February 2016
Dear friend,
Last November, Project Hannah Finland invited me to be the keynote speaker at their 15th anniversary celebrations. While traveling to the Finnish city of Turku, our train stopped abruptly just before the station. Someone had thrown himself under the wheels of the train. Horrified, I learned that during this dark season of the year people can get so depressed that some commit suicide. I thought, “Oh, how they need the light and hope of the gospel that this almost ‘perfect’ society cannot provide.”
I asked God to help me bring the light of Jesus to my Finnish sisters. I shared about the woman of noble character described in Proverbs 31:25: “She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future.” I also showed many pictures of smiling women touched by our ministry. Most live in unbearable circumstances they can’t change – but they are changed! Clothed with God’s strength and dignity, they no longer live with a victim mentality – actually, they look at the future and laugh at it! Many had their innocence stolen and their dignity squelched by sex exploitation, coercion, or abuse very early in life. And they are not alone. About 15 million girls around the world become “child brides” every year. Millions have no voice!
As Christians we must speak up on their behalf. Many can’t survive the abuse, early pregnancy, neglect, and despair. Others with broken little bodies live in confusion and fear of the future. Such an injustice! Pedophilia is a crime – not a cultural or religious transaction. It must stop! Only God’s miraculous intervention and healing can save them.
So, let’s pray with faith and resilience, remembering that “nothing is impossible with God.” Nothing! See what this Kenyan intercessor wrote to us: “As a very young girl, I was forced to marry an old man. Later I met a Project Hannah intercessor. God used her to transform my life completely. Through prayers, today I am a woman and a wife of noble character.”
My friend, I believe that compassion in action and strong engagement in spiritual warfare against this evil will change and heal many a woman just like it did our Kenyan sister. So, let’s pray. Let’s give voice to the voiceless. Let’s believe that God will use our prayers and his word to put smiles back on their faces.
Thank you for persevering in prayer with us!
Marli Spieker
Global Ministry Director/Founder
Project Hannah
TWR