Hello Sweet Ladies!
Before we dig into this chapter let's invite our Abba God in first.
Sweet Father, I ask you into our discussion here. I thank you for looking at us with love not judgement and I ask that you let each of us feel that love here and now. You are the definition and the living example of perfect love and we are so thankful for it. I ask that you lead our hearts and our words and that with your help we will all have a greater understanding of you when we leave here. Thank you Lord!
Amen.
I will be taking our questions from the workbook as always and I'll throw in my own now and then too! :) Fair warning: These are some tough questions that she asks and I think that is the best part. I will answer honestly here and hope that you will feel safe enough to do so yourself; if not here (in 'public') then somewhere safe for you. These answers are for your heart and God's above all else. :)
First, as you look back over the chapter, what struck you? Did you highlight anything? What did it speak to your heart?
"Every woman in the core of her being is haunted by Eve. She knows, if only when she passes a mirror, that she is not what she was meant to be. We are more keenly aware of our own shortcomings than anyone else. Remembering the glory that was once ours awakens my heart to an ache that has long gone unfulfilled. It's almost too much to hope for, too much to have lost. Are you aware of your own beauty? (Your possess it, dear one. You do.) How did you feel exploring Eve in the last chapter?"
"How does your fallen nature most often reveal itself?" "With what do you tend to indulge yourself?"
"Why do so few women have anything close to a life of romance? Loneliness and emptiness are far more common themes--so entirely common that most women buried their longings for romance long ago and are living now merely to survive, get through the week. ."
"Are you aware of loneliness deep within your heart?"
"Can you relate to my lipstick story? Are you aware of the ways in which you hide, trying not to be 'seen'?"
"When the world was young and we were innocent---both man and woman--we were 'naked and unashamed'(Gen. 2:25NKJV). Nothing to hide. Simply...glorious. And while the world was young and we too, were young and beautiful and full of life, a corner was turned. Something happened which we have heard about but never fully understood.
We fell.
The woman was convinced. The fruit looked so fresh and delicious, and it would make her so wise! So she ate some of the fruit. She also gave some to her husband who was with her. Then he ate it too(Gen 3:6 NLT).
The woman was convinced. Convinced of what? She was convinced that God was holding out on her. Convinced she could not trust his heart toward her. In order to have the life she believed she needed, she was convinced she must take matters into her own hands. And so she did."
"Look into your own heart. Ask God to gently show you where you have this tendency as well."
"Eve failed as Adam's ezer kenegdo. Rather than bringing him life, she invited him his death. And Adam failed Eve as well. He offered not his strength but his silence; not his protection but his passivity. Have you seen this played out in your life? Seen it this week? Last night?"
"Fallen Eve controls her relationships. She refuses to be venerable. . .". ". . .as C.S. Lewis said, 'Who live for others. You can tell the others by their haunted expression." "In what ways are you a controlling, dominating woman?"
Question from Kandice: Have you been on the other side of that coin and been 'desolate'? What does that look like in your own life?
"What would it be like to ask those you love and live with, what you are like to live with? Or to ask your friends, how they experience you as a woman? Too risky? Pray about it. It can be a very scary thing to do but also a very enlightening thing as well."
"Every woman knows now that she is not what she was meant to be. And she fears that soon it will be known--if it hasn't already been discovered--and that she will be abandoned. Left alone to die a death of the heart. That is a woman's worst fear-abandonment. Take a moment. Underneath, in the deepest recesses of your heart. . . .is this fear there? The fear that you will end up abandoned and alone?"
"Take a moment and invite God in. Into the places in your heart where you feel you need to hide or control or indulge in order to be safe and well. Ask him to speak to you about these places...and to give you the courage to begin to trust him with your life in ever deeper ways."
"Let's close our time today with prayer.
Dear God, merciful God. I need your help. Please forgive me for the ways that I choose to live that have nothing to do with trusting you. Please come for me. Reveal to me the ways that I live that are not pleasing to you and grant me the grace of a deep and true repentance. Please speak to my deep heart where I need to hear from you. How do you see me? Am I lovely to you? I give you permission to have your way with me. Reveal to me more of who you are God and who I am to you. Thank you. In Jesus' name. Amen."
OK I know I say this a lot with this book but WOW! This are some real revaluations for me and I am so thankful to have you all along with me! My prayer for you sweet ladies is that our Loving Father is speaking to your heart in a very personal and precious way. I know that he rejoices in this time with you His most precious daughter and so do I! Looking forward to our discussion!
With Love,
Kandice
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Ch. 2 "What Eve Alone Can Tell"
OK ladies once again before we begin let's open with a prayer and invite our Abba God into our discussion. This time I'm going to take our prayer directly from the workbook Stasi just has a way with words. :)
"Dear Jesus, I love you. I need you. I come before you now, once again, as yours, asking for your help, your grace. My life is yours. My heart is yours. Would you please come and shine your light into the depths of my heart that I might understand myself better and come to know your healing and your presence more deeply. Help me to remember what I need to remember. Help me to see, lift the veil of shame and help me to see what it mean ts that I bear your own image--as a woman. Jesus. I give you access to all of my heart. I invite you into every part. Come. Holy Spirit, have your way--that I might love you, God, more deeply and truly with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen."
