My wife once gave me five of John Piper’s books as a Christmas present. I tried to read one, sputtered in the process, and gave up. Have not touched another of Piper’s books since… Until I was (politely) asked by Eagles VantagePoint’s Executive Editor to review Amazing Grace in the Life of William Wilberforce. Well, thank God I was asked because this book was INSPIRING!

Two distinct attributes about Wilberforce will etch itself in the reader’s mind: his passion and his perseverance. Anyone who did not give up on a calling for 46 years of his or her life deserves an applause. Even on his deathbed, Wilberforce’s heart and mind was on ending the diabolical institution of slavery in the British Empire. An institution that is sadly echoed in many parts of the world even to this day. Faced with opposition – especially from enemies who had something to lose if the lucrative slave trade disappeared – Wilberforce struggled on. He knew he was in it for the long run, and he knew what he was doing was right in God’s eyes. And along the way, God granted him victories and provided him with the right friends to complete this journey. Piper does an excellent job in making the reader aware that Wilberforce gave his life to a cause greater than himself — and this is something all of us need to strive towards.

Which is why this reviewer was inspired. I am at an age where I was wondering what have I done with my life, and whether there have been any significant achievements to date. Sad to say, there have not been much. And then this book came along and it reminded me that dreams and visions ARE worth living and dying for. Critics and discouragers can have their say, but we should not lose that childlike belief in the impossible becoming possible. That is a message that is relevant to modern society, where creature comforts and the worries of making more money can easily make us lose sight of what is truly important.

If you are looking for a simple, straight forward read that will not take up too much time, this is the book for you. Impactful but not time consuming, this book can easily be enjoyed on the train ride to and from work, which I can attest to. However, one must note that this strength (the compact length of the book) is also a weakness. Although Piper is descriptive, the brevity of the book does not allow him to expound more on interesting aspects of Wilberforce’s life. For example, Piper mentions that three of Wilberforce’s sons ended up leaving their father’s evangelical faith. But when I wondered what made them do so, the book does not elaborate more on the subject. A longer biography would no doubt have delved a few more paragraphs into the matter. There are also a couple of places where terms like “high church” are used to describe life in 18th century England. An Asian audience may have a bit more difficulty in understanding such terms (but thankfully there are not many of these words). A lengthier book will of course be able to better describe life in 18th century England.

But brevity aside, I heartily recommend this book as an inspiration to all, regardless of faith, race or nationality. If you are looking for a Christmas present, this is it. As Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “If you haven’t found something worth dying for, you aren’t fit to be living.” This book will show you why.

Eric Sung works as an Executive (Ministry) at Eagles Communications. He enjoys eating, sleeping, watching slapstick comedies, and writing. Eric worships at Covenant Evangelical Free Church with his wife, Angeline.

The Prophet’s Message In The Modern Age

The 19th century evangelist, Charles Finney, in his essays on spiritual revivals, wrote that his conviction was that the outpouring of God’s Spirit on the people of America was conditioned by the extent of the establishment of social justice in their land. In his day, Finney was convinced that if spiritual renewal, with all of its ecstatic qualities, was to come to America, then the curse of slavery and the injustices related to the subjugation of women must be ended. Finney, following the lead of Isaiah, saw that at best there should be a connection between spiritual ecstasies in worship and social justice. We need that nexus today! Without social justice, contended Finney, worship would not bring about spiritual revival in America.

The message that we can all learn from Isaiah 58 is that spiritual renewal and true worship must always be undergirded by lifestyles marked by commitments to social justice for the oppressed and efforts to meet the needs of the poor. This is a message that in today’s world is increasingly being heeded. Consider the good news that the Pentecostal movement, which is just a little more than a hundred years old, is showing marked signs of developing an intense social consciousness. In many sectors of this movement, which puts a strong emphasis on possessing spiritual gifts, having the ability to “pray in tongues” is no longer sufficient evidence that persons are “Spirit-filled.” More and more, there are requisites that Spirit-filled Christians should also show evidence in their lives of having the “fruit of the Spirit.” In Galatians 5, we read that at the top of the list is the commitment to living out love. Consequently, in many Pentecostal churches, loving poor and oppressed people is especially being emphasized. Ministries to needy people are increasingly evident in their congregations. Today, Pentecostal churches are now among the leaders in providing child sponsorships for boys and girls in Third World countries through such parachurch organizations as World Vision and Compassion International. Their churches also are highly visible in ministries to drug addicts and the homeless. These kinds of social concerns represent a major step in the right direction for Pentecostal churches as they strive to embrace a holistic Gospel.

