Sai Jyoti, Shweta, and Hari Priya have each other’s backs. The three sisters are clothed, fed, and sheltered in a Christian orphanage. Yet they are far from okay. A crippling past and an uncertain future stalk them.

The sisters are part of a family of Dalits – a people known as the “untouchables” – the lowest caste in Indian society. True to Hindu beliefs, each family member believes his or her life is a heritage determined by the good deeds or bad deeds committed in a prior life. As a Hindu, your lot in life is decided while you’re still in the womb. Children in lower castes are defeated from birth.

The girls’ story begins with the damage wrought by this corrupt worldview. Their mother is a “sweeper” who spends long days bent over at the waist cleaning streets with an extra short broom. Their father is a day laborer. The wages and working conditions for this caste is abysmal at best. Their father turned to alcohol to cope with grinding poverty. In alcohol induced rages he regularly beat his wife and daughters. One day in the midst of a drunken tirade he picked up his daughter, Hari Priya, then three months old, and threw her to the floor.

This incident drove the girls’ mother to take desperate action – she fled home with her daughters. She knew the safety of her family depended upon their escape. Then she sacrificed the privilege of mothering and her dreams to see them protected, well fed, and educated in an orphanage. She sees them once a year. Her greatest fear is for Hari Priya and the damage to her brain from the force of being thrown. Her concerns are justified.

Hari Priya is now 6 years old, and mentally challenged. Classmates bully her, as often the case with children who are different. When she joins in on games she is mocked and ridiculed. Her sisters, Shweta, age 4, and Sai Jyoti, age 8, try to shield her from the cruelty but they can only do so much. The orphanage staff also intervenes, yet they can only do so much given their responsibilities to care for the great needs of all of the children.

This is where the Half-a-Child cause comes in.

Food and water are necessary to nourish a child’s body, but the care can’t end there.

Shelter can offer temporary protection from the strife and upheaval in a boy or girl’s community, but it does nothing for the soul of a wounded child.

Education is essential for growth of the mind, but it doesn’t begin to tear down ingrained, damaging worldviews such as Karma.

Play brings out joy and laughter, yet it can’t begin to touch the hearts of children who’ve faced extreme trauma.

Who is caring for the half a child paralyzed by their past and facing a bleak future? Where is intentional soul care in developing countries?

The Children-at-Risk curriculum and the Story of Jesus evangelistic tool that are rapidly spreading across the globe provide a remedy. Indigenous churches are equipped for the long haul to evangelize, provide spiritual formation, character development, and life skills to children. This whole life discipleship is also central to J127 Clubs in India and Bangladesh.

The Capbowl J127 Club began last year. It’s where Hari Priya found refuge – and her sisters found hope. She and her peers are gently shepherded by an “auntie” and “uncle,” a Christian couple from a local church, three times a week for three years. Through a child-centered, customized, and active curriculum, kids feel safe enough to open up about their sorrow, fears, and questions. Strongholds are broken as the Holy Spirit speaks to them through lessons. They come to know a God of grace and justice, a strong contrast to the corrupt beliefs of Hinduism. The future opens up.

Hari Priya is eager to learn, soaks up the loving care, and best of all, is growing to know Jesus as Father. She reads her Action Bible with great enthusiasm – and loves the songs, stories, and games. She works hard to memorize her scripture verses. She is beginning to understand her immeasurable worth in God’s eyes. The program is intentionally designed to allow space for the Holy Spirit to heal a child’s heart, and in Hari Priya’s case, those of the wounded orphans that tormented her.

Each of the sisters are learning about bullying, respect for others, and standing up for the vulnerable through the J127 curriculum. This movement is completing children and giving them a future and hope.

Please pray for the hearts of these three sisters – and for their mother and her salvation. Lastly, it’s our hope you’ll join the Half-a-Child cause. While this outreach is impacting millions of children, many more languish under the weight of suffering, confusion, and trauma. Click on this link to contribute to the Half-a-Child campaign, or to obtain more information.