I LOVE THIS CHAPTER!!!! :) The first time I read this chapter I could NOT control my excitement! Our friend Betty can attest to that fact.:) I can tell you that it's the very first time in my entire life that I got a really long look at the beauty God made in me. As new as it felt, at the same time, there was something familiar about it as well. For as long as I can remember I have felt that I was created for something special, something important, something world changing! I could never quite put my finger on it but my heart was so full of the knowledge that I was meant for something special that it kept me going when life should have been overwhelming. When I read this chapter my heart just SOARED! SO THAT'S IT!!! THAT IS FROM GOD!!!! I AM SPECIAL! It is still so exciting to me that I'm bouncing around in my chair trying to get all the excitement from my heart through my fingertips and onto this page!! As hard as I try I just can't do justice to the joy I feel. I'll just have to settle for LOTS of 'all caps' and exclamation points!!!! ;-)
Once again I'll be taking discussion questions from our workbook.
As you can tell, what struck me in this chapter most deeply was the knowledge that Eve (I) was NOT an afterthought! We as women are not just an appendage. We are the climax of story, the crowning jewel of creation! WOW!! WOW!!! What struck you in this chapter? Did you underline anything?
"The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. Gen. 2:7 NKJV It is worth noting here the glorious intimacy of man's creation. All the rest of God's masterpiece sprung into being merly from God speaking it to be. 'Then God spoke. . .' But when it came time for God to create his image bearers, he formed them with his own hands. He breathed life into them himself. What do you think about that?"
"Eve is created because things were not right without her. Something was not good. 'It is not good for the man to be alone.' (Gen 2:18) NKJV. This just staggers us. Think of it. The world is young and completely unstained. Adam is yet in his innocence and full of glory. He walks with God. Nothing stands between them. They share something none of us has ever known-only longed for: an unbroken friendship, untouched by sin. Yet something is not good? Something is missing? What could it possibly be? Eve. Woman. Femininity. Wow. Talk about Significance.
Have you thought about being a woman in this way? What would it do for your heart to embrace this truth?"
"The vast desire and capacity a woman has for intimate relationships tells us of God's vast desire and capacity for intimate relationships. In fact, this may be the most important thing we ever learn about God--that he yearns for relationship with us. 'Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God'(John 17:3NKJV). The whole story of the Bible is a love story between God and his people. he years for us. He cares. He has a tender heart. Have you seen God as yearning for you? As longing to be loved by you?"
"How does it change the way you feel about your own heart's desires to hear that through Eve God makes romance a priority of the universe?"
"That longing in the heart of a woman to share life together as a great adventure--that comes straight from the heart of God, who also longs for this. He does not want to be an optional in our lives. He does not want to be an appendage, a tag-along. Neither does any woman. God is essential. He wants us to need him-desperately. Eve is essential. She has an irreplaceable role to play. And so you'll see that women are endowed with fierce devotion, an ability to suffer great hardships, a vision to make the world a better place. How does your heart respond?"
"Beauty is such a source of struggle for women. So let's really dig deep here-for clarity, and for the healing of our hearts. Beauty matters to God. Very much. But lest you fall into despair, here is very good news. You possess it. Yes, you. True beauty. (I know you just rolled your eyes, by the way). It may take the whole book to begin to clear this up, so hang in there. Let the emotions come. Invite Jesus into the whole way you feel about beauty-especially your beauty. Beauty is powerful. It is dangerous. It matters. Let's explore why.
First, Beauty Speaks. Being with a woman who is at rest, a woman comfortable within her own beauty, is an enjoyable experience. She is trusting God, not striving to become beautiful, but allowing his beauty to more fully inhabit her. Have you had the experience of being with a woman who is stressed, striving, worried? And how did you feel around her? Have you had the pleasure of being with a woman who is resting in God and knowing that all will be well? How did you feel around her? What kind of woman do you tend to be?"
"Beauty Also Invites. . . Recall what it is like to hear a truly beautiful piece of music. It captures you; you want to sit down and just drink it in. We buy the CD and play it many times over(this is not visual, showing us that beauty is deeper than looks.) Music like this commands your attention, invites you to come more deeply into it."
"Beauty nourishes. It is a kind of food our souls crave. A woman's breast is among the loveliest of all god's works, and it is with her breast she nourishes a baby-a stunning picture of the way in which Beauty itself nourishes us. In fact, a woman's body is one of the most beautiful of all God's creations. 'Too much of eternity', as Blake said, 'for the eye of man.' It nourishes, offers life. That is such profound metaphor for Beauty itself. As Lewis said, We do not want merely to see beauty, though, God knows, even that is bounty enough. We want something else which can hardly be put into words-to be united with the beauty we see, to pass into it, to receive it into ourselves (The Weight of Glory)
Have you had that experience? Where? When? What was it like?"
"One of the deepest ways a woman bears the image of God is in her mystery. By mystery we don't mean'forever beyond your knowing,' but 'something to be explored'. 'It is the glory of God to conceal a matter,' says the book of Proverbs, 'to search out a matter is the glory of kings' (25:2 NKJV). God yearns to be known., but he wants to be sought after by those who would know him. He says, 'You shall find me when you seek me with all your heart' (Jer. 29:13 NKJV). Are you aware of this yearning, as a woman? And are you being sought after these days?"
