Molly returned late last night from her church youth group trip to Dubai. We were so very tired and disappointed when we saw her flight delayed. Aside from shopping in the airport, we were entertained by an entourage of "Pilgrims" returning from their Hajj trip to Mecca.
We didn't learn until later what the fuss was about. First we heard what sounded like animal calls coming from others who were waiting to greet the arriving passengers. A high pitched "la-la-la-la-la" with a trill is the best attempt I can make to describe it, followed by a shower of fresh flowers, coins, and candy coming over the barriers. The black clad women with heavily accented eyes were welcomed like rock stars by the cheering, crying, photo-snapping crowd of greeters. As family members emptied their baskets into the path of the Pilgrims, immediately there were uniformed "cleaners" underfoot to scoop up the small change from the floor into their pockets. While the hugs & greetings were going on, grown men (the Asian cleaners) eager for a few fils (money) scrambled shamelessly between the flowing abayias like boys grabbing candy from a broken pinata. The flowers and candy were swept up as quick as they landed on the floor. The barricade which was erected just for the occasion of the Hajj, extended all the way to the parking lot to keep the crowd of greeters separate from the returning Pilgrims. I assumed this was to prevent congestion but it was a very awkward arrangement.
Around midnight, our own tired and bedraggled little "pilgrims" emerged with bags and bed sacks. Molly had been able to skip through the passport procedure in Kuwait ahead of others; this was only a small consolation after her diplomatic passport caused such a stir on arrival to Dubai that the whole group was delayed by 2 hours.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Thankful List
"Praise the Lord O my soul, and forget not all his benefits." Psalm 103:2
November 27, 2009
I've been reviewing my benefits since reading this Psalm first thing this morning and I am moved to tears at the length of my list! Here are some of the hightlights:
1. I'm so thankful for the growing intimacy I feel with God as I get older. I've had such precious glimpses of him at work these last few months.
2. The privilege of serving "the least of these" in Kuwait through Operation Hope.
3. The calls to prayer each day that remind me of the supremacy of God, that Jesus is his son, and of my desire for the Holy Spirit to make Him known in this land.
4. Robert's choices which have enabled us to be together here as a family, his priorities, his support for my passions, and his unbelievable love for our kids.
5. Molly's gap year which is allowing us to serve together. The experiences she is having here and the favor she genders with everyone she encounters. Her readiness for college (even if I'm not ready!)
6. Emily's tenacity in the face of academic and physical challenges, she has been such a fighter. Her relationships with the diverse group of international and Kuwaiti students where she is so very respected.
7. Ethan's strength of character and good decisions in the presence of negative influences and peer pressure. His growing maturity. The opportunity for him to star in "Oliver."
8. My friendships with the ladies from the American Embassy. It is not a chore for me to participate in social events, it is a pleasure.
9. The Kuwait Ladies Bible study and this very diverse group of friends who have been such a delight to get to know and be with. They allow me to lead them in worship each week and this has been a special blessing to me.
10. My Kuwaiti neighbors who are so gracious and generous with us. Tonight Amani sent over a pot of Arabic coffee, the special tiny cups that go with it, and a beautiful platter with a variety of dates for us to enjoy just as she knew we would be finishing our Thanksgiving feast!
11. Our very dedicated American soldiers. We enjoyed having two of them for Thanksgiving dinner along with two other contractors and two American teachers. It was a delightful mix of people, a fantastic "surrogate family" to feast with, play games with, sing karaoke with and even watch the Macy's Day Parade!
12. Family & friends back home who don't forget us even though we have been away for so long. For the stories I hear from them of God's provision during such lean financial times.
13. Our lovely big, comfortable home. The vehicle & free gas provided by the Kuwaiti government who appreciates the American presence and treats us so well.
14. The availability of almost everything we "needed" for a traditional Thanksgiving feast, even if we did have to pay around $15 for fresh cranberries flown in from the states!!!
