By Doug H. in Thailand — Imagine living in a land where 600,000 girls work as prostitutes—one for every 100 people. This is a land where a middle schooler will sell her body for a new pair of designer jeans; or where a housewife will “work the streets” to provide extra income for her family.
The crisis is overwhelming. And though we may not be able to rescue thousands, we can start with one. So let me tell you about 12-year-old Hua.
Hua grew up in a poor Shan home in Northern Thailand. When she heard the stories of the Bible from SEND workers, she chose to follow Jesus as her Lord and Savior. She loves to sing and worship Jesus with her friends. She finished elementary school and is excited to continue her education. But since her mother cannot afford the tuition, she threatened to send her to Bangkok to work in a brothel.
When our team was faced with this dilemma, we came up with the idea of finding sponsors for Hua and a dozen other girls who face the same crisis. Hua now has a sponsor who will pay for her tuition, uniform and school books to give her a hope and a future.
Hua and many of the other girls in SEND’s sponsorship program still face incredible pressure from their families and culture to use their bodies to contribute financially to their families. Will you pray for God’s protection over each of them?
In addition to helping the Shan girls receive an education, our team is showing their village the tangible love of Christ by helping several families develop mushroom crops that they can sell. Pulling these families out of economic despair helps protect their young women from working as prostitutes, and it opens doors for sharing the gospel.
God is at work in Asia like at no other point in history! Learn more about SEND’s teams in Asia.