There is a reluctance, however, for Pentecostal churches to try to change society by endeavoring to address structural evil through political action. Consequently, they are not too likely to support political efforts to raise the minimum wage or to campaign for a universal health care plan that would help alleviate the fears of those 46 million Americans who have no coverage. Pentecostal preachers tend to support American-sponsored wars that could easily be labeled as unjust. At times they espouse a nationalism that verges on idolatry. There is not much talk in Pentecostal circles concerning such global issues as the cancellation of Third World debts or the ending of trade policies that are hurting people in the developing world.

What is true of the Pentecostal movement in respect to working for structural change in society is sadly also true for a good part of the Evangelical community. While Evangelical churches are heavily involved in charitable ministries that help the poor, there is an evident reluctance for them to work towards changing such social systems as the way public education is funded in America. Generally, public education is dependent on real estate taxes, which means that wealthy townships with rich tax bases have extensive financial support for their schools, while school districts in urban neighborhoods with poor tax bases languish with basic needs unmet. Evangelicals are not likely to oppose America’s military establishment or question abuses in the capitalistic economy. Challenging such structural evils is not common among Evangelicals. They are very committed to ministering to the society’s victims, but are rarely at work trying to change the social systems and institutions that create these victims.

Lately, there are signs that things may be changing with Evangelicals. As a case in point, The National Association of Evangelicals took a bold stand advocating public policies to address the problem of global warming. Their leaders have been calling upon the government to regulate emissions that cause global warming. Their rather progressive position on this matter has earned them some vitriolic criticism from some sectors of their constituency, but the NAE has not backed down. The NAE especially recognizes the relationship between environmentalism and poverty. Their position paper on the environment claims that environmental degradation most affects the poor because it diminishes food production and access to clean drinking water.

Justice is Love in Action

Isaiah’s prophetic call for social justice is related to living out love. If we stop to think about it, justice is nothing more than love translated into social policies. If we are committed to the justice prescribed by love, we will have to acknowledge that charity is not enough. It is not enough to clothe the poor and feed the hungry. We also must change the social policies that make people poor and hungry.

In summary, the prophet would have strong words for those in our present world who are heavy into worship but, like those in ancient Israel, have done little in working for social justice. Worship which has become a dominant part of the life of the Evangelical and Pentecostal churches, must be coupled with commitments not only to loving charity, but also to justice on behalf of the poorest of the poor of the world. The prophet would declare to the modern Christians that if they fail to do this, their people will be faced with the same judgments made by God and articulated through His prophet thousands of years ago.

The proper response to all of this can only be that when God’s people fast and worship, it must be done in the context of love and justice for those who are in need. Only then will what they do be pleasing to God, and only then can they expect God to respond to them and bring about spiritual renewal. Any other kind of fasting and worship will incur the silence of God. Jews in Isaiah’s day had to learn this, and Christians in today’s world must learn this, too.

This is an extract from Isaiah 58 “The Fast that God Requires” by Tony Campolo.

Dr Tony Campolo is professor emeritus of sociology at Eastern University and was on the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania for ten years. He is the founder and president of the Evangelical Association for the Promotion of Education and is the author of over thirty books. Dr. Campolo has worked to create, nurture, and support programs for “at-risk” children in cities across North America, and has helped establish schools and universities in several developing countries. He is married to Peggy and they have two children and four grandchildren.

“I am so angry,” he kept saying. “Angry at who?” I asked. “The rebels, the government,” he urged, “I’m so angry.” “Where are our friends?” he asked. “Where are the parents of Jean? I don’t know. Where are the parents of Bernadette? I don’t know. Where are all of them?”