Brain injuries and severe physical trauma from sexual abuse took the life of a 4-year old little girl in Ghansor, India this week. The murderer lured her from her home with the promise of bananas. This act follows the high profile rape and torture of another five-year old girl in New Delhi – and the sexual assault of other little girls – in recent weeks.

A study released recently by the Asian Center for Human Rights (and reported in the New York Times) states that 43,338 cases of child rape were reported in India from 2001 to 2011. The number of cases reported annually more than tripled during that time to 7,112 in 2011 from 2,113 in 2001. The Center said, “These figures are the only tip of the iceberg as the large majority of child rape cases are not reported. Sexual offenses against children in India have reached an epidemic proportion.”

What’s happening to little girls in India? Experts cite a number of cultural and sociological factors for the dramatic rise in sexual assault (the massive migration of unskilled workers, alcohol consumption, the breakdown of the family – and of course, ever present poverty). Much of what pundits list are certainly contributing factors.

The undisputed root, however, is an age-old Indian worldview that girls matter little in the world. A Hindu scripture says, “Women, men of low caste, and a drum should be beaten.” As young as 5 years old Indian boys begin to look at girls as subservient, weak, and less than human.

Discrimination begins in the womb with nearly a generation of girls aborted in some areas. Many families continuously produce children until a male child is born. In India:

• Boys have the exclusive right to inherit the family name and property;
• Boys have the advantage of being more productive in agriculture;
• Only boys can perform Hindu religious practices for their parents’ afterlife;
• Boys are a status symbol;
• Only the parents of girls have to pay dowry demands.

There is equality at the foot of the Cross. Meaning Jesus took the sin of the world upon His shoulders as He was crucified on the hill at Calvary. Those who believe are seen as joint heirs with God and equal in His sight. In turn, they extend God’s love and perspective on life to others.

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” Galatians 3:28.

Global Mission at David C Cook is leading the charge to change the way girls are viewed – indeed, the way all human beings are viewed. In India, through J127 Clubs, housed mostly in orphanages, children are healed from extreme trauma, including gender-related crimes, and being raised up to serve a God who cares about the dignity and worth of human beings.

The J127 program takes kids through comprehensive, whole life discipleship that digs up rotting roots and replaces them with deep, nourishing and everlasting roots. The curriculum reveals how God values and uses women. It shows women in roles that surprise children. Using powerful women from the Bible, they learn that women can protect others (Rahab), lead in battle (Deborah and Jael), give wise counsel, even to men (Abigail) and be used as part of God’s grand plan (Elizabeth and Mary). It also intentionally weaves in stories of modern women who are important in Indian society.

Discussion and role-playing are integral parts of the program. Children are taught what godly leadership looks like, including the courage to stand up for the vulnerable – and what to do with anger, bitterness, envy, despair, and other sin that leads violence. We encourage you to read through the curriculum and see how a generation is being raised up to see men and women as God sees them.

Laws and changing mores through social pressure can only bring a people so far. True equality takes place within the human heart.  Be a witness to miracles within the hearts of girls and boys. You and a group of friends or a Sunday school class can sponsor a J127 Club. You’ll follow a specific group of children and see firsthand how God transforms lives.

Abandoned by her children, widowed several years, and with no family to speak of, Laxmi became an orphan at age 60. It’s a sad story with a miraculous, joy-filled ending.

A concerned Father pursed Laxmi and adopted her into His family. For the first time in her life, she is loved beyond measure.

After her husband passed away, Laxmi (pictured above) summoned the courage and determination to raise two daughters and two sons. She built a house as well, and like any good mom, helped each of her kids find the right spouse. As Laxmi grew older, her children urged her to sell the family home. She consented and gave each one a share of the profits. Never once did she doubt her children’s love.

Laxmi thought her children would care for her in her latter years, after all that’s traditional in Indian culture. However, they began avoiding her – not calling, not visiting, and retreating into their own families. She suspected each child pushed the responsibility of care onto the other. Eventually, this bewildered matriarch was forgotten altogether.