"Whatever else it means to be feminine, it is depth and mystery and complexity, with beauty as their very essence. Now, lest despair set in, let us say as clearly as we can:
Every woman has a beauty to unveil. Every woman. Because she bears the image of God. She doesn't have to conjure it, go get it from a salon, have plastic surgery or a breast implant. No, beauty is an essence that is given to every woman at her creation."
"What if? What if this really is true about you--that you ARE captivating woman? Let your heart go there for a moment; what does it bring?"
"O Jesus, come into this place in my heart. Help me to believe that you have given me your beauty. That I am a woman through and through, and because of your creation in me, I, too, have a heart for romance, I, too, am life-saver, and I do have beauty to offer the world. I ask this in your name. Amen."
WOW! AMAZING CHAPTER RIGHT??? I know this is a long one and if you stuck with me all the way THANK YOU! I want to encourage you to think on these questions for a while. Even if you decide not to post your answers here, I encourage you to write your answers down somewhere, a journal, a note pad but most of all on your heart. God LOVES YOU and has something vital to speak to your heart. It is no accident that you are here now reading his words for you. It is in His Divine purpose that you be wrapped in His arms, filled with His love for you and secure in the knowledge that you are His true love vital in His universe!
That is my prayer for you today and every day.
Be blessed today sweet princesses!
In His Love,
KP
"Dear Jesus, I love you. I need you. I come before you now, once again, as yours, asking for your help, your grace. My life is yours. My heart is yours. Would you please come and shine your light into the depths of my heart that I might understand myself better and come to know your healing and your presence more deeply. Help me to remember what I need to remember. Help me to see, lift the veil of shame and help me to see what it mean ts that I bear your own image--as a woman. Jesus. I give you access to all of my heart. I invite you into every part. Come. Holy Spirit, have your way--that I might love you, God, more deeply and truly with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen."
I LOVE THIS CHAPTER!!!! :) The first time I read this chapter I could NOT control my excitement! Our friend Betty can attest to that fact.:) I can tell you that it's the very first time in my entire life that I got a really long look at the beauty God made in me. As new as it felt, at the same time, there was something familiar about it as well. For as long as I can remember I have felt that I was created for something special, something important, something world changing! I could never quite put my finger on it but my heart was so full of the knowledge that I was meant for something special that it kept me going when life should have been overwhelming. When I read this chapter my heart just SOARED! SO THAT'S IT!!! THAT IS FROM GOD!!!! I AM SPECIAL! It is still so exciting to me that I'm bouncing around in my chair trying to get all the excitement from my heart through my fingertips and onto this page!! As hard as I try I just can't do justice to the joy I feel. I'll just have to settle for LOTS of 'all caps' and exclamation points!!!! ;-)
Once again I'll be taking discussion questions from our workbook.
As you can tell, what struck me in this chapter most deeply was the knowledge that Eve (I) was NOT an afterthought! We as women are not just an appendage. We are the climax of story, the crowning jewel of creation! WOW!! WOW!!! What struck you in this chapter? Did you underline anything?
"The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. Gen. 2:7 NKJV It is worth noting here the glorious intimacy of man's creation. All the rest of God's masterpiece sprung into being merly from God speaking it to be. 'Then God spoke. . .' But when it came time for God to create his image bearers, he formed them with his own hands. He breathed life into them himself. What do you think about that?"
"Eve is created because things were not right without her. Something was not good. 'It is not good for the man to be alone.' (Gen 2:18) NKJV. This just staggers us. Think of it. The world is young and completely unstained. Adam is yet in his innocence and full of glory. He walks with God. Nothing stands between them. They share something none of us has ever known-only longed for: an unbroken friendship, untouched by sin. Yet something is not good? Something is missing? What could it possibly be? Eve. Woman. Femininity. Wow. Talk about Significance.
Have you thought about being a woman in this way? What would it do for your heart to embrace this truth?"
"The vast desire and capacity a woman has for intimate relationships tells us of God's vast desire and capacity for intimate relationships. In fact, this may be the most important thing we ever learn about God--that he yearns for relationship with us. 'Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God'(John 17:3NKJV). The whole story of the Bible is a love story between God and his people. he years for us. He cares. He has a tender heart. Have you seen God as yearning for you? As longing to be loved by you?"
"How does it change the way you feel about your own heart's desires to hear that through Eve God makes romance a priority of the universe?"
"That longing in the heart of a woman to share life together as a great adventure--that comes straight from the heart of God, who also longs for this. He does not want to be an optional in our lives. He does not want to be an appendage, a tag-along. Neither does any woman. God is essential. He wants us to need him-desperately. Eve is essential. She has an irreplaceable role to play. And so you'll see that women are endowed with fierce devotion, an ability to suffer great hardships, a vision to make the world a better place. How does your heart respond?"
"Beauty is such a source of struggle for women. So let's really dig deep here-for clarity, and for the healing of our hearts. Beauty matters to God. Very much. But lest you fall into despair, here is very good news. You possess it. Yes, you. True beauty. (I know you just rolled your eyes, by the way). It may take the whole book to begin to clear this up, so hang in there. Let the emotions come. Invite Jesus into the whole way you feel about beauty-especially your beauty. Beauty is powerful. It is dangerous. It matters. Let's explore why.