This is war.

One man’s broken voice filtering through the phone lines from Goma to Nairobi. His plea, “Where are our friends?” or “Marafiki wetu wote wako wapi?” haunts me. I ask the question with him.

The few lines from the end of Les Miserables sing prophetically:
“Do you hear the people sing?
Lost in the valley of the night?
It is the music of a people who are climbing to the light!
For the wretched of the earth
there is a flame that never dies.
Even the darkest night will end
and the sun will rise.”

The music of the people climbing to the light. This is the music I want to sing.

Facing war and injustice all over the world, my hope to speak up for those who are suffering stems from Proverbs 31:8-9. In this proverb, I am bid that by speaking up, justice will be ensured. Is there something spiritual in the act of speaking? I think so. As a journalist and photographer, my voice has been the channel of so many voices, my words echoing the words of others.

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From my notebook: Marsabit, Northern Kenya.

I am chilled by the white air, reminded of so many days and nights in Congo. Mwenga in the morning – Kitutu at sunrise. The isolation and remoteness, the simplicity and the beauty, it allures and it saturates. So here I am again, this time in a new place.

This is the story of Torbi.

They had come. Two hundred bandits, through the school gates. It was early morning. Some children were at school, many were on the way. Shots fired. Children began screaming. The bandits entered the classroom and killed children point blank, within meters. Some bandits came into the nursery and brutally slit the throats of children too young to read. Twenty-two children died that day. Fifty-six parents were killed. Sixty-eight children were orphaned.

The trauma continues. Rifts of fear and pain spread like waves through Torbi. One girl faints every time she hears loud noises. The government promised to send counselors. It has been three years now and no counselors have come.

Guyo Isacko, the head teacher at Torbi Primary School, ushered us into a classroom where three children were shot. He pointed to the walls where chunks of round divots remained, remnants of where the bullets had pierced the wall, framing a room filled, today, with smiling school children.

Hawo’s son Adano was killed that day. She said he left in the morning like normal. The next time she saw him, he was lying on the ground, lifeless. She says it pains her inside to think of what happened, but that she has to be strong for the sake of her other children.

“I have not thought of revenge for even one day. I know what it feels like as a mother to lose a child. Why would I want someone else to feel what I’ve felt?”

Her strength is loud.

“Yes, I have forgiven them. Even the very day my son was killed I forgave. My religion teaches forgiveness. So I do.”

Food for the Hungry, an international relief and development organization working in 26 countries world-wide, is serving to re-build Torbi through education and clean water initiatives, walking alongside local leaders to overcome the gravest of injustices.

- -

Children killed mercilessly, famine, disease, war. Injustice takes a myriad of forms, and I still continue to ask why. I have seen some of the cruel things in the world and I have seen some of the beautiful things. Both imprint themselves on mind and memory.

From the trans-Atlantic slave trade to the civil rights movement, brave men and women throughout history have decided to stand up to injustice and lend their voice to freedom and truth. This act, this presentation of self for the defense and love of another, is divine.

Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Nothing operates in isolation. We are all wildly connected.

And so the bid to speak up comes in. My journey has taken me all over the world as a witness to injustices large and small, though no injustice is ever truly small. And my platform for action has been to turn and project these truths back to the world, locally and globally, that justice everywhere might be upheld, and that we would learn to be bearers of both truth and action. They belong together.

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An organization that has dedicated itself to just this is Discover The Journey (www.DiscoverTheJourney.org). Founded on Proverbs 31:8-9, their mission is to SPEAK UP for children in-crisis by exposing injustices affecting children around the world through story, media, and art, and to ENSURE JUSTICE for children in-crisis by advocating for intervention across cultures in Love.

This mission has led Discover The Journey to investigate and create media in response to issues such as child soldiers in DR Congo, sexually exploited children in Haiti and orphaned children in Iraq.

With the many forms of injustice around the world, Discover The Journey has found the brunt of these to fall on children, and so they have devoted themselves to advocating for children, being an extension of Christ’s love to those who have faced enormous trials in such young lives.

And the link to justice is that by creating this media, intervention partners can be found to act directly on behalf of the child or children. Until change is realized.

