Unbreakable

The resiliency of some people's souls never ceases to amaze me. This week we were out in a village, and we met a kind woman who had just recently given birth to a child. She was so joyful and happy to have her baby, and to have a roof over her head. However, we learned that a few years ago, a friend of hers offered to take her on a vacation to Turkey. Now I don't know about you, but if a friend volunteered to take me on vacation with them, I'd probably be going! When they arrived in Turkey, her own good friend sold her to a brothel, where she was beaten, raped, and forced into a life of prostitution. She escaped a few months ago, pregnant with the child of one of the "men" she had been forced to service.

Her life is now very limited. No man would ever consider marrying her. Her big break came when her sister and alcoholic brother-in-law were willing to give her a room in their house that is falling apart. She considers herself so blessed to live there, especially since there are 4 small rows of grapes and a cherry tree in the backyard.

To meet this woman and look in her eyes, you would never guess what she has been subjected to, because there is hope and joy in those eyes. I sat there and thought about what it will be like for her daughter, knowing the origins of her conception and that she is unwanted by her father. She will be as disgraceful as the daughter of Hester Prynne, born as the result of evil.

Pray that the joy will not be snatched from this woman's heart, that she would cling to Christ and experience His love. It is for women like that that the Home of Hope is being established, and pray that it would open soon and be a place where women like this can find hope, acceptance, and love.