15. My reliable Indian taxi driver, Hameed, who takes such care in transporting my family when needed.
16. For protection on the roads with the highest mortality rate in the world.
17. The Marines, who guard our embassy and provide security for us 24/7.
18. All the flavors of Middle Eastern food: Lebanesse, Indian, Kuwaiti...so delicious!
19. The thankful lists our children still make every year. We now have enough to cover two large tables.
20. The peace and contentment God has given me while living in a land so very different from my own.
November 27, 2009
I've been reviewing my benefits since reading this Psalm first thing this morning and I am moved to tears at the length of my list! Here are some of the hightlights:
1. I'm so thankful for the growing intimacy I feel with God as I get older. I've had such precious glimpses of him at work these last few months.
2. The privilege of serving "the least of these" in Kuwait through Operation Hope.
3. The calls to prayer each day that remind me of the supremacy of God, that Jesus is his son, and of my desire for the Holy Spirit to make Him known in this land.
4. Robert's choices which have enabled us to be together here as a family, his priorities, his support for my passions, and his unbelievable love for our kids.
5. Molly's gap year which is allowing us to serve together. The experiences she is having here and the favor she genders with everyone she encounters. Her readiness for college (even if I'm not ready!)
6. Emily's tenacity in the face of academic and physical challenges, she has been such a fighter. Her relationships with the diverse group of international and Kuwaiti students where she is so very respected.
7. Ethan's strength of character and good decisions in the presence of negative influences and peer pressure. His growing maturity. The opportunity for him to star in "Oliver."
8. My friendships with the ladies from the American Embassy. It is not a chore for me to participate in social events, it is a pleasure.
9. The Kuwait Ladies Bible study and this very diverse group of friends who have been such a delight to get to know and be with. They allow me to lead them in worship each week and this has been a special blessing to me.
10. My Kuwaiti neighbors who are so gracious and generous with us. Tonight Amani sent over a pot of Arabic coffee, the special tiny cups that go with it, and a beautiful platter with a variety of dates for us to enjoy just as she knew we would be finishing our Thanksgiving feast!
11. Our very dedicated American soldiers. We enjoyed having two of them for Thanksgiving dinner along with two other contractors and two American teachers. It was a delightful mix of people, a fantastic "surrogate family" to feast with, play games with, sing karaoke with and even watch the Macy's Day Parade!
12. Family & friends back home who don't forget us even though we have been away for so long. For the stories I hear from them of God's provision during such lean financial times.
13. Our lovely big, comfortable home. The vehicle & free gas provided by the Kuwaiti government who appreciates the American presence and treats us so well.
14. The availability of almost everything we "needed" for a traditional Thanksgiving feast, even if we did have to pay around $15 for fresh cranberries flown in from the states!!!
15. My reliable Indian taxi driver, Hameed, who takes such care in transporting my family when needed.
16. For protection on the roads with the highest mortality rate in the world.
17. The Marines, who guard our embassy and provide security for us 24/7.
18. All the flavors of Middle Eastern food: Lebanesse, Indian, Kuwaiti...so delicious!
19. The thankful lists our children still make every year. We now have enough to cover two large tables.
20. The peace and contentment God has given me while living in a land so very different from my own.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Unintended Consequences
November 23
I'm sure in the handbooks of cross cultural ministry there are warnings of doing things with unintended consequences; we must be taking the extended course of "trial and error!" Actually, I was listening to Lynda's pastor talk about Smart Compassion and he made me think about this. Then, I experienced exactly what he was talking about...
As the first pilot group was underway at a different shelter for runaway maids, it was decided that the ladies would each get the full profit from the sale of their craft items: they were crocheting lovely bags from recycled plastic grocery sacks. We really wanted to let them reap the benefits, especially since many of them ran away in the first place because of many months of unpaid salaries. As we were still discussing how much to sell them for, and what percentage to return to them directly vs going to their common needs; someone took it upon themselves to sell the bags for 5KD (about $18.) These particular ladies are living in a beautiful home that was generously made available for them and limited to a smaller number of women. So, when they got their first payments, they announced that they no longer wanted to return to their countries, but to stay right where they were and make bags!!! Not exactly the desired effect!