Heal Africa (www.HealAfrica.org) is an organization working on the ground in eastern DR Congo to bring hope, healing, and restoration to the people of eastern Congo. Leading with an excellent medical program, Heal Africa is fighting injustice through physically attending to the survivors. And lives are being changed.

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I agree with Martin Luther King, Jr. when he urged, “In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”

It will be the silence that is the most indicting. What are we silent about? What have we chosen to not see?

William Wilberforce, the great abolitionist who helped bring about the end of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, said, “You may choose to look the other way but you can never say again that you did not know.”

What have we chosen to look away from? What have we, in our comfort, chosen to ignore? For our silence is most assuredly linked to another’s justice. And when we speak, may our words and actions be filled with love and truth, compassion and humility. There is no room for anything else.

As I have learned to open my mouth and speak of what I have seen, things have happened. Humanitarian aid programs have been funded, people have been helped, relationships have been formed, love has come. By taking the step to see we stand at the precipice of truth. To speak, we dive in.

As the new Kingdom comes, these things will pass away, but being here now, we are God’s primary instruments to heal a bleeding world. Do not ask where is the Church, ask what your role is in bringing this Kingdom to bear.

The power and beauty of Jesus is moving, and daily injustice is being pushed back. Do you want to join this holy fight of love? Do you want to be part of the greatest purpose the world has ever seen? This purpose is to bring God’s Kingdom to earth and to advance it – in bodies, minds, souls, and spirits – in slums and war zones and alley ways – in scared minds and angry hearts. The Kingdom we represent is not tarrying to bring about Love. It is our Master’s Way.

And so I bid you now to go and speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves and to ensure justice for those who are suffering. This could mean traveling across the world to do so, and it could also mean advancing justice by loving your family with greater wholeness or providing a platform for an injustice to be spoken of and revealed in your neighborhood. We need not look far to discover wounds desperate for love. And as you go, you will find a nearness with Christ. For He is always near the oppressed.

I remember the one thing. Love is that thing. And this is what I cling to:
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth… Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Rev 21:1; 3-4).

Lindsay Branham lived in DR Congo and Rwanda for 18 months, working as a writer and photographer for Food for the Hungry (FH). She has produced film and photography throughout Africa and her work on child soldiers was featured on CNN. Lindsay is currently FH Global’s Communications Coordinator and lives in Washington, D.C. Visit the website at www.fhglobal.org.

All photos provided by the author.

We are called to be fair, kind, and to love them (Lev 19:33-34). The basis is that God’s very heartbeat is with those who are aliens, poor, and downtrodden. God’s favor and care for such people is written in His divine nature (Dt 10:17-19).

The migrant worker community in Singapore
Migrant workers currently constitute about a third of Singapore’s labor force. What then are the issues of injustice faced by migrant workers? One fundamental wrong committed to these migrant workers is the exorbitant agency fees which they are required to pay just to come to Singapore to work. Some of these workers are promised a certain pay and number of hours of work (for overtime pay) by unscrupulous and profiteering agents only to realise upon arriving in Singapore that the promises are empty ones.

Some of these migrant workers are forced to live in cramped, inhumane living conditions by employers hoping to reduce the costs of accommodating their workers. Others were denied regular wages despite representations made by their employers and agents. Some had to risk their lives and safety by working in unsafe working conditions because of the neglect of their employers. When injured, some were denied fair workmen’s compensation because their employers did not ensure proper insurance coverage.

Special mention must be made of domestic workers who are victims of abuse (emotional and physical) at the hands of their employers. Many of them are denied a day of rest and some have to work long hours with excessive chores by being illegally deployed by their employers to assist in their businesses.

Transforming justice

In the light of these issues, an urgent and effective response of transforming justice is called for.

Inner transformation

Yet the cause for justice must begin with ourselves. We need to be transformed from within in order to have discriminatory mindsets and archaic paradigms removed. We need to admit to our own fears and prejudices as we seek to address and overcome them with the love of God. We must desire to receive God’s renewal of our hearts and minds as we seek to reach out to these migrant workers. In the pursuit of authentic relationships, reciprocity of friendship is that which we must be open to embrace.

