate in 2013 when a severe drought struck their area and none of the crops grew. News of the drought traveled to human traffickers who came to Surya’s village posing as agents for rock quarries.
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Across South Asia, women who lose their husbands don’t get the same kind of care and support as women in America or other countries across the world. These women are often seen as bad luck by their families and friends because their husbands died.
They’re treated as unwanted and become outcasts to society.
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Last Fall, I was at a wedding with my wife when I ran into my old college friend, Ben. While we were catching up I told him about my work with Child Freedom Coalition, and he was immediately excited about our mission.
“I’ve gotta introduce you to my brother-in-law, David Rudy,” he told me right away. “He pastors my church in Spartanburg, and I know he’d love to hear about this.”
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What would normally be a season filled with hustle and bustle has become one of forced stillness. It has come with fear, uncertainty, and isolation, but there is still hope to be found. It’s time for us to breathe deep, trust, allow new dreams to surface, and invest in those around us.
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Every day we check the news to find more information to dissect. It can be overwhelming, and we need something to cling to - something to give us hope. While we won’t downplay or avoid the effects of this virus in South Asia, we believe it’s important to reflect on some good news and remind ourselves of the incredible work you’ve made possible.
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Winter is a time for us to dig our roots deep and see what we couldn’t see when the leaves were blocking our view. It’s a time for observation, reflection, and hope for the future. As you settle into this winter, enjoy the stillness and contemplation it brings. Embrace it’s lack of distractions and gain vision for your own future. Enjoy the hope that it brings and then share it with those around you.
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We talk a lot about how we should love each other, but often struggle to put it into action.
We say we love our neighbor, our co-workers, our employees, but often lack the follow-through. We celebrate and seek love at all costs, but find the selfless actions that should come with it to be difficult. We misunderstand love because it isn’t just emotion, good intentions, or felt sympathy.
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We’re in a month of resolutions, fresh starts, and hope for a new year. It’s a time where many of us stop to reevaluate how we’re living our lives and resolve to change and grow. We’re excited to celebrate the start of this new season and share our plans for 2020, but even more than that, we’re thrilled to be looking back on the incredible things God did in the very first year of Child Freedom Coalition.
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Throughout this season, we’ve been reflecting on the idea of legacy. We’ve thought a lot about what we want to accomplish and change, and on this journey, we’ve been reminded of something that has both humbled and empowered us.
We are standing on the shoulders of those who have gone before us.
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Growing up, Durga envied the children she watched going to school.
Her father’s alcoholism meant that even when there was enough work to pay for school it got wasted. Not long after her 13th birthday, a human trafficker, posing as an employer, offered Durga’s father $60 as an advance on wages for his daughter.
Her father jumped at the chance.
We've all been there. You're in the grocery store with your child and suddenly they've wandered off. Your pulse goes through the roof, tears immediately fill your eyes, and you frantically run from aisle to aisle trying to find them.
Losing a child is every parents greatest nightmare. But what happens if you're separated for good?
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When we meet people, one of the first things everyone wants to know is why we’ve set our focus so heavily on South Asia. It’s true - there’s a world full of hurting people in the United States and around the world, so why South Asia?