Lesson learned. In this situation, Communism is much better than Capitalism! We quickly bowed out of that arrangement and I took another course of action with my ladies. This weekend I sold the first batch of "Trash to Treasure" ornaments (there was much more demand than I could fulfil) and took in over $75.00 US. When I told them today, I thought they might want to spend it on something frivolous since they earned it as "extra." There was a unanimous desire for sanitary supplies and cough medicine! Such basic needs. What a joy it will be to take them a supply of these. All money will be spent as they desire and returned to them in products.
This was such a good lesson to learn. We must stop, look, and really listen to discern how to serve in a way that is beneficial and not destructive or offensive.
Today, Molly & I joined in on our first "distribution" of winter warmth bags to TCN's (third country nationals) working as custodians at a public hospital on the far side of Kuwait. It was explained to me that these workers live 25 to a room with minimal or no toilet facilities. The crumbling walls are stuffed with trash to keep the wind out. Their meager wages are sometimes siphoned off by greedy supervisors who promise them better work or threaten them into giving a percentage of their wage to them. Hospitals hire the middle man; the company who provides a service and manages these workers for profit. This distances the Kuwaitis from how the TCN's are actually treated.
We took over 300 bags and several volunteers where we were met by the maintenance supervisors at end of shift. Very clean and neat men and a few women, all in uniform, lined up to receive their package of insulated underwear, gloves, hat and socks. Molly captured many happy faces on camera as they took the bags from us. Some would barely meet our eyes, most said a very grateful "thank you." A quarrel broke out once between a supervisor who came through twice and was accused of taking 2 bags by another manager. A little prayer, and it diffused. As word got out that we were there, men from a construction site across the street began to join in the line. Then security guards, and random other Indian & Asian workers. Some shouted over the fence, waving the bags, so others could come before we ran out of supplies. At last we pulled away, but one lone man came out by the car asking in Arabic if he too, could have a bag. Sheryll has the biggest heart; she told the lorry driver to let him have one of the few that were left...out of nowhere, others materialized and were stretching their hands thru the bars of the truck to grab one, two bags in a frenzy of greed. Sheryll scolded one man and reminded him that "God is looking and sees your greed, you need to take only one!" Certainly, God sees all of our greed but some of us are able to disguise it better than others.
It was such a joy to serve with Molly. I am so thankful that she has the heart and desire to serve in this way, and very grateful that we have this opportunity to minister together here and now.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Life is a Ball
So, I see; I am a little behind...I will try to close the gap! The days slip by at an accelerated speed as the holidays draw near. In addition to the joy of each day, I've spent time planning for our Egypt trip, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and we have 2 girls with special birthdays coming up as well.
As promised, my neighbor was good on her word: Friday morning when I went over, the maids were ready for church! I was so happy and I could see that they were too. On the way to church we learned that Anna has a 4 year old little girl and a husband back in the Philippines; Venge has a 12 and 19 year old and her husband died in an accident 15 days after she arrived in this country 2 years ago.
As we sat together in the worship service, Venge leaned over and said to me "I cannot believe we are in Kuwait, I feel so FREE here!" Our pastor spoke about leaving a legacy and reminded us that we are all placed here by God for a reason, even if we think it was a job that brought us here. I hope he gave them a sense of purpose for what they do. Afterwards, when I asked, both wanted to pray with the pastor & he embraced them lovingly and carried them and their families to the throne in prayer. The service ran long (as most do here) and we had to chat a bit after church & round up the kids. By the time we were on our way home it had been about 2 1/2 hours the maids had been gone. I got a text from their "Madame" saying "it is too long...where are you? I am having company and need my housemaids." They knew she would not be happy when they returned but I had a feeling they thought what they had enjoyed was worth her wrath. They were so pleased to be out and at church. I felt terrible, and really struggled with the selfishness of my friend who found 2.5 hours in a week with 0 days off to be too much to allow these precious lady's to rest and worship. This sense of sadness diffused into my day. I pray they will be refreshed with a new sense of hope, and pray this won't be the first and last time they get to go.