Cross-cultural appreciation

In effecting transforming justice, we need to acquire a cross-cultural understanding of the migrant worker community.

The way to that is to embrace an Incarnational and Crucifional mission². To be incarnational is to serve (John 13:1-17) – and to share lives with them. It is to be amongst them, to listen to their stories, to feel their pain and loneliness and to be in touch with the realities of their lives.

To be crucifional is simply to be prepared to suffer for the cause. While we may not be able to carry the burdens for these workers, we can carry our load with them. We suffer alongside as we seek to bring justice to the situations they are in.

However, as we seek to be both incarnational and crucifional, we will acquire a deeper appreciation of their cultural backgrounds and therefore the resulting struggles of these workers. That will put us in a pivotal position to bring transforming justice to these workers, often not so much in the actual outcomes, but rather in the process of building authentic relationships with them.

Social action

As we contemplate justice to the individual through the means of social action, it is imperative to apply different tracks and approaches to different categories of migrant workers.

I would classify them under two main categories:

a. Victims of abuse

These would be migrant workers who suffer abuse and acts of injustice by agents, employers or other persons. The types of social action required for these would be namely advocacy, accurate and practical support, emotional and spiritual counseling, sustenance, and shelter in some instances. Such services and support must be effective, sensitive, and strategic.

The victims of abuse are the ones who immediately need relief and help. However, let us not forget that they too are relational beings with a deep desire for friendship. In our social action, may we not simply focus on meeting the immediate needs but build God-centered relationships in the process.

b. Non-victims of abuse

There are many migrant workers who are in fact not victims of abuse. They have fair and good employers, reasonable agents, and are content with their work life in Singapore. What transforming justice do they need?

If we understand justice as a relational reality, then God would want us to extend a hand of outreach to these workers by building a community with them. Many of these workers suffer from an emotional void birthed out of loneliness, homesickness, and the need for physical intimacy and sexual gratification.

The social action needed for many of these workers is the giving of emotional and community support and proper education on how to handle their needs. Through friendship, education, and counseling, the aim is to equip and develop them to be more self-sufficient and able to handle the rigours of living a migrant life in Singapore (for example, conducting English classes and Legal Clinics for awareness of the laws). To this end, we must collaborate in partnership with like-minded migrant workers who would be able to assist in helping their own integrate into a community here. Sometimes, the most effective volunteers are fellow migrant workers, being themselves marginalized, reaching their own with such strength of empathy and identification.³

Social Reform

The matter of social reform for the issues concerning migrant workers is a far more complex one. One needs to identify the systems and structures behind the recruitment, employment, and well-being of migrant workers here. Some of these involve cross-national issues like the agent’s code of ethics in the sending countries which are apparently beyond our nation’s control.

However, to deal with structural injustice, there needs to be a Christian vision of what ethical recruitment and employment should be, followed by a key analysis of the causes of current situations and abuse for workers, followed by actively implementing necessary and effective solutions.

There is much reform required for the prevailing systems of employment for migrant workers in Singapore but a start must and can be made somewhere. The outcome of any effort at reform will not be known overnight but if the seed has been sown, then it is the Lord who will bring about the harvest of righteousness.

Conclusion
At HealthServe⁴, a community development organization where I interned for about a month, I experienced a deep authentic exchange with Mr Yin Cheng Hua, a Chinese migrant worker from Shandong. We walked through his workmen’s compensation case, and through divine providence, the outcome was fair! Yet justice is done, not because he has received compensation, but because he has experienced the reality of heartfelt care and concern by those in HealthServe, worthy to be called his Singaporean friends.

In this world where relationships are often fleeting and superficial, Mr Yin’s encounter with us has been countercultural. But that should not come as a surprise. Our role is to envisage and bring about an alternative reality. Justice is that alternative reality! Let us press on with courage and perseverance, and let us do the work to which we are called.

