Hi from Mumbai!
I arrived on schedule and a friend picked me up at the airport. Josie, however was delayed one week because her visa arrived late due to slow mail courier.
So I spent the first week in Lonavala at a YWAM base there. It's a fairly large base, hosting DTS, School of Biblical Studies (SBS), and a Humanites and Science School. I got to catch up on jetlag, get reaquainted with India, and gather information about different ministries and contacts in a few parts of India. I also met a couple of Americans there, and it was good to talk with them about their time here as well. They showed me two coffee shops, which sealed the friendships!
From there I went back to Mumbai to meet Josie at the airport. Since then we've been in Mumbai, meeting workers in several fields. Yesterday we went with a small group who work in one of the many red light districts. I'm still processing the whole time here, and especially that place. These beautiful young women just stand in a line along this narrow corridor in this very dirty, very poor area. In broad daylight, these men come and choose a girl and go to a small room separated by curtains.
I've heard so many statistics about the numbers of women who are trafficked, the worst of which is that most are sold by their father or husband for as little as US$ 0.50. Some for up to US$ 500. If that doesn't say enough about the value of women, many baby girls are thrown into trash bins or abandoned in toilets because she will cost her family a dowry they cannot afford.
We met a boy yesterday, about 3 years old, whose mom left and now he is either on the streets or is owned by the woman who owned his mother.
This kind of information is simply staggering. To see these women and the kids, and the men who buy an hour of their lives... I am still kind of in shock as to how this can actually be happening.
There are people here, lawyers, daycare workers, social workers, students, doctors, who try to bring justice and practical help as much as they can. It's good to see that these women and kids are not totally abandoned, though that is how they feel.
I'm not sure yet how I can be involved. These girls need skills and opportunities, education and means to sustain themselves and their families. I think it will take a community effort to change communities like this one.
The spiritual state of this place right now is wild. It's Diwali--the festival of light, a time of celebration to the gods of light, the sun, etc. So fireworks boom all throughout the day and night. Vendors sell flowers, lights, bright decorations and little clay lanterns.
Last night when we got back to the hotel, the lobby staff came running into the hall calling me back. In the lobby, they have this little white marble statue. It was all decorated with garland, candles, incense and flowers. The staff pointed to it excitedly and said, "He's here today! You can pray to him!" I said that I only pray to Jesus.
Pleae pray for this country, for the seared consciences of men, for a breakthrough in the spirtual world, for Diwali festival. I was amazed once I started looking in the Bible how many times God is associated with light.
Please also continue to pray for the workers here, that they may not be discouraged or overwhelmed, for divine protection over their work, their health, and for Power in their influence.
Thanks for your prayers for Josie and me as well. It's been really encouraging to hear from some of you!! Much love!
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