First, Beauty Speaks. Being with a woman who is at rest, a woman comfortable within her own beauty, is an enjoyable experience. She is trusting God, not striving to become beautiful, but allowing his beauty to more fully inhabit her. Have you had the experience of being with a woman who is stressed, striving, worried? And how did you feel around her? Have you had the pleasure of being with a woman who is resting in God and knowing that all will be well? How did you feel around her? What kind of woman do you tend to be?"
"Beauty Also Invites. . . Recall what it is like to hear a truly beautiful piece of music. It captures you; you want to sit down and just drink it in. We buy the CD and play it many times over(this is not visual, showing us that beauty is deeper than looks.) Music like this commands your attention, invites you to come more deeply into it."
"Beauty nourishes. It is a kind of food our souls crave. A woman's breast is among the loveliest of all god's works, and it is with her breast she nourishes a baby-a stunning picture of the way in which Beauty itself nourishes us. In fact, a woman's body is one of the most beautiful of all God's creations. 'Too much of eternity', as Blake said, 'for the eye of man.' It nourishes, offers life. That is such profound metaphor for Beauty itself. As Lewis said, We do not want merely to see beauty, though, God knows, even that is bounty enough. We want something else which can hardly be put into words-to be united with the beauty we see, to pass into it, to receive it into ourselves (The Weight of Glory)
Have you had that experience? Where? When? What was it like?"
"One of the deepest ways a woman bears the image of God is in her mystery. By mystery we don't mean'forever beyond your knowing,' but 'something to be explored'. 'It is the glory of God to conceal a matter,' says the book of Proverbs, 'to search out a matter is the glory of kings' (25:2 NKJV). God yearns to be known., but he wants to be sought after by those who would know him. He says, 'You shall find me when you seek me with all your heart' (Jer. 29:13 NKJV). Are you aware of this yearning, as a woman? And are you being sought after these days?"
"Whatever else it means to be feminine, it is depth and mystery and complexity, with beauty as their very essence. Now, lest despair set in, let us say as clearly as we can:
Every woman has a beauty to unveil. Every woman. Because she bears the image of God. She doesn't have to conjure it, go get it from a salon, have plastic surgery or a breast implant. No, beauty is an essence that is given to every woman at her creation."
"What if? What if this really is true about you--that you ARE captivating woman? Let your heart go there for a moment; what does it bring?"
"O Jesus, come into this place in my heart. Help me to believe that you have given me your beauty. That I am a woman through and through, and because of your creation in me, I, too, have a heart for romance, I, too, am life-saver, and I do have beauty to offer the world. I ask this in your name. Amen."
WOW! AMAZING CHAPTER RIGHT??? I know this is a long one and if you stuck with me all the way THANK YOU! I want to encourage you to think on these questions for a while. Even if you decide not to post your answers here, I encourage you to write your answers down somewhere, a journal, a note pad but most of all on your heart. God LOVES YOU and has something vital to speak to your heart. It is no accident that you are here now reading his words for you. It is in His Divine purpose that you be wrapped in His arms, filled with His love for you and secure in the knowledge that you are His true love vital in His universe!
That is my prayer for you today and every day.
Be blessed today sweet princesses!
In His Love,
KP
Friday, October 16, 2009
Into the Darkness by Christie Weehunt SOS Ministries Part IV of IV
Blog / Education, Human Trafficking, News, Team Updates, Uncategorized / Hope for the Darkness (Part IV of IV)
Hope for the Darkness (Part IV of IV)
Posted on October 16th, 2009.
by Christie Weehunt, 23
-India Office Liaison for Sower of Seeds International Ministries
Hope for the Darkness
He will help the oppressed, who have none to defend them…
“73.7% of all girls trapped inside the brothel system must be rescued if they are to ever reach the outside world again.” –Kamala Sarup, Nepal correspondent with Lys Anzia, Women News Network
If the story were to end when we walked out of the district, I would be hopeless. I don’t want to see a need just to be better informed. I don’t want God to break my heart just for the sake of breaking it. I believe that there is a bigger purpose–that God allows us to see things not only for awareness, but because He invites us to be the solution.
God is moving in the red light district. He is rescuing, saving, healing and transforming. He will redeem the helpless. One way or another, His justice will cover them. He is already raising an army:
Former prostitutes.
Former madams.
Former pimps.
And you.
Vast darkness may seem overwhelming, but He is a very Big God. When His beloved is a shield for the powerless, even nations will quake with His glory.
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. –Romans 8:38-39 (NASB)
[To learn more about Red Light Rescue visit www.sowerofseeds.org/rescue.]
Hope for the Darkness (Part IV of IV)
Posted on October 16th, 2009.
by Christie Weehunt, 23
-India Office Liaison for Sower of Seeds International Ministries
Hope for the Darkness
He will help the oppressed, who have none to defend them…
“73.7% of all girls trapped inside the brothel system must be rescued if they are to ever reach the outside world again.” –Kamala Sarup, Nepal correspondent with Lys Anzia, Women News Network
If the story were to end when we walked out of the district, I would be hopeless. I don’t want to see a need just to be better informed. I don’t want God to break my heart just for the sake of breaking it. I believe that there is a bigger purpose–that God allows us to see things not only for awareness, but because He invites us to be the solution.
