This story makes horrific reading, and makes one feel so helpless. In the face of such evil, what can one person do? Yet if we all do our bit, we can make a difference, one precious child at a time.
Back in May, I met a foster family who take in children trafficked to this country (UK). The mum told me of a 14-year-old girl from Afghanistan, who had become pregnant on her terrifying journey, of trafficked children abandoned by lorry drivers at Clackett's Lane motorway service station (on the M25, not far from us), of so many children taken away from their parents, as young as eight. Either the parents thought that their children were going to a better life, or they needed the money.
Even right here in our own communities there are children who are abused, rejected and hurting - and we may not even know it. Let's keep our eyes and our ears open to what is going on, and reach out to every single child we know, just in case. 'Deepest Darkness' www.dernierpublishing.com/deepestdarkness.php and 'I Want to Be an Airline Pilot' www.dernierpublishing.com/airlinepilot.php are great books for hurting children. We have others too. Shine your light, bring some hope. Put a book through someone's door with or without a note. Buy a selection of books for a school library. You just never know.
Thank you for listening,
Janet
Yes, I hear that dreadful report too this morning on the radio, listening in my earphone due to poor sleep. I was astonished at the impenitent 'none of my business what happens to them' attitude of the trafficker and the 'I paid for that girl!' of the mother of the man she had 'bought' her for.
ReplyDeleteIt is noteworthy that there is a deficit of some 50 million women in India due to selective female 'foeticide' which is perhaps fuelling the kidnapping of women. What do the 'right to choose' people say about that?
And some people say that Christianity does not value women! What we believe surely determines how we behave. And surely the church needs to preach more about sin and the coming judgment.
Thank you for your response, Elwin, yes, indeed, the tone of the trafficker left me at a loss for words. The whole article was so shocking that I almost said nothing because it's easier to push it away out of sight and mind, to pretend that these things aren't happening. But suppose this was my daughter, my family?
DeleteAs for our response, I'm sure you're right - mercy and judgement, love and righteousness go hand in hand, and we must make sure that people know both sides of the story. And how will they hear unless we tell them? That's the reason for the existence of Dernier Publishing, to give an opportunity for older children to hear the good news, and to encourage them to keep walking with God. Sigh. Sometimes I get a bit despondent about the enormity of the task!