The Marine Ball was a lot of fun for Robert & I. For security reasons, it needed to be held at the Embassy and there is not a room large enough to hold the event. Thus, the tennis court is used. I was amazed at how they made a tennis court look like an elegant ballroom with swooping lights and draped curtains hiding the green mesh walls. Tickets to this event are considered quite the prize in this country. This is an annual affair at US Embassies all over the world because the Marines provide the security for all our Embassies and this event celebrates the Birthday of the formation of the Marine Corp. The video presentation gave some insight into the valuable service these brave men & women provide to our country and the sense of pride was evident. It was a tear jerker. After all the ceremony, there was a fabulous catered buffet and a live jazz band played songs from the 60's, 70's and 80's which is just the kind of music we like to dance to! For a reminder of the providence of God; I was blessed to sit by a lady who is professional artist who was very interested in the work I'm doing with the Philippine maids. She would love to help in any way and was willing assist me in the "Trash to Treasure" project!!! I just see God orchestrating things I could never even think to ask for and I'm so touched by how thoughtful he is.
The kids enjoyed a 4 day weekend as Parent Teacher Conferences were scheduled for Sunday & Monday. All enjoyed sleepovers with friends and it was so good to see them enjoying themselves. We are trying to get ready for Thanksgiving but this is a challenge. We thankfully got a turkey at the base before their limited supply was exhausted. As for the trimmings...we may have to make some substitutions as things such as pumpkin & cranberries are either not available, or extremely high priced and imported from the US. So far we have 2 teachers, and I think our current count of soldiers we expect is up to 5! These are guys stationed without their families who are at Camp Arifjan. I must start cooking soon:)
As promised, my neighbor was good on her word: Friday morning when I went over, the maids were ready for church! I was so happy and I could see that they were too. On the way to church we learned that Anna has a 4 year old little girl and a husband back in the Philippines; Venge has a 12 and 19 year old and her husband died in an accident 15 days after she arrived in this country 2 years ago.
As we sat together in the worship service, Venge leaned over and said to me "I cannot believe we are in Kuwait, I feel so FREE here!" Our pastor spoke about leaving a legacy and reminded us that we are all placed here by God for a reason, even if we think it was a job that brought us here. I hope he gave them a sense of purpose for what they do. Afterwards, when I asked, both wanted to pray with the pastor & he embraced them lovingly and carried them and their families to the throne in prayer. The service ran long (as most do here) and we had to chat a bit after church & round up the kids. By the time we were on our way home it had been about 2 1/2 hours the maids had been gone. I got a text from their "Madame" saying "it is too long...where are you? I am having company and need my housemaids." They knew she would not be happy when they returned but I had a feeling they thought what they had enjoyed was worth her wrath. They were so pleased to be out and at church. I felt terrible, and really struggled with the selfishness of my friend who found 2.5 hours in a week with 0 days off to be too much to allow these precious lady's to rest and worship. This sense of sadness diffused into my day. I pray they will be refreshed with a new sense of hope, and pray this won't be the first and last time they get to go.
The Marine Ball was a lot of fun for Robert & I. For security reasons, it needed to be held at the Embassy and there is not a room large enough to hold the event. Thus, the tennis court is used. I was amazed at how they made a tennis court look like an elegant ballroom with swooping lights and draped curtains hiding the green mesh walls. Tickets to this event are considered quite the prize in this country. This is an annual affair at US Embassies all over the world because the Marines provide the security for all our Embassies and this event celebrates the Birthday of the formation of the Marine Corp. The video presentation gave some insight into the valuable service these brave men & women provide to our country and the sense of pride was evident. It was a tear jerker. After all the ceremony, there was a fabulous catered buffet and a live jazz band played songs from the 60's, 70's and 80's which is just the kind of music we like to dance to! For a reminder of the providence of God; I was blessed to sit by a lady who is professional artist who was very interested in the work I'm doing with the Philippine maids. She would love to help in any way and was willing assist me in the "Trash to Treasure" project!!! I just see God orchestrating things I could never even think to ask for and I'm so touched by how thoughtful he is.