God is moving in the red light district. He is rescuing, saving, healing and transforming. He will redeem the helpless. One way or another, His justice will cover them. He is already raising an army:
Former prostitutes.
Former madams.
Former pimps.
And you.
Vast darkness may seem overwhelming, but He is a very Big God. When His beloved is a shield for the powerless, even nations will quake with His glory.
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. –Romans 8:38-39 (NASB)
[To learn more about Red Light Rescue visit www.sowerofseeds.org/rescue.]
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Born Into Darkness by Christie Weehunt SOS Ministries
Born Into Darkness (Part III of IV)
October 15th, 2009
In another brothel, a woman sat next to me on the floor, wearing a beautiful blue-flowered sari. This woman had sent her daughter to a home for children because she didn’t want her to grow up as a prostitute. When we prayed for her, one of our team (a mother too) hugged her and began wailing as the woman cried. They grieved together for her deep loss, one mother to another.
October 15th, 2009
In another brothel, a woman sat next to me on the floor, wearing a beautiful blue-flowered sari. This woman had sent her daughter to a home for children because she didn’t want her to grow up as a prostitute. When we prayed for her, one of our team (a mother too) hugged her and began wailing as the woman cried. They grieved together for her deep loss, one mother to another.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Trapped in the Darkness: Christie Weehunt SOS Ministries
Trapped in the darkness (Part II of IV)
Posted on October 14th, 2009.
by Christie Weehunt, 23
-India Office Liaison for Sower of Seeds International Ministries
The Victims
Trapped in the darkness…
In Asia’s largest red light district, three square kilometers are home to an estimated 40,000 women working its 24 lanes, earning at least $200 million a year in revenue for their traffickers. They service up to 25 clients a day and make around $1.50 per client.
Although young, the women carried ancient heaviness. As we prayed, each face expressed something different.
The girl to my left was dressed in the classic skirt and tank top that many of the young prostitutes wear. She was from east India, maybe Nagaland or Shilong and looked to be around twenty-two. She cried the entire time we were there, but when we prayed for her, she sobbed. Looking into her eyes I could see both desperation and hope.
I thought about some of the stories I heard before we came—a girl with a large scar on her forearm where a client had paid to cut the skin off with a razor. Another whose pimp sent man after man to rape her until she gave in to his demand of walking the street for him. Girls kept in secret cages, beaten, starved, abandoned. The poverty in India is horrendous. Most of these women were from the poorest, most desolate slums where their families could not imagine a worse fate for them than the one they were born into. And yet, here they were…
One woman really caught my attention. She was about nineteen and had a black scarf with brightly colored stripes pinned tightly along her hairline, covering her hair. As she gazed, her eyes, lined with thick black cagel (coal eyeliner), revealed years of abuse and neglect. There was openness about her, but also the oppression of a seductive spirit. I could feel the spiritual battle going on for her soul.
I thought of the woman with the Alabaster jar–how overcome she must have felt when Jesus looked at her with love. In the midst of this brothel, with its curtained “rooms” and hollow inhabitants, I have never before felt a more real, tangible presence of Jesus. Even in the dark-stained eyes of this forgotten daughter, He was with her, like a warm, bright light. It was like He was physically standing next to her saying “This is my daughter. The world has forgotten about her, but I haven’t forgotten. I’m right here with her, right here as everyday she is mistreated. I see it all and I don’t leave for one second.”
Check back to read Part III tomorrow… “Born into Darkness”
Take a pledge to end this horrible form of slavery…
Posted on October 14th, 2009.
by Christie Weehunt, 23
-India Office Liaison for Sower of Seeds International Ministries
The Victims
Trapped in the darkness…
In Asia’s largest red light district, three square kilometers are home to an estimated 40,000 women working its 24 lanes, earning at least $200 million a year in revenue for their traffickers. They service up to 25 clients a day and make around $1.50 per client.
Although young, the women carried ancient heaviness. As we prayed, each face expressed something different.
The girl to my left was dressed in the classic skirt and tank top that many of the young prostitutes wear. She was from east India, maybe Nagaland or Shilong and looked to be around twenty-two. She cried the entire time we were there, but when we prayed for her, she sobbed. Looking into her eyes I could see both desperation and hope.
I thought about some of the stories I heard before we came—a girl with a large scar on her forearm where a client had paid to cut the skin off with a razor. Another whose pimp sent man after man to rape her until she gave in to his demand of walking the street for him. Girls kept in secret cages, beaten, starved, abandoned. The poverty in India is horrendous. Most of these women were from the poorest, most desolate slums where their families could not imagine a worse fate for them than the one they were born into. And yet, here they were…
One woman really caught my attention. She was about nineteen and had a black scarf with brightly colored stripes pinned tightly along her hairline, covering her hair. As she gazed, her eyes, lined with thick black cagel (coal eyeliner), revealed years of abuse and neglect. There was openness about her, but also the oppression of a seductive spirit. I could feel the spiritual battle going on for her soul.