Currently a second year student at Trinity Theological College, Raymond was trained as a lawyer and worked in the Government before leaving his profession to pursue theological studies in response to God’s call to full-time ministry. He worships at Wesley Methodist Church and has served in various capacities in lay leadership, including his current role as a worship leader. He is married to Grace and has a four-year old son, Timothy.

1. It would be in the range of $8,000 to $16,000 for a construction worker from China.
2. Warrington, Keith. “Social Transformation in the missions of Jesus and Paul: Priority or Bonus?” In Movement for Change: Evangelical Perspectives on Social Transformation, edited by David Hilborn, 52. Carlisle: Paternoster/ACUTE, 2004.
3. Hsu, Peter C.Y. “Bridging Communities. Bringing Healing. Inspiring Hope. Reflections on HealthServe’s Journey with Migrant Workers in Singapore” In Church and Society in Asia Today. The Journal for Centre for the Study of Christianity in Asia, Vol 11 No.3, December 2008.
4. HealthServe is a volunteer-run, non profit community development organization run on Christian values. They are dedicated to serving the poor, disadvantaged, and vulnerable groups in the community, regardless of ethnicity, gender, language, and religion. Check out their website at www.healthserve.org.sg.

Approximately 60,000 children are trafficked across the borders of Southeast Asia alone.

Trafficking of women and children accounts for 87 per cent of reported victims.²

A study found that twenty-two per cent of trafficked victims were sold by their relatives, husbands or boyfriends, and fifty per cent were 14-21 years old.³ One mother said a United Nations peacekeeper raped her 12-year-old boy. A United Nations spokesman said that he had not heard that specific case but that there were indeed a number of new sexual abuse allegations against peacekeepers in Congo and that a team was sent in late July to investigate.⁴ The consequences of stripping away human dignity have seeped through the cracks of our apparently civil and humane society. It is a picture of darkness, desolation, and depression.

It is hard to understand our world but some folks have shown me the light.

Earlier this year, I was privileged to be able to meet a student at NorthLight School. He is only 16 years old, comes from a financial and familial background that many of us would label “disadvantaged” by general societal standards. However, as our friendship grew, I started to share about the work The Amber Initiative was doing. He immediately took interest in our work and his heart for social justice was sparked. At one of our meetings, he suddenly had an epiphany and begged, “Please tell me how much it costs to take a trip to Thailand to befriend children there who are at risk of being trafficked. I’ll save up money to go.” He then smiled in faith. My friend probably did not fully comprehend the weight of his decision. His courage to befriend children in Thailand was a fundamental belief in being the change and the smile that comes along with it.

In my personal journey of leading an organization that advocates social justice, we have always consciously examined and re-examined our modus operandi for sustainable transformation. Compassion for others beyond ourselves was the first fundamental we set as a conscious effort to keep our passion for social justice thoroughly connected with the reality of the issue. We were goal focused, and on track.

Over the course of a year, the passion and intensity within the youthful individuals in The Amber Initiative grew tremendously as it morphed from a program into a compulsion and calling. For many on the team, the reality of human trafficking inched fearfully close. Desperation became the new modus operandi. There was no time to waste, no time to rest. The team was engaged and involved – they were serious and never wavered in their immediate tasks.

We are passionate, outward-focused, eager, and compassionate. We were taking confident strides into a narrow alley that was never lit beyond the spot we were in. It looked like the perfect model; the key factors had logic yet it felt misplaced and possibly directionally false.
Now let me take you to Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago, where I learnt a simple lesson of profound proportions.

I learnt this lesson from a homeless African American male who had refused to allow his personal “logistical” disadvantage overwhelm his ability to help others. His philosophy was simple (as I watched him for over an hour). His work was about joy. His “office” was a busy intersection that he had boldly albeit cheekily claimed ownership of by merely proclaiming his presence over it.

As pedestrians waited to cross the intersection, he would proclaim loud, clear, and full of cheer, “Welcome to MY intersection! You either buy my magazine or you skip across the road with me!” He began skipping across the road. No one followed him. “Come ON! It’s okay, you don’t have to skip, why don’t you just smile for me there, it doesn’t cost a thing; come on, let me see that smile! If you don’t, I’m going to come over to tickle you!” People at the large intersection could not help but break into a smile. “Ah ha! There it is! Just beautiful! Just beautiful!”
At every single change of traffic light he would do that, skipping and smiling. Skipping is really tiring, but it makes the journey so much more fun – that is what we often forget. When we cross the road, when we walk or cycle, we often forget the people around us – we get so focused on the destination that we forget the ride.

