January 2014
Dear friend,
Thank you for praying and fighting the Lord’s battles with me! God will reward you! Good to know that we belong to the One who breaks the powers of darkness with His wonderful light! Let’s pray this month for Southeast Asian women and girls who are in great need of God’s hope.
I remember walking in Singapore’s parks downtown on Sunday afternoons and seeing thousands of beautiful young women – mostly from the Philippines – gathered in small groups enjoying their free time. They were nannies and housemaids – some 35,000 of them! They worked hard to support their families back home. I remember how they loved to receive the CDs of Tagalog Women of Hope programs we distributed to them. Life was not easy, but they were thankful for a good paying job.
Many women and girls in Southeast Asia are not so lucky, though. I remember vividly a group of beautiful Indonesian veiled teenage girls I met at Manila airport. They were going to “work” in a Middle Eastern country. In spite of the language barrier, giggling like little girls, they let me take their picture. When they saw my Brazilian passport, they were ecstatic! Their leader showed me their tickets … and the picture of the man they were going to “work” for. Some of the girls, though, had fear and sadness in their eyes – certainly that trip was not their choice.
We hugged, and I ran to catch my plane. All of a sudden it dawned on me: All the tickets were only one way! My mind started racing: Will they ever get back home? What kind of “work” will they do? In tears I prayed for God’s mercy for these innocent girls, soon to be trampled over like flowers on the ground, victims of exploitation in a culture that discriminates against them simply for being born females!
Fifteen years have passed. Today many Southeast Asian women still continue to suffer a lack of dignity, of resources, and of respect. That’s why Project Hannah proclaims in every possible way how amazingly precious women are to God. That’s why we continue to broadcast Women of Hope in 10 Southeast Asian languages. There is Good News for the afflicted, liberty for the captives, and freedom for the prisoners through faith in Jesus Christ. And that’s why we need to never give up praying. God will act on their behalf!
Thank you!
Marli Spieker
Global Ministry Director/Founder
Project Hannah
TWR