Laxmi is from a Hindu family and grew up with prejudice toward Christians, many of whom are part of the lowest caste. But now destitute and alone, she accepted a job as a cook at a Christian orphanage outside of Hyderabad, the largest city in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Primarily Hindu, the region is also home to a large percentage of Muslims. And in recent history numerous riots between Hindus and Muslims have broken out, destroying homes and lives throughout the area. Civil unrest and drought conditions in the region fan the flames of poverty; Hyderabad has 1,476 slums with a total population of 1.7 million.

Laxmi looks after and cooks for forty girls and boys at the orphanage. Many of the children have lived on the streets or are from the slums with parents who can no longer care for them. Laxmi is fortunate to have found work in such a poor region. And she is fortunate to have found shelter in a country where women and girls are at risk of exploitation and violence, and elderly women are especially vulnerable.

A J127 Club began at the orphanage in May 2012. The program, based on the scripture James 1:27, provides whole life discipleship for children reeling from the aftermath of trauma, or at risk of further harm.

The Club is under the direction of Uncle Nirmal and Aunt Esther – Christians from a local church who shepherd the children through the healing process. (Auntie and Uncle are terms of respect and affection in India.) The curriculum is child-centered and active. It uses a variety of means to help children open up about their pain – and then provides space for the Holy Spirit to heal. The Action Bible is used extensively, along with games and songs, which bring the curriculum alive.

Laxmi sat with the children during Club time. She leafed through the Action Bible, listened to the stories and enjoyed the laughter of the children. The stories began to speak to her heart. She realized the Christian God is one who loves unconditionally and who cares for the needy. Laxmi asked Jesus to be her Savior.

Aunt Esther is helping Laxmi learn the Bible since she can’t read. Aunt Esther shows her the story in the Action Bible from that day’s Club time. Laxmi goes over it again and again; she is hungry to learn more about Jesus. She also encourages the children to follow all they’ve learned in the Club.

She has begun to trust, open up her heart to forgive, and let go of her past.

Many in the world don’t have parents. And yet, all of us are orphans in God’s sight, separated by sin and out of reach from His love. Confessing our sin and trusting in Jesus bring us into the family of God and into a relationship with a loving Father who walks beside us. This is not a spiritual platitude, but a bond more real and more satisfying than any on earth.

Laxmi says of her new Father,

I have stopped praying to my gods, I only pray to Jesus. I am no longer an orphan. I am blessed because I am no longer alone. God is with me always.

God is using the J127 program to heal broken hearts and cure spiritual poverty. It benefits not just orphans and children at risk – it changes the lives of the aunties and uncles who lead these Clubs (many of whom have come out of trauma themselves). And it also impacts all others involved in a child’s life, women such as Laxmi.

When you join in this movement to care for hearts, you’ll be helping to usher many more orphans into the family of God.

When you join in the cause to meet the spiritual hunger of children in war-torn, poor, and developing countries, you’ll hear tragic stories. It gets pretty dark. But the Gospel changes everything, and doors seen and unseen open, and light breaks through. Despair transforms into hope.

Ten year-old Marsha attended a community children’s club and believed in Jesus after reading the Story of Jesus (a compelling, evangelistic booklet hand-drawn by Marvel and DC Comics artist, Sergio Cariello). Her new found faith filled her with a joy that could not be contained. After club time, she ran home and found her family gathering for a special dinner honoring her aunt’s birthday.

Marsha joined them and then said something that made her grandparents, parents, aunts and uncles grow silent. Marsha offered to pray for the meal. No one in the family prayed—ever.

Her father ridiculed her in a good-natured way, then asked his sister (Marsha’s aunt) if it was okay for Marsha to pray before everyone sat down. The aunt agreed. Marsha asked her family to bow their heads and focus on God. She then prayed like a child, believing, pleading and asking God to open eyes to see Jesus as the Savior. Her prayer was simple, but powerful. After she finished there was another moment of stunned silence, then dinner began as normal. Yet something nagged at Marsha’s father. He couldn’t grasp how a 10 year-old girl knew so much about God.

