I never thought I would write this, but Life for the Innocent has actually experienced some blessings because of Covid.
Do not get me wrong – the pandemic has been so difficult. I lost good friends, our ministry costs have skyrocketed – the list goes on.
But as I sit here in my office in South Asia drinking chai, thinking about what might bless you this Christmas, I feel grateful for some things that have happened in the last two years.
Please read the story below about how God creates beauty, even in unthinkable circumstances like trafficking or a pandemic:
During Covid, the staff and I were unable to travel or work as usual. It gave us the chance to connect with hundreds of young adults who were rescued as young children years ago.We asked if they would be willing to share their experiences. We always want to learn from them – the memories they bring, the stories they share, and the lives they now live inspire me. It reinforces my calling, and gives me hope to keep doing this work with you.
One of the adults we spoke with was a woman named Shyla. It happened about a year ago, when the South Asia staff and I were enjoying a small Christmas gathering.
I heard the gate outside the office open. A timid voice called out, “Can I come in?” Without waiting for an answer, a young woman opened the door and came in. I recognized her immediately. Shyla!
We had asked her to come by if she had advice or things to share from her experiences as a child. I was so happy to see her! She held many of us tightly and cried. You see, it had been many years since we had seen her.
Shyla’s Rescue
Shyla was only 12 years old when she was recovered from a brothel. When the rescue team first saw her, she was sitting on the grimy floor and weeping quietly. She could barely stand.
Not wanting to scare her, the team beckoned her to come with them. She struggled to get up. The team did not realize how much damage her frail body had experienced. It was so difficult for her to walk, they had to gently pick her up and carry her out.
Shyla did not know yet that she would never have to see another customer again. She had survived in that brothel for two years, and never thought she would get out. Shyla told me later that was the worst part:
“Being abused was terrible….but the pain of losing all hope was even worse.”
That is why your support this year has been so critical. You continue to bring new hope when the world says there will be none for these children. With God, the impossible becomes possible – and Shyla is living proof of that promise.
Shyla’s Restoration
This is how Shyla describes arriving at the LFTI transition home, and how she felt:
“I had never been inside a building with a fan. I had never slept on a bed. I thought maybe it was a place for more customers. But all they said was to go to sleep. I did not understand what was happening at first.”
Over the next few weeks, Shyla remained a bit puzzled. The home was so different from what she was used to. She slept as much as she wanted. No one yelled at her. No one hit her. She was shown how to bathe and wash her hands. She loved sitting in the courtyard and feeling the sun on her cheeks.
And, perhaps like some of the kids in your life, she really liked being a “helper”! So the home staff taught her how to do things like wash vegetables and roll up her blanket.
“It began to feel like everything was new,” Shyla says.
Shyla’s time in the transition home was over 19 years ago. She was adopted by amazing parents who gave her so much love and the best education possible.
Today, Shyla is married with two children. She is an HR manager at a biotech company here in South Asia. She sees a counselor each week, and continues to bravely work through the trauma in her story.
We learned all this during our visit with her. As soon as hugs were finished and tears were dried, we got to talking about her experiences as a child. I asked her how she views the pain in her life.
She replied, “I still have many questions – like why did my birth parents not want me? Why did they hit me? My dad even beat my mom when he found out she was pregnant with me. Why did they sell me? I remember the day they got coins from a man, then he took me away. They did not even say good-bye.”
She continued, “Why was I hurt every day in the brothel? I don’t understand! But a home staffer said something that stuck with me all these years:
‘When you let your past decide your present, then you have destroyed your future.’ That is not a dismissal of my pain, or meaning I should just forget it. But rather, it is a reminder that I am free, and I do not have to be not defined by it.”
What powerful words! What a promise!
That is why Life for the Innocent exists – to join God’s work for child trafficking survivors, and help them heal. This is His work, and you and I get to be part of it.
Shyla said it was okay to share her story as a reminder of the opportunity you and I have to help boys and girls just like her.
The need is great. There are so many children who need to know the impossible is possible – not only that they can be rescued, but knowing they are loved and can have a beautiful future like Shyla.
Your Role
As I write this, LFTI is helping nearly 5,000 children at our transition homes in South Asia. That is a lot of mouths to feed, school uniforms to buy, prescriptions to purchase, and more. And it is a blessing. I never thought LFTI would serve so many kids at once!
We are here because of people like YOU who donate, pray, and own this mission…people who help make the impossible possible for children like Shyla.
That is why I am inviting you to make a generous year-end gift to Life for the Innocent. Your financial support has never been more needed, as LFTI helps a record number of children, at the highest costs we have ever seen.
For example, the price for one egg has risen from 3 cents to 40 cents! A kilo of rice is typically $1, and now it is $2.70. And, the cost of transportation and utilities for the homes has quadrupled. It really adds up.
To address this, LFTI critically needs $257,000 by December 31.
To jumpstart this effort, 15 families have pooled their Christmas contributions and already donated $70,000 – and invite YOU and all donors to match and exceed their support!
Will you join this important effort with a year-end gift of $500, $1,500, or more? ($1,500 provides ALL care for one child: food, medical care, counseling, clothes, education, and adoption into a new family.)
You have been really generous to LFTI kids in the past year, and I am SO grateful. Just imagine in 19 years the children who will be adults like Shyla, reflecting on the healing journey you make possible this Christmas.
Thank you for considering a year-end gift for children, and bringing to life one of my favorite verses: “You intended to harm me, but God meant it for good to accomplish what is now being done – the saving of many lives” (Genesis 50:20).
That verse means so much to me, and to Shyla. Through her story (which we were able to hear because of Covid!) and your generosity, so many lives will be saved and changed this Christmas.
With much appreciation,