I thought of the woman with the Alabaster jar–how overcome she must have felt when Jesus looked at her with love. In the midst of this brothel, with its curtained “rooms” and hollow inhabitants, I have never before felt a more real, tangible presence of Jesus. Even in the dark-stained eyes of this forgotten daughter, He was with her, like a warm, bright light. It was like He was physically standing next to her saying “This is my daughter. The world has forgotten about her, but I haven’t forgotten. I’m right here with her, right here as everyday she is mistreated. I see it all and I don’t leave for one second.”
Check back to read Part III tomorrow… “Born into Darkness”
Take a pledge to end this horrible form of slavery…
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Into the Heart of Darkness by Christie Weehunt SOS International
These are Daughters of the King. He hasn't forgotten them and we can't either! There is a link at the bottom so you can get involved!
Into The Heart of Darkness
by Christie Weehunt, 23
India Office Liaison for Sower of Seeds International
In the summer of 2009, a group from SOS dressed in Indian attire and entered Asia’s largest red light district to pray for the prostitutes working inside. Guiding us were several Indian women who minister daily to these forgotten daughters. What we saw on the streets and in the brothels was dark and horrible, but deeper still were the seeds of Christ, shining like lamps of hope.
His eyes are on His precious ones, and He is hungry for their redemption.
The Darkness
A few facts…
• Human trafficking: The act of recruiting, transporting, transferring, harboring, or receipt of persons by use of force, coercion, abduction, fraud, deception, abuse of power or vulnerability, or giving of payments to a person in control of the victim. Victims are purposed for sexual exploitation, forced labor, slavery, or removal of organs.
• In India, there are over 3 million sex trafficking victims, 1.2 million of them are children. Girls between 10 and 12 fetch the highest price. They are thrown in cages for up to 3 years while they are repeatedly raped, beaten, and tortured until they lose all of their will. Then they are sent out on the streets as prostitutes, making money for their captors.
I was told we were dressing up in Indian outfits to minister in the darkest, dirtiest corner of Asia: the largest red light district. I had no idea what it would be like, but I knew I would never forget the day.
As we walked down the crowded, narrow lanes, we had to step carefully over the heaping piles of trash and sewage at our feet. Rats scurried everywhere. It was late morning and the district was slowly waking up after a night’s work. Women were playing with their children and doing each other’s hair. Street vendors were making breakfast and selling tea. Tables full of pimps were out playing cards and relaxing.
Walking into that first brothel was like walking into a slum house. There were probably twelve women my age crowded around our team as we entered. We squeezed into the front room–as many women as could fit. A curtain blocked the entrance to their “rooms.” Small children mingled all around. An occasional customer came by, but the madam turned them away at the door. Her girls had special visitors.
I was mesmerized by the place, the faces. I looked at each of the women present, captured by what I saw in their eyes. Some blankly stared outside, others cried. I wanted to know each woman’s story, where she was from, how she ended up here.
But for a little geography, it could have been me.
Vast darkness may seem overwhelming, but He is a very Big God. When His beloved shields the powerless, even nations quake with His glory.
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. –Romans 8:38-39 (NASB)
To learn more about Red Light Rescue visit www.sowerofseeds.org/rescue.
Sign a pledge to help the forgotten daughters here: http://sowerofseeds.org/project.php?id=25&tab=16
Into The Heart of Darkness
by Christie Weehunt, 23
India Office Liaison for Sower of Seeds International
In the summer of 2009, a group from SOS dressed in Indian attire and entered Asia’s largest red light district to pray for the prostitutes working inside. Guiding us were several Indian women who minister daily to these forgotten daughters. What we saw on the streets and in the brothels was dark and horrible, but deeper still were the seeds of Christ, shining like lamps of hope.
His eyes are on His precious ones, and He is hungry for their redemption.
The Darkness
A few facts…
• Human trafficking: The act of recruiting, transporting, transferring, harboring, or receipt of persons by use of force, coercion, abduction, fraud, deception, abuse of power or vulnerability, or giving of payments to a person in control of the victim. Victims are purposed for sexual exploitation, forced labor, slavery, or removal of organs.
• In India, there are over 3 million sex trafficking victims, 1.2 million of them are children. Girls between 10 and 12 fetch the highest price. They are thrown in cages for up to 3 years while they are repeatedly raped, beaten, and tortured until they lose all of their will. Then they are sent out on the streets as prostitutes, making money for their captors.
I was told we were dressing up in Indian outfits to minister in the darkest, dirtiest corner of Asia: the largest red light district. I had no idea what it would be like, but I knew I would never forget the day.
As we walked down the crowded, narrow lanes, we had to step carefully over the heaping piles of trash and sewage at our feet. Rats scurried everywhere. It was late morning and the district was slowly waking up after a night’s work. Women were playing with their children and doing each other’s hair. Street vendors were making breakfast and selling tea. Tables full of pimps were out playing cards and relaxing.
Walking into that first brothel was like walking into a slum house. There were probably twelve women my age crowded around our team as we entered. We squeezed into the front room–as many women as could fit. A curtain blocked the entrance to their “rooms.” Small children mingled all around. An occasional customer came by, but the madam turned them away at the door. Her girls had special visitors.