After the birthday celebration Marsha’s father asked his daughter for something to read about Jesus. She gave him a copy of the Story of Jesus and a New Testament. While cleaning up late into the night, Marsha talked about Jesus with her mother who wanted to know everything about Him. Her mother was astonished at her daughter’s wisdom and soon believed in Jesus.

About this time Marsha’s father came into the kitchen crying saying,

Something happen to me as I read the Story of Jesus and then the New Testament.  I know that Jesus is alive and real and I want to pray and thank Him for His death on the cross for me.

About 3:00 a.m. in the morning Marsha, her mother, and father knelt down in the kitchen and thanked God for His great salvation in Jesus Christ.

These conversions are miracles considering the decades of wars, civil unrest, genocide, communist rule, economic instability and political corruption that have scarred countries like the one where Marsha’s family lives.

The people of the Russia still contend with the effects of state sanctioned atheism — and the radicalization of Islam is on the rise as a result of the Chechen war and powerful foreign influences. Former Soviet Union countries including Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Armenia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Azerbaijan are Muslim strongholds. Other countries such as Mongolia have deep roots in eastern religions such as Buddhism.

Last year, Global Mission linked arms Russian Ministries to distribute 2 million copies of The Story of Jesus. There is much passion for reaching these forgotten people – and for creating a new legacy of faith. To that end, another 2 million copies are in production and set to reach and additional 14 countries (and 15 languages) in this region.

Since 2011, Global Mission at David C Cook has linked arms with indigenous churches and organizations in some of the hardest hit areas on earth. The mission? To share the Gospel through the Story of Jesus and win children and their families to Jesus Christ, and to build up the local church. 

The Story of Jesus is customized for different cultures, and translated into “heart languages,” – a people’s native tongue. The booklet is shared one on one by a believer, and each is tied back to a specific church for discipleship. Reports of conversions are regularly reported, however, the greatest form of encouragement are individual stories from the field such as the one you just read.

More than 30,165,000 copies in 41 languages and 66 nations are now in circulation around the globe. Additional countries and languages are added every week. Your giving makes it possible for even more people to discover the Gospel. Give generously to this outreach. Your gift reaps eternal rewards.

Katyayani comes from a poor, devout Hindu family. Through a series of tragic circumstances she became orphaned. Yet this story has a happy ending, one filled with great hope for Katyayani, and for orphans in every country, on every continent.

Katyayani – a child broken by life – has been adopted by a King.

Katyayani’s family scraped by on her father’s salary as a bus driver. They lived in a rural farming community decimated by drought – a place where desperation regularly drives farmers to commit suicide by consuming a cheap pesticide.

Seemingly out of the blue Katyayani’s father became sick with one illness after another. Health care is virtually non-existent for the poor; help is usually sought only under the direst of circumstances. As the sole breadwinner began to fail, the family desperately sought medical care. They learned he was HIV-positive. Katayayani’s father died several months later, and one of her siblings also died from AIDS. Her mother caved in emotionally, understandably crippled by grief. And to add to this mother’s heartache she, too, was diagnosed with HIV/AIDS.

Given her emotional, physical, and financial circumstances, Katyayani’s mom could no longer care for her daughter. Katyayani was placed at Stonebridge, an orphanage located in the same state as her village. Her initial days at the orphanage were troubled. She caused numerous problems, and acted cold and hard to all who tried to help her. Clearly this little girl held a lot of emotional pain.

The trauma children such as Katyayani face manifest in their relationships and the way they interact with the world. Food, shelter and education are crucial for sustaining life; however, if children fail to receive soul care, they have little chance at any kind of healthy future.

Another major challenge these Indian orphans must overcome is a deeply ingrained Hindu belief system, mainly the idea of karma. This worldview suggests that one’s lot in life is solely determined by how well they lived in a previous life. It says to a child, “You brought this sorrow upon yourself. A god is punishing you and nothing can be done.” It’s a belief steeped in despair.

The one true God adopts children into His family. He provides a hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11) and makes all things work together for good for those who love Him (Romans 8:28). He calls the broken heirs of God (Galatians 4:7). Only the Holy Spirit can penetrate a child’s heart and speak value and worth over them, only He can heal, and only He can provide a sustainable parental relationship to meets all their needs.