The kids enjoyed a 4 day weekend as Parent Teacher Conferences were scheduled for Sunday & Monday. All enjoyed sleepovers with friends and it was so good to see them enjoying themselves. We are trying to get ready for Thanksgiving but this is a challenge. We thankfully got a turkey at the base before their limited supply was exhausted. As for the trimmings...we may have to make some substitutions as things such as pumpkin & cranberries are either not available, or extremely high priced and imported from the US. So far we have 2 teachers, and I think our current count of soldiers we expect is up to 5! These are guys stationed without their families who are at Camp Arifjan. I must start cooking soon:)
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Cat Rehab and More
The highlight of last week had to be seeing my neighbors Philippine maid explode with joy when I placed a Bible in her hands. I finally felt the time was right. My Muslim neighbor invited us over for dinner and I knew Venge would be doing a lot of the preparation. I brought them some home made English Toffee, spinach dip (their favorite) and chips, then I said to my friend "I would like to give Venge a gift of a Bible but I want to be sure that is okay with you...is there any problem with this?" She assured me this was no problem, so I bravely charged ahead and asked if I could take her to church! This resulted in a flurry of red flags over concerns that Venge would make contact with men or others who were not a good influence. By now the husband was involved and he said he used to take his maids to church but they abused the privilege, so they quit. After much gentle reassurance that she would be under my careful custody, they agreed that on occasion, she could go! I was thrilled and Venge was "over the moon" but I think she will not believe it till she is in our car.
We had a very lovely time with our neighbors and enjoyed a perfect Arabic feast of food. Four big casserole dishes steamed in heated holders on the table with Arabic & Indian food, plus salad with beetroot and pomegranate seeds and all the trimmings. Language can be a source of frustration or of humor. We were talking about how their daughter has been too fearful to drive following her recent car accident, and her mom said "Halema is such a COW!" We laughed and asked if she meant a "coward" but she insisted she was a "cow" till her other daughter said "mom, you mean a CHICKEN!" We all got a good laugh out of that.
It is interesting that none of the locals here have mentioned the shootings at Ft Hood. Emily did tell me in one of the English classes the teacher asked "what do you think of when you hear 'Muslim'" and all the Muslim kids said "terrorist." It was not the Western kids who said this. Then again, they may have been saying what they felt the others would not say. Another funny conversation from French class was when a teacher wanted to put kids into couples for some skit. Since there were more girls than boys, Emily & her girlfriend quickly offered to be a group, but the teacher said "wait, Hani is a Muslim, he can just have two wives!" And so he did.
Yesterday, we became the proud (?) owners of a beautiful kitten who showed up in our car park area. Stray cats are as common as mosques here and all are skinny & dirty, most are wild and skittish. This little guy was purring and climbing Robert's boot as he was leaving for work, so he called to show me. I pet him and gave him some chicken enchilada, then called Molly down for a look...end of story! She spent the morning bathing, grooming, feeding, and administering first aid to a terribly wounded tail; looks like a mouthful is missing! We resisted a kitty rescue as long as we could; this little guy was so lovable and gorgeous, I said we could keep him till he is well, and everybody just winks and agrees. We are having fun with a variety of names but must remain culturally sensitive:)
Molly & I launched our "Trash to Treasure" project at the Philippine Embassy on Sunday to a packed room of 12 ladies, eager to learn. We recycled magazines into Christmas ornaments that are really quite pretty. We have people wanting to buy them if we can get enough produced in time. It may be more realistic to make and bank for the bazaars for next year; we will see how much crafting time we can get in. They seemed to love a project where they could learn the basic skill then add their own creativity to come up with something lovely.
Looking forward to a long weekend as teacher conferences are coming up. Molly was told the job she applied for had to be re-advertised because of an error that was made in advertising it but they want her to re-apply...oh yeah for red tape!! Ethan finished "Oliver" with a bang! He was a super star and everyone enjoyed his performances so much. He lit up on stage when he saw a full house of people...such a ham!
