A new lady in my life/Family Visit

Above: There is the lady. Sweethi. Our partner pinky just gave her the name b/c we are pretty sure that she was never given one. I don't know. So that is what everyone refers to her as. I will post more pictures soon.
Above: Local brooms that are made and sold.

We took Nick's family to the local market.

Nick. Meat. Complete enjoyment.
Below: Looking and picking out tea at our favorite tea shop!

Hello to all,

Life here has been quite great! Our time is flying and the Lord is allowing our time to be SOO rich! Nick's mom and aunt came and visited! It was so fantastic to have them here and live life with them here! We could never express our appreciation for all those who gave stuff to them to give to us, and all the wonderful goodies we received! Thank you to all, and to THEM who came and blessed us with their servant hearts and love! We went back up to the mountains and drank some great tea! We shopped till we dropped and had a great time doing it! It was a very special experience for Nick and me. They also went to the Red Light District where I have been working and it was sooooooo special to me! They saw what I saw, prayed with us, and it was so encouraging to be able to share that part of my life with family. THey also were able to meet the new lady in my life, her name is Sweethi. She is about 5 months old, and her mom is a prostitute a few rooms down from where we hold our classes. We have classes which teach girls from the ages of 15-25 some skills to help give them better opportunity in the future.

Many of the girls' moms are working in the Brothel. They are very "high-risk" to enter the trade that their moms are in.

We first met Sweethi b/c she cried ALL the time, so Kari (teammate who started this ministry) said, "okay, today, I am just going to go down there and love on that baby." And,.....she did....no hesitations! And.....she picked her up and she immediate stopped crying. It was amazing, literally, the baby just needed to be loved on!

So, Sweethi has started hanging out with us for a few hours every night when we hold our classes in the Brothel. Her mom's room is just down the hall from ours, so she lets us take care of her. Sweethi and her mom has just rocked my world!

Sweeti, to say the least, was neglected and was not fed sufficiently. They basically fed her creamer and water mixed together. Just to explain how the prostitutes work there:

1. In the brothel there are women who are called madams. They are basically female pimps.

2. They own prostitutes. They control everything.

So, the baby's mom has a madam that runs the show. It's incredibly sad. The madam does not want her to have the baby; so she does not allow the mom to breast feed her or hold her like most moms do. THey act in this way, b/c if a customer comes and the baby is attached to the mom, etc. then the baby could take away from the mom's ability to satisfy her customer obligations.

Then, I found out that Sweethi's mom is only 16 years old. Unreal I shall say. So, she was most likely trafficked and sold to this Madam. So, she literally has a price on her head and freedom and therefore is enslaved to this brothel.

I have struggled, and struggled, and cried, and been frustrated with all the evil in this world, and questioned so many things since I have been working in the brothel. It is still incredibly hard some days b/c of the attachment there. But, my husband has been amazing with me through this. He had to set me down one night and he said, "Emily, remember that we did not come to abolish prostitution or trafficking.....we came for the Gospel. Because we live in a fallen world and evil will always exist,.....these things will always be there. But, we have the

Gospel and this will SAVE women! How amazing is the Lord! That He desires these women and offers redemption! That is why I go every week....to love on these women so that they can see that I love them with a different kind of love. That every time Sweethi's mom sees me holding her and feeding her...that she sees a different love that is abnormal in this world. That is my prayer, b/c right now, as I write this, prayer, Jesus and the testimony of my life is all I have to offer.

So, Nick and I decided to go and buy the baby some actual formula and a bottle. And one night I was able to teach the baby's mom how to make a bottle, and how to burp, and different things she can do if the baby is fussy. Because she is only SIXTEEEN!!! AH! But, the more and more I am there, the more I see her love growing for her daughter.

One night, the mom came to my ministry partner and said, "my owner is going to see me to another brothel in a few months, and I can't take my baby. Will somebody take her?" This blew my world apart. It just jolts my insides to say the least. So, pinky and I talked about it over and over and all the different possibilities. Then, a few days later we went back and talked to the mom again and asked her about giving Sweethi up permanently, if she was serious and she replied, "no, I just cannot give her up." I was so disheartened but understood at the same time. So we just said, "think about her future and the life she most likely will have if she stays and grows up with you." THe mom walked away in silence. We are praying.

The Lord brought me to the point of realization. I know that all I can do right now is go down to that brothel, and love and that mom and her baby. I just don't know what else right now, and that is okay. I am praying and asking the Lord to deliver her from her profession, b/c I see her everyday and I know what she does when I see a man take his shoes off at her door and walk in, as her baby lies in the crib outside. Everything is screaming inside of me and I feel so utterly hopeless. BUT.....I know that the Lord is working even when I cannot see it. I have to trust....I have to trust b/c all else seems incredibly insufficient. I love that baby and her mom; and these women have forever stained my heart. I know I have said that time and time again, but the stain keeps becoming more and more permanent. It is for a purpose. And God lives outside of time and He has it all in control. So when I have so much frustration and overwhelmed by this fallen world, I have to remember and calm my heart to know in essence of what God said when He said, "I AM." That is the God I serve and there is none other.