I was mesmerized by the place, the faces. I looked at each of the women present, captured by what I saw in their eyes. Some blankly stared outside, others cried. I wanted to know each woman’s story, where she was from, how she ended up here.
But for a little geography, it could have been me.
Vast darkness may seem overwhelming, but He is a very Big God. When His beloved shields the powerless, even nations quake with His glory.
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. –Romans 8:38-39 (NASB)
To learn more about Red Light Rescue visit www.sowerofseeds.org/rescue.
Sign a pledge to help the forgotten daughters here: http://sowerofseeds.org/project.php?id=25&tab=16
Monday, October 12, 2009
Ch. 1 'The Heart of a Woman'
Well friends, this is it! FINALLY! The first official post of our group together. Thank you SO much for having the courage to join us here. I am so thankful for you.
Before we begin I'd like to take the cue from Stasi, one of our authors, and pray together to invite God to our group and into our hearts. Even though it's a bit different while online I hope that you will pray with me. :)
Lord,
You alone know these women to their souls. You created in them, the desires they feel stirring in their hearts. You created in them an astounding beauty that is the uniquely perfect image of You that they were each created to bring to the earth. I thank You for each and every one of them. I thank You for the amazing gift of being a servant leader to these beautiful creations of Yours. I ask that You move into this group. Do a supernatural work in this unique method of study and move into each of these women's time here in an overwhelming way. Surround them in Your love and begin unveiling their hearts to them wherever they are in this moment. Pour out Your blessing on us all and amaze us with Your beauty within us! We ask You to lead us and have Your way with our thoughts and our hearts. We know we are safe with You, our sweet Father. We thank You and praise Your Name.
Amen!
Now, let's embark on this adventure with God!
First, What did you think? How do you feel after reading this first chapter? Were you surprised? Relieved? Annoyed? Share it with us!
Next, our questions this week are directly from the 'Guided Journal' written by John and Stasi Eldredge. I will pick a few from there to post. You chose which you would feel comfortable posting your thoughts and answers to.
"As you flip back over chapter one in Captivating and skim the pages did you highlight anything? What strikes you? what did it evoke in your heart?"
What if anything in this chapter are you having a hard time believing?
"I know I am not alone in this nagging sense of failing to measure up, a feeling of not being good enough as a woman. Every woman I've ever met feels it--something deeper than just the sense of failing at what she does. An underlying, gut feeling of failing at who she is. I am not enough, and, I am too much, at the same time.
"Have you ever felt that way? Are you feeling it these days? In what ways?
Do you feel that if you were 'better' life wouldn't be so hard? 'Better' in what ways?"
Lastly, "What would it feel like to know that Jesus, your King, is enthralled by your beauty?"
There you go sweet ladies! Please know that you are dear and precious to Him and that wherever He leads you is exactly where you need to be. If you feel comfortable posting WONDERFUL! If you don't feel comfortable posting that is also WONDERFUL! I'm just so glad you are on this journey with us. I'll be checking back every day to keep the conversation going.
I am really looking forward to hearing from you all.
Be Blessed,
Daughters of the King!
Before we begin I'd like to take the cue from Stasi, one of our authors, and pray together to invite God to our group and into our hearts. Even though it's a bit different while online I hope that you will pray with me. :)
Lord,
You alone know these women to their souls. You created in them, the desires they feel stirring in their hearts. You created in them an astounding beauty that is the uniquely perfect image of You that they were each created to bring to the earth. I thank You for each and every one of them. I thank You for the amazing gift of being a servant leader to these beautiful creations of Yours. I ask that You move into this group. Do a supernatural work in this unique method of study and move into each of these women's time here in an overwhelming way. Surround them in Your love and begin unveiling their hearts to them wherever they are in this moment. Pour out Your blessing on us all and amaze us with Your beauty within us! We ask You to lead us and have Your way with our thoughts and our hearts. We know we are safe with You, our sweet Father. We thank You and praise Your Name.
Amen!
Now, let's embark on this adventure with God!
First, What did you think? How do you feel after reading this first chapter? Were you surprised? Relieved? Annoyed? Share it with us!
Next, our questions this week are directly from the 'Guided Journal' written by John and Stasi Eldredge. I will pick a few from there to post. You chose which you would feel comfortable posting your thoughts and answers to.
"As you flip back over chapter one in Captivating and skim the pages did you highlight anything? What strikes you? what did it evoke in your heart?"
What if anything in this chapter are you having a hard time believing?
"I know I am not alone in this nagging sense of failing to measure up, a feeling of not being good enough as a woman. Every woman I've ever met feels it--something deeper than just the sense of failing at what she does. An underlying, gut feeling of failing at who she is. I am not enough, and, I am too much, at the same time.
"Have you ever felt that way? Are you feeling it these days? In what ways?
Do you feel that if you were 'better' life wouldn't be so hard? 'Better' in what ways?"
Lastly, "What would it feel like to know that Jesus, your King, is enthralled by your beauty?"
There you go sweet ladies! Please know that you are dear and precious to Him and that wherever He leads you is exactly where you need to be. If you feel comfortable posting WONDERFUL! If you don't feel comfortable posting that is also WONDERFUL! I'm just so glad you are on this journey with us. I'll be checking back every day to keep the conversation going.