Robert & I have a Marine Ball on Friday night and that will be a big gig. We are thankful to all be healthy when many have been ill. Must wrap up as dinner should be here soon...this is my first time to do home delivery, it is the norm here. Even Burger King does home delivery. Any service or product you can imagine can be delivered to your door. What a country!
We had a very lovely time with our neighbors and enjoyed a perfect Arabic feast of food. Four big casserole dishes steamed in heated holders on the table with Arabic & Indian food, plus salad with beetroot and pomegranate seeds and all the trimmings. Language can be a source of frustration or of humor. We were talking about how their daughter has been too fearful to drive following her recent car accident, and her mom said "Halema is such a COW!" We laughed and asked if she meant a "coward" but she insisted she was a "cow" till her other daughter said "mom, you mean a CHICKEN!" We all got a good laugh out of that.
It is interesting that none of the locals here have mentioned the shootings at Ft Hood. Emily did tell me in one of the English classes the teacher asked "what do you think of when you hear 'Muslim'" and all the Muslim kids said "terrorist." It was not the Western kids who said this. Then again, they may have been saying what they felt the others would not say. Another funny conversation from French class was when a teacher wanted to put kids into couples for some skit. Since there were more girls than boys, Emily & her girlfriend quickly offered to be a group, but the teacher said "wait, Hani is a Muslim, he can just have two wives!" And so he did.
Yesterday, we became the proud (?) owners of a beautiful kitten who showed up in our car park area. Stray cats are as common as mosques here and all are skinny & dirty, most are wild and skittish. This little guy was purring and climbing Robert's boot as he was leaving for work, so he called to show me. I pet him and gave him some chicken enchilada, then called Molly down for a look...end of story! She spent the morning bathing, grooming, feeding, and administering first aid to a terribly wounded tail; looks like a mouthful is missing! We resisted a kitty rescue as long as we could; this little guy was so lovable and gorgeous, I said we could keep him till he is well, and everybody just winks and agrees. We are having fun with a variety of names but must remain culturally sensitive:)
Molly & I launched our "Trash to Treasure" project at the Philippine Embassy on Sunday to a packed room of 12 ladies, eager to learn. We recycled magazines into Christmas ornaments that are really quite pretty. We have people wanting to buy them if we can get enough produced in time. It may be more realistic to make and bank for the bazaars for next year; we will see how much crafting time we can get in. They seemed to love a project where they could learn the basic skill then add their own creativity to come up with something lovely.
Looking forward to a long weekend as teacher conferences are coming up. Molly was told the job she applied for had to be re-advertised because of an error that was made in advertising it but they want her to re-apply...oh yeah for red tape!! Ethan finished "Oliver" with a bang! He was a super star and everyone enjoyed his performances so much. He lit up on stage when he saw a full house of people...such a ham!
Robert & I have a Marine Ball on Friday night and that will be a big gig. We are thankful to all be healthy when many have been ill. Must wrap up as dinner should be here soon...this is my first time to do home delivery, it is the norm here. Even Burger King does home delivery. Any service or product you can imagine can be delivered to your door. What a country!
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Human Rights & Migrant Domestic Workers
Nov. 7, 2009
Exported and Exposed
For a closer look at the problem of domestic worker abuse, this article really explains the current issues and potential solutions.
Ethan completed his Oliver performances this week and though we were relieved for the busy drama season to end, he was quite sad. He was a stunning star of the show and we were very proud of him. When an audience turns up, he lights up like a Christamas tree and is so animated and fun to watch.
Emily is finally having tiny breather from her intense workload as it is end of quarter. We are thrilled with their grades first term in a new and challenging school. She is painting a mosque scene today; it's her first time to paint since moving and its very theraputic for her.
Molly & I have enjoyed her free time while waiting for an answer regarding the job she interviewed for. We've shopped and experimented with making Christmas ornaments out of old magazines. She stumbled onto a method that is really workable and we developed several samples for our Filipino ladies. We are excited to present this "Trash to Treasure" project to our refugee ladies tomorrow. Here are the proposed goals:
Objective: provide training & resourcing to make Christmas Ornaments for resale at upcoming Bazaar (Dec 1) and at related events during December 09.