I dare say that the first step to ensuring your impact, sustainability, and the deliverance of social justice is kindling that ability within your soul to uplift yourself.

Skipping and smiling is noticing not only just what is right in front of you but all the moments beyond, around, and below the spot you are in. We should feel sorry for forgetting the importance of the journey. It is the quality of the journey that will eventually determine the depth of your ending. In the case of the advocacy and provision of social justice, there is no ending, which makes the journey an ending in itself.

It is about smiling with the people around you and encouraging them to do the same. We need to be reminded and to remind others that life is a celebration. Do you have enough strength to carry the cheer of this celebration as you advocate social justice? It is about a certain sense of freedom that comes with an innate sense of dignity and joy.

It took one homeless man to deliver justice to the thousands of people with homes in Chicago with the importance of a skip and a smile. Naïve, nonsensical, childish, superficial, superfluous, ridiculous, and insane are probably some of the words that have crossed your mind. Well, no one ever said advocating social justice was going to be easy, but at least it is simpler than we realize. Let us skip and smile to the beat of life. It is a party and you are invited. Will you celebrate?

References:
1. UN estimates, Correspondents in Vienna, 2008.
2. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 2006.
3. Kozhouharova, Nadya and Stateva, Milena. “Trafficking in Women in Bulgaria: A New Stage”In Feminist Review, No. 76, Post-Communism: Women’s Lives in Transition, Palgrave Macmillan Journals, 2004.
4. Gettleman, Jeffrey. “Symbol of Unhealed Congo: Male Rape Victims.” New York Times, August 4, 2009, World Section.

Suraj Prakash Upadhiah, together with Meixi Ng, are co-founders of The Amber Initiative, a youth led initiative committed to the restoration and protection of human dignity through a global movement of youth. Check out their website atwww.theamberinitiative.com.

Social justice is not an option. It is a mandate. While our giving and doing is significant, Jesus had something in mind to teach us when the command was given. Why will the poor and oppressed always be with us in this fallen world? They serve as models to remind us of our dependence. While we are more likely to think we can do most things on our own, they understand they need help. They are also a reminder of our own greed and self-centeredness. Is there enough food in the world today so that no child dies of hunger? Are there enough natural resources to shelter the poor? Do we need to reconsider the inequality of wealth in our world? What is our responsibility to that inequality?

Jesus was our model for social justice. If we follow Him, we follow His mandate. Jesus was a revolutionary – especially where women were concerned. In a culture fraught with injustices toward women, Jesus honored and elevated them. Nowhere was this more obvious than when the woman, known in the town to be a sinner, crashed the party at the home of the Pharisee and washed Jesus’ feet with her tears and expensive perfume (Lk 7:36-50). Here Jesus taught the Pharisee about his own selfishness, arrogance, and pride; while accepting, acknowledging, and forgiving the woman who humbly wept and kissed His feet.

Bangkok has many women who “have lived a sinful life.” Like the woman in Luke’s Gospel, they are mostly anonymous. That anonymity is maintained in their work places by the use of buttons with numbers. Their customers need never know their names. Objectified, dehumanized, they are chosen like entrees off a menu in a cheap restaurant. As with the nameless woman in Luke, these women are known only by their shame, by their sin. Who are they? What is their story? Why are they doing this? We know they were not born pursuing self-destruction. No one dreams of this. It is driven by despair, by poverty, lack of education, gender inequality, domestic violence, and greed.

The following are quotes from two of these anonymous women:

“I work three months now. The first two months I cry. I cry every day. I cannot do. I cannot do. The third month I look at mirror. I say, ‘You must do this! There is only you. Your mother is old and takes care of your two children and blind brother. You must do this! You must use your head not your heart.’” With only a grade six education, employment is limited to factory work and construction. Neither pays enough to support five people.