Through the Gemstones Club (pictured above) – a J127 Club, an outreach of Global Mission at David C Cook – Katyayani and her peers are introduced to a heavenly Father, One who chose them. They are no longer orphans, but sons and daughters of a King. The Bible says of this miracle:

“All who believe are adopted as children of God” (John 1:12).

God is a  “a Father to the fatherless…” (Psalm 68:5-6).

Katyayani is gently shepherded in her Gemstones Club. She is learning to trust God as her Father. And she is gaining an understanding of what it means to be and to live as one of His children. Through games, activities, and child-centered discussion on hard-hitting subjects such as AIDS and grief, the Holy Spirit is changing her from the inside out.

“He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and buckler” Psalm 91:4.

“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me – just as the Father knows me and I know the Father – and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd” John 10:14-16.

God wants to banish the word “orphan.” He longs for every child, every adult, all who are lonely, destitute and abandoned to call Him Father.

The J127 Orphan Initiative cares for a child’s soul. Will you consider sponsoring a club and caring for Indian orphans and children in distress? You may also make a one-time gift.

Of genocidal proportions … this is the term the U.N. children’s agency, Unicef, uses to describe the 50 million women missing in India as a result of sex-selected abortion, infanticide, and trafficking. The time is now to address this moral abhorrence, but especially as the world marks International Women’s Day on March 8.

This secular holiday embodies a basic Christian belief: that women are of inherent worth and value, and regarded as equal to men in the eyes of God.

While murdering baby girls and children with disabilities is an ancient practice, technology such as ultrasounds and amniocentesis via a simple blood test have encouraged sex-selective abortion. And population growth tightens economies pressuring women into thinking they must do the unthinkable with infant girls.

Pregnancy-related services for women in India advertise, “Better 500 now than 50,000 later.” These slogans are commonplace and suggest that to spend 500 rupees on a test to confirm the gender of a fetus today is better than spending many times more for a dowry later (“The Other Half – Where have all the girls gone,” The Hindu, April 16, 2011). Statements such as this one perpetuate age-old oppression, abuse and discrimination of women.

Statistics tell a disturbing story. India’s 2011 census reports the sex ratio of the population as 109 boys to 100 girls. Not a huge margin on the surface, but it translates to 7 million less girls than boys.

With the shortage of females, kidnapping and trafficking has increased exponentially. “Tens of thousands of girls disappear in India every year. They are sold into prostitution, domestic slavery, and marriage,” according to the BBC (“The Girls Stolen from the Streets of India,” BBC magazine Jan. 8, 2013).

China’s one-child policy coupled with gender discrimination and resulting in sex-selective abortion has also created a shortage of women for that country. Chinese boys now outnumber Chinese girls by upwards of 32 million. Trafficking is rampant. Hopelessness abounds. Justice is scarcely visible.

Unfortunately the dearth of women in Asia results in increased exploitation, rape, domestic violence, and all other forms of gender discrimination. It’s a vicious cycle that’s likely to get worse in coming years.

So what to do? When the Gospel impacts the hearts of people nothing is left unchanged. Throughout the New Testament Jesus affirmed, accepted, exhorted, and encouraged women. He lifted them up to a place of equality and honor in a society that regarded them as little more than property.

Thankfully, men, women and children are coming to know Jesus in unprecedented numbers across Asia.

The cause of valuing girls and women is something Jesus took seriously. Through Global Mission’s whole life discipleship programs for girls and boys in developing countries, an intentional worldview is instilled based upon respect and integrity. These children – many of them at risk to repeat generations of brokenness and faulty belief systems about themselves and the world – are learning that life is sacred because human beings are created in the image of God. And now He is a God they love and know personally.

Through a creative program involving spiritual formation, character development, and life skills verses such as, “…nor is there male and female, you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galations 3:28) come alive and hold deep meaning. Children learn that in the eyes of Jesus every day is International Women’s Day. (Here’s a lesson titled “Jesus Respects Women” that uses eight New Testament stories to show children how Jesus treated women and how He expects them to treat women.)

As the world celebrates this occasion, please consider giving generously and joining the cause of caring for the hearts and souls of this next generation. The future of an entire gender may depend upon our actions. Your contribution goes directly to the cause and puts faith, hope, and love into the hearts of children.

Tribal children watched as elders in a trance poured acid on their arms, slashed their tongues, and then were instantly healed by unseen spirits. This dark power and terrifying generation’s-old worldview, represents the challenges of evangelizing in Indonesia.

These practices are called animism, which is worship of spirits and ancestors, and is normally accompanied by self-mutilation, ritual chants and wild dances. Fortunately, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, through Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit dwarf these acts of darkness. As a result, countless individuals are coming to know a mighty and loving God.

David C Cook has linked arms with more than 6,000 Indonesian churches to help evangelize the next generation of Buddhists (where animism or spirit worship is common), and the huge population of Muslims. Indonesia is home to the largest number of  followers of the Islamic faith.

We provide Indonesian believers with customized copies of the Story of Jesus. This colorful and engaging evangelistic booklet awakens both children and adults to the potential of new life in Jesus. Christians in dozens of the most repressed nations of the world risk their lives to share this cutting-edge evangelistic tool. Each booklet is explained neighbor to neighbor and tied back to a specific church for discipleship. Since 2011, 30,835,00 copies have been distributed in 64 nations and 40 languages.

Win a child, and you quite possibly win his or her whole family and village. Indonesia is witnessing a revival as entire people groups come to see Jesus as not only a “good man,” but the one and only God, whose power is unmatched.

The Holy Spirit is burning across Indonesia. Indonesian believers have implemented a strategy to reach remote tribes who live in some 16,000 islands that make up the country. At first these church networks and organizations requested 50,000 copies of the Story of Jesus. Then they ordered 100,000, then 350,000. Recently they asked for 1.1 million copies.

The children, many who are new converts, are most excited. They’re taking stacks of the Story of Jesus and sharing about God and His power with friends and schoolmates. Please lift up the Indonesian people before the Lord. The evil spirits are entrenched, wily, and not likely to give up easily. Ask God to send forth His Word and continue to cause revival among the people.

The fields are ripe in Southeast Asia. Stand with those harvesting souls for Jesus. Give now to support this evangelistic mission with a gift of any amount; you can donate online in a matter of minutes. Thank you!

Seven-year-old Rajen slept nearly all day, every day. Neighbors considered him a hard, unfriendly boy. But there’s always more to what people see on the outside – no one knew the battles Rajen fought on the inside.

His listlessness and anger earned him a bad reputation, but Rajen didn’t seem to mind what others thought of him. At some point, a few caring people stepped in and began to dig into his life. They were shocked by what they discovered.

Rajen is the son of a commercial sex worker. At night his mother had nowhere to take him while she worked, so she made him crawl under her bed and stay there until morning.  The sounds of men coming in and out not only kept him awake and in a constant state of anxiety, they also scarred him deeply.

After this revelation came out publicly, Rajen’s mother got him into a Christian orphanage. Faith-based orphanages often accept children of prostitutes even if they aren’t true orphans. They understand it’s better than the alternative.

For this young boy it turned out to be a lifesaving change. Rajen joined a David C Cook J127 Club at the orphanage. Here he’s introduced to God and discovers Bible heroes who overcame great challenges in life; he plays games and participates in innovative activities that teach character; and he learns basic life skills. This three-year discipleship program provides space for the Holy Spirit to heal trauma.

Rajen is shepherded by Club leader, Uncle Saji, a Christian from a local church. Uncle Saji says of him,

He has turned from stone to flesh. At first, Rajen had big problems with anger, often picking fights with others. But we’ve been caring for him and other boys and it’s really paying off. You can see it in their faces. Rajen is doing much better now – we have high hopes for this boy.