Purpose:
1. Provide outlet for creativity, because we are made in God’s image
2. Restore self worth to mistreated maids who are treasured by God
3. Inspire confidence and ideas for future income producing activities
4. Generate some cash flow to help defer cost of living expenses at POLO
To
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Tears & Hugs
October 28, 2009
During our weekly visit with the Philippine Attache, I asked him if there were any ladies who were so wounded, we didn't even see them down in the activity area. My counselor friend, Amy, had made herself available to us and I suspected there were some deeply wounded girls who may need her individual attention. Joseph immediately hit his buzzer and asked his volunteer to bring down a particular "minor" who should never have been allowed out of her country to work in the first place. Becky & I saw at once that she was incredibly sad and withdrawn, yet she agreed for us to set up a meeting with Amy.
Sunday evening I returned with Amy and they had Fabriya (name changed) waiting for us with another girl who spoke some English and some "Muslim" as they referred to Fabriya's dialect. This precious girl is only 18 years old and had only been in the country a few months when she was raped by her employers relative, raped again when she tried to flee, but was eventually brought to the safety of the Embassy.
Fabriya's brow was laced tightly with fear and her hands just seemed so...empty. Through her interpreter, she haltingly shared bits of her story. As Amy tried to assure her that she was now SAFE, her eyes leaked grief and pain. As I tried to fall asleep that night, I could still see the horror, the lostness, and the anguish in Fabriya's young, soft face. She wanted us to pray for her which we gladly did. I knew we were blanketed in prayer from others who knew of our meeting. With the limitations imposed by the language barrier, our dependence on the Holy Spirit was even more obvious. Amy was so gentle and professional with her, and it seemed her spirit really opened. She agreed to eat even though she had not been hungry, and wanted us to come again. At the end, I responded to a strong urge to just hold her close. I just wanted to bring her home and tuck her in bed, let her be a teenager like my own dear girls. I told her God was her Father and she was precious to him. I told her she was beautiful to God. I stroked her cheek and assured her God had a good plan for her life. It is such an unbelievable privilege to be His lips and hands!
During our weekly visit with the Philippine Attache, I asked him if there were any ladies who were so wounded, we didn't even see them down in the activity area. My counselor friend, Amy, had made herself available to us and I suspected there were some deeply wounded girls who may need her individual attention. Joseph immediately hit his buzzer and asked his volunteer to bring down a particular "minor" who should never have been allowed out of her country to work in the first place. Becky & I saw at once that she was incredibly sad and withdrawn, yet she agreed for us to set up a meeting with Amy.
Sunday evening I returned with Amy and they had Fabriya (name changed) waiting for us with another girl who spoke some English and some "Muslim" as they referred to Fabriya's dialect. This precious girl is only 18 years old and had only been in the country a few months when she was raped by her employers relative, raped again when she tried to flee, but was eventually brought to the safety of the Embassy.
Fabriya's brow was laced tightly with fear and her hands just seemed so...empty. Through her interpreter, she haltingly shared bits of her story. As Amy tried to assure her that she was now SAFE, her eyes leaked grief and pain. As I tried to fall asleep that night, I could still see the horror, the lostness, and the anguish in Fabriya's young, soft face. She wanted us to pray for her which we gladly did. I knew we were blanketed in prayer from others who knew of our meeting. With the limitations imposed by the language barrier, our dependence on the Holy Spirit was even more obvious. Amy was so gentle and professional with her, and it seemed her spirit really opened. She agreed to eat even though she had not been hungry, and wanted us to come again. At the end, I responded to a strong urge to just hold her close. I just wanted to bring her home and tuck her in bed, let her be a teenager like my own dear girls. I told her God was her Father and she was precious to him. I told her she was beautiful to God. I stroked her cheek and assured her God had a good plan for her life. It is such an unbelievable privilege to be His lips and hands!
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