A Day With Princesses

The women’s justice teams to India all have something in common: lots of feet. If you have followed our teams for any amount of time you know that we always take our pedicure and manicure supplies. This trip has been no exception.Tuesday and Wednesday we shared with the women of two vocational centers. These women are learning computer, sewing, or cosmetology skills. All of the women are from extreme poverty and are at great risk of falling prey to abusive men or even traffickers. They all just want a better life for themselves and their children.

Disha Foundation’s hope is to have self sustaining businesses all over Delhi that will be a place for the graduates to begin working. It is so important to have this kind of mindset when trying to help women overcome the tremendous obstacles that extreme poverty presents. It is one thing to teach a skill and give shelter, but being able to move that into real life situations is key to a woman’s lifelong empowerment.

Most of the women from the centers are Hindu. We shared that we came across the sea because as Christ followers we are called to share the love and care He has for them. We also said that real empowerment for us has come because we have learned that we are daughters of the King. Our team talked about cherishing the friendships that He puts in our lives. The ladies told us over and over that no one, not even family, has ever treated them with such honor. They had no hesitations at all about us washing their feet, as this can happen often in this culture. They were ready to receive.

Today we are on a four hour train ride to Ludhiana, Punjab. Our host told us this morning that there are about 740 girl children born to every 1000 boys. Tonight we will spend the evening with the daughters of lepers. Tomorrow morning we head into two schools followed by a teen conference.

Our team is learning a lot about the culture as well as each other. Much of what we do comes from a very personal place in our lives. God is able to take our good and bad, redeem it and weave it together to make a powerful story of grace. Sharing deep parts of one’s life takes courage and hearing it is a privilege that demands the greatest care. It is a beautiful thing to watch our team grow together while serving the people of India.
(Photo credit to Melissa for the pictures that are good) 🙂