“I so tired. I so tired!” She began to cry. “I want someone to help me! I want someone to hold me! I want someone to pay my debt!” The family’s debt continues to grow, despite her efforts and taking as many as ten customers a week. Her family does not own property, so when the rice crop failed on their rented property, they had no collateral with which to borrow money from a bank and so were forced to borrow from a village loan shark in order to buy plants for the next crop.

In response to these and other stories, Home of New Beginnings was born four years ago as an outreach to prostituted women who serve men from developed countries. Our logo states that Beginnings is a place of safety and hope. Safety from what? As prostituted women they are at risk from traffickers¹, “johns” (customers), and pimps. The following stories will illustrate:

Traffickers
A young woman – now twenty – came to our English class and told us how she was deceived by a woman who promised her work with good pay. She was sold three days later to a brothel in Malaysia. She was beaten and drugged to gain her compliance and “seasoned” by four traffickers who gang-raped her. She became compliant and the beating stopped, though the drugging did not. She was made to serve 20 – 25 men a day. With the help of a “john” she managed to escape and made it back to Bangkok where she now works in the sex industry. She views herself as damaged and cannot go back to her family. She has no education.

Another young woman was offered good pay for working in Bangkok. She waited in the jungle with many other young women and children. While waiting, she was gang-raped by her traffickers. When the refrigerated truck came, the door was opened in the back but the truck was full. They were told to “make room!” The truck was emptied and the few men and larger women were positioned on the floor of the truck and the others were told to sit on their shoulders – for the 12 hour trip to Bangkok where they were sold to various bars, massage parlors, and factories.

“Johns”
One young woman, a street-walker, had taken this customer before and she trusted him. This time, when she got to the hotel room, there were five other men waiting in the room for her.

Another street-walker, having worked just one month, acquired the AIDS virus. She worked another month but quit, recognizing the risks. While she may well have passed the virus on, it was a “john” who infected her to begin with. And he used his size and power to keep her from using protection.

Pimps/Families
While it is difficult to use these two words synonymously, it must be known that some of the girls we meet in the bars are being pimped by their boyfriends, husbands or parents. Parents often encourage their daughters to work in the sex industry in order to find a Western “rich” man to marry. Husbands and boyfriends pimp their women in order to pay a gambling debt, or to continue the habit. One such girl was required by her husband to take at least one customer per night. He threatened certain death if she did not. He followed her to hotels and waited for the payment. If she did not take a customer, she was made to sleep on the doorstep.

Another desperate single mother with small children sacrificed her oldest daughter by selling her for a bride price at the age of ten in order to feed the others.

At Beginnings, we desire to remove these beautiful young women from this culture of violence and restore their ability to hope and dream in this safe environment. Beginnings is a residential program. Our goal is to “…bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair” (Isa 61:3). We do this by creating a new family, giving them shelter, food, a weekly allowance (most of which they send to their families), and an education, both formal and informal. Medical care and counsel are also provided. Over thirty women and children ranging in age from 12 to 45 have lived at Beginnings. Currently, we house ten young women; three are full time University students, three are in Bible school, and two in vocational training programs. The remaining two are working on literacy and completing their grade six certificates.

At Beginnings, there is freedom to laugh and to weep, to work and to play. There is both joy and grief. There is rest and responsibility. Over time, there is the freedom to feel, to question and most importantly, the freedom to dream, again.

Jesus was clear in His acceptance, forgiveness, and understanding of the woman who wept at His feet. He knew her story – not just her sin. That is our model. That is our mandate. Jesus also identified with the poor and oppressed. After all, it was His path as well. As followers of Jesus, we are to be personally connected with both His death and His resurrection; both the Suffering Savior and the Risen Lord. It is much easier to focus on His resurrection – His life-giving, transforming, joyous celebratory resurrection. He came that we might have life. But, we cannot ignore the suffering, excruciating, humiliating death He endured on the cross. Without the cross there is no reason to celebrate, there is no resurrection, there is no life. It is His life-giving, transforming, desperate, agonizing death that we must also explore and absorb. It is the suffering Jesus that brