About SIM SIMaid is the aid and development arm of Christian mission SIM Australia. We minister to human need by directing resources into sustainable aid projects, empowering communities to live with dignity and hope. Individuals are able to access health, education, employment resources and most importantly, the Gospel! For more information, visit www.simaid.org.au Connect with us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/GirlsOffTheStreets; www.facebook.com/simaid
but I did not learn anything, but now I know that I can read a textbook and find answers to questions on my own,” Kushi said with a big smile. “I’ve realised now that I like to study.” Mina asked her about her dreams. Kushi answered, “My Plan A is to be a police woman. My Plan B is to be a nurse. My Plan C is to be a teacher. If none of them work out, I will apply to work here and become one of the caregivers!” A year ago Kushi couldn’t imagine a life without prostitution. Now she is discovering who she is and exploring several possibilities for her future career. This is the power of choice. The care-givers are not able to directly evangelise the girls as India is a restricted nation, however there are Bibles and Christian literature at the home and the staff obtain permission to take the girls to church for Easter and Christmas services where they have the opportunity to hear the Gospel. Despite the limitations, the girls keep asking about Jesus! Mina reported, “Several girls are asking care-givers to tell them about Jesus. Thus, despite the limits… we are seeing God work in the girls’ hearts. We are amazed at how responsive the girls have been to God. They are hearing Him speak directly to them, experiencing answers to prayer, and are spontaneously meeting with one another for prayer. The girls love Jesus and know that He loves them. Girls who have come into our home have said things like, ‘How come you love us so much?’” “This is a home of transformation,” the girls said. One girl added, “And it’s all because of God!” Tina was born into a brothel. Her mother worked in the redlight district. Her father lived off the earnings and beat her mother regularly. “I didn’t want to stay with him… but I still needed somewhere to live,” Tina said. “What choice did I have? The redlight district … or on the street by myself.” When Tina came to the Girls off the Streets aftercare home, she was amazed at the genuine love shown by the care-givers. “Here I heard about a loving God for the first time. A care-giver showed me where the Bible explains how precious we are in the sight of this God … This care-giver talked to God as if He was just there beside us. “Now that I know I am in God’s hands I am happy to talk to Him, and to sing. I know He hears me. I know He is a Father who cares for me. Now I am happy like I never was before. I know I am living proof of a powerful God who is able to bring back what is stolen.” CW *names have been changed
Images from top clockwise: Christian mission organisation SIM runs Girls off the Streets, a program which cares for dozens of girls rescued from sex trafficking in India and Bangladesh; A teenage girl in India. When Manju was 15, her boyfriend sold her to pimps. She was locked in a room and raped by 8-10 men every day; SIM’s Girls off the Streets program also reaches out to young mothers trapped in sex trafficking, providing medical care, housing and income generation opportunities; The infamous GB road in Delhi India, where hundreds of girls and women are held captive in brothels. Join the conversation online: www.christianwomanmag.com 13