Uncle Saji

Uncle Saji also cares about Rajen’s mother. She was thrown out of her parents’ home at 13 after they discovered her pregnancy. She was quickly lured into prostitution. Once in that sex trade, it’s almost impossible to get out. You become virtually enslaved by a pimp who cares for your basic needs.

Not long ago, Rajen’s mother stopped by the orphanage to thank the staff for their good work with her son. Uncle Saji begged her to leave prostitution, offering her a new start in life. She just smiled knowingly and told him to look outside. Sure enough, two goons stood guard, ensuring her return to the brothel.

A third of the world’s poor live in India. Poverty creates desperation, hopelessness, and criminality that repeats in subsequent generations. Jesus didn’t come to eradicate poverty or suffering – He came to save; to impart His presence through the Holy Spirit; and to offer joy, peace and guidance as we pass through fiery trials. In essence, He is Hope for a broken world. Join the Lord in restoring the hearts of some of the most traumatized children in the world. Consider sponsoring a J127 Club and following a group through this life changing experience.

Pastor Samuel lives under constant threats to his life. His family is intimidated. He is beaten on occasion. Yet this hero of the faith persists in standing in the gap children for children in one of the most spiritually dark places on earth.

The pastor lives in a rural village where life revolves around a large Hindu temple complex. The residents’ businesses cater to temple pilgrims. One form of commerce is prostitution. Devadasi is a practice whereby parents are paid to marry a daughter to a deity or a temple. Poor families are often forced to give up their girls. The “marriage” normally happens before a girl reaches puberty. These women are forever forbidden to enter into a real husband and wife union. They are virtual slaves to the temple hierarchy until they live beyond their usefulness.

Children of temple prostitutes are born into hopelessness. They have virtually no chance for a healthy childhood or a future apart from prostitution and crime. Devadasi has been banned since 1947, but similar to child brides and the caste system, the government is not in a place or has the will to enforce laws on the books.

Pastor Samuel and his wife Kalpana are the “auntie” and “uncle” who run the Grace Club. Aunties and Uncles are terms of respect and affection in India. The Grace Club is an after-school J127 Club serving children of prostitutes, beggars, and those in nearby leper colony. They meet in a one-room stone building located down a dirt alley. There are unwashed children everywhere, shacks jammed together, and camels, monkeys, water buffalo, and an assortment of skinny stray dogs wandering about the area. In a word, it’s chaotic.

Pastor “Hero” Samuel and Kalpana

In this three-year discipleship program, aunties and uncles shepherd children through lessons that instill character, teach spiritual formation, and impart life skills. The curriculum has been uniquely crafted for these children and the rigors they face in daily life.

Miracles abound everyday in this simple room. A girl gives her heart to the Lord. A boy learns ways to deal with his anger. A girl is trained to spot traffickers and other predators. A boy understands how to process grief in the wake of abandonment, suicide or a parent’s death from AIDS. The topics, and the way they’re presented, give children a foundation for a life long journey of faith. And the program allows ample room for the Holy Spirit to move in a child’s soul – to mend and to grow it. No other ministry we know of engages children on this level. Pastor “Uncle” Samuel and Auntie Kalpana provide the tangibles of family life, an important aspect of this program. Along with their son and daughter they model a healthy family unit. They love each child and offer a safe place for them to confess their troubles.

Take Divya. When she was 15 her grandmother (a pimp) forced her into prostitution. She refused to cooperate. One night  men came to Divya’s home and brutally raped her. A few days later, when Divya didn’t show up for the program, Uncle Samuel stopped by her home. Divya told him about the incident. Pastor Samuel rescued her and worked closely with the police to get her to a boarding school in a village far enough away from danger.

Not everyone appreciates Pastor Samuel’s efforts to care for these kids. Extremists have tried to drive him off his property; they’ve destroyed his church; and he has been beaten several times. Yet he and his family persist. They provide a refuge for children desperate for hope. There’s a tangible spiritual darkness and oppression in this village. But in this simple stone room children are on their face before God. A bright flame of the Holy Spirit burns brightly in the center of this village.