I am really looking forward to hearing from you all.
Be Blessed,
Daughters of the King!
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Let's Begin!
Welcome!!
First I want to tell each of you joining me here how excited I am to do this and to have you with me in the journey. I am privileged to have this opportunity to get to know each of you better and for all of us to know God in a more intimate way through this study.
Next, I'd like to give you an idea of how I see it working. Captivating has a 'Guided Journal' to use for study so rather than reinvent the wheel I will be using this to facilitate our journey. You ladies can read the chapters in your book then come back to blog when it fits your schedule. I will post new questions from the work book and possibly some of my own every Wednesday and I will be moderating daily so that it can be as conversational as possible.
This study is one of the heart so feel free to delve as deeply as the Father leads you; then share as much or as little as you feel comfortable.
Because this forum is a bit more public than usual (think public coffee house in town square... that's putting it lightly) as opposed to best girlfriend's kitchen table; keep that in mind as you determine how much to share.
That being said, if you feel led to share I know that you will be blessed for taking a risk and that you will bless other women here and some you may never meet. Let God lead you and know that you are safe among your sisters in Christ. If the need arises you can always reach me @ my email address pennykandyprincess@gmail.com
Lastly, I can think of no better way to take the first steps of our walk together than to let the words of Stasi Eldredge set the tone.
(From the Guided Journal)
"All of us are on a journey whether we know it or not. A journey of becoming. Henri Nouwen writes in The Life of the Beloved that, 'the spiritual life is not simply a way of being but also a way of becoming.' May God use this book in your life to aid you in becoming the woman you truly are. May He draw near to you as you draw near to Him. Ask Him to come. And rest assured that He will for, indeed, He has promised to do so; He delights in coming."
He delights in you and so do I... Let's walk together!! :)
P.S. I will be posting some 'ice breakers' on the way to the official start date just to get us going so check back with us and chime in!
Blessings!
kp
First I want to tell each of you joining me here how excited I am to do this and to have you with me in the journey. I am privileged to have this opportunity to get to know each of you better and for all of us to know God in a more intimate way through this study.
Next, I'd like to give you an idea of how I see it working. Captivating has a 'Guided Journal' to use for study so rather than reinvent the wheel I will be using this to facilitate our journey. You ladies can read the chapters in your book then come back to blog when it fits your schedule. I will post new questions from the work book and possibly some of my own every Wednesday and I will be moderating daily so that it can be as conversational as possible.
This study is one of the heart so feel free to delve as deeply as the Father leads you; then share as much or as little as you feel comfortable.
Because this forum is a bit more public than usual (think public coffee house in town square... that's putting it lightly) as opposed to best girlfriend's kitchen table; keep that in mind as you determine how much to share.
That being said, if you feel led to share I know that you will be blessed for taking a risk and that you will bless other women here and some you may never meet. Let God lead you and know that you are safe among your sisters in Christ. If the need arises you can always reach me @ my email address pennykandyprincess@gmail.com
Lastly, I can think of no better way to take the first steps of our walk together than to let the words of Stasi Eldredge set the tone.
(From the Guided Journal)
"All of us are on a journey whether we know it or not. A journey of becoming. Henri Nouwen writes in The Life of the Beloved that, 'the spiritual life is not simply a way of being but also a way of becoming.' May God use this book in your life to aid you in becoming the woman you truly are. May He draw near to you as you draw near to Him. Ask Him to come. And rest assured that He will for, indeed, He has promised to do so; He delights in coming."
He delights in you and so do I... Let's walk together!! :)
P.S. I will be posting some 'ice breakers' on the way to the official start date just to get us going so check back with us and chime in!
Blessings!
kp
Ice Breakers :)
OK.. Here is our first installment ladies! Choose as many or as few as you like. This only works if you post so dive in!
1. What's the kindest thing you have ever seen done either by you or someone else?
2. What is your favorite way to waste time at work without getting caught?
3. What is the one thing you would have liked to have been told as a teenager but weren't?
4. If you could have one starring role in a film that has already been made which one would you pick?
5. What's the most outragous thing you've ever done for God?
6. It's said that "everyone has 15 minutes of fame" What happened in your fifteen minutes.
7. What woman in the Bible do you most closely identify with and why?
8. What or who makes you feel most secure and why?
9. If you were a smurf what would your name be?
10. Something interesting about me you might know is.... what?
For more icebreakers go to http://jimhough.com/cf/ibquestions.html
1. What's the kindest thing you have ever seen done either by you or someone else?
2. What is your favorite way to waste time at work without getting caught?
3. What is the one thing you would have liked to have been told as a teenager but weren't?
4. If you could have one starring role in a film that has already been made which one would you pick?
5. What's the most outragous thing you've ever done for God?
6. It's said that "everyone has 15 minutes of fame" What happened in your fifteen minutes.
7. What woman in the Bible do you most closely identify with and why?
8. What or who makes you feel most secure and why?
9. If you were a smurf what would your name be?
10. Something interesting about me you might know is.... what?
For more icebreakers go to http://jimhough.com/cf/ibquestions.html
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