Pastor Samuel says of J127,

It helps these children come out from the shadows of the flesh trade and corruption. The lessons help in building up the confidence of these little girls and boys. It is teaching them right from wrong.  The program gives them a dream and a desire to break free from bondage and get a hold of everything noble and good.

We’d ask for your prayers for Pastor Samuel, Auntie Kalpana, and their family. Pray for God’s wisdom, and His power to move powerfully through them to the children and to the people of this village. Also, pray for the kids. Some of them are HIV positive. Some are prostitutes. Some are promised to the temple. Pray for the Holy Spirit to move quickly in their hearts, to protect them, and to give them a hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11).

If you have a burden for programs such as the Grace Club, please consider sponsoring a group of children. Your contribution will transform lives in some of the hardest hit places in India. Thank you!

Stroll through any discount retail outlet and you’ll find clothes made in Bangladesh. It’s second to China in exporting ready-to-wear clothing. Bangladesh is one of the world’s 10 most populous countries – it’s also one of poorest.

One half of the population struggles to find adequate food and other necessities on less than $1 a day. Making a living is extremely difficult for all but the elite few. Hard work in a giant clothing factory is an above average job, though it pays as little as $70 a month. Human rights advocates call out Bangladesh for its terrible record on trafficking. Exact figures are not available, but estimates point to hundreds of thousands of children in slave labor – and millions of underage girls trapped in prostitution.

This video portrays the hopelessness in one of Bangladesh’ largest brothels (video content may be disturbing, use discretion). Girls are sold into sexual slavery by families, and work for years without pay. Since the people of this country are malnourished, extra body fat is considered desirable, so madams give their charges a dangerous medication called “cow pills” to plump up their bodies. The meds also make the girls look older so police don’t interfere with business. (The pill is officially used to build fat on cattle.) The brothels are places of misery, disease and hopelessness.

Even Bangladesh’s geography is disadvantaged. About two-thirds of the country is a vast low-lying floodplain leaving it vulnerable to natural disasters. Situated on deltas of large rivers that flow from the Himalayan Mountains, this terrain is laced with rivers, canals and creeks that offer no protection from frequent floods and cyclones.

David C Cook Global Mission President, Eric Thurman, recently visited Bangladesh to team up with more than 20 denominations and other church networks in the country to build a high impact ministry outreach to children and youth – something they do not yet have in place. Eric and his colleagues trained trainers who, in turn, will show hundreds of Bangladeshi volunteers how to serve thousands of children.

During his visit Eric met one child who represented the desperate need to reach this next generation for Jesus.

The little girl Eric Thurman met

This little girl will linger in my thoughts and prayers for a long time. She came to the orphanage within the last month.

She is deeply troubled and hasn’t opened up yet to tell what happened her. The limited information they know is that both of her parents are dead and she is alone.

When we offered her candy, she took a piece and ate it, but never cracked the slightest smile. She remained expressionless with sad eyes and tight lips no matter what was happening around her.

Regrettably, this girl is not unique. Bangladesh is home to many thousands of heartbroken and abused children.

Hope, freedom, and dignity are alive and well in Bangladesh – and made possible through the Gospel in the hands of determined local believers. David C Cook’s Children At Risk program is giving them the tools to enable caring adults to gently and skillfully bring about emotional and spiritual healing in children who’ve faced horrific trauma.

The curriculum brings all the best features of an excellent Sunday school, but reaches much deeper, addressing tough issues involving violence, disease, abuse, trafficking, abandonment, and rape. The therapy-centered program develops character, teaches life skills, and makes biblical teaching relevant to where these children live. Many will identify their first heroes in the lives of David, Joseph, Esther, and others.

Please pray for the small minority of Christians in Bangladesh. They constitute 0.4% of the population and live among massive human need and pervasive spiritual darkness. (Muslims make up 85% with Hinduism covering another 14.5%.) This country deserves to be the focus of more ministry attention and support.

Also consider giving generously to keep this program reaching more and more at risk kids across the world. David C Cook covers all administrative costs, including translation and oversight. Your contribution goes directly to the heart of the program and helps us inject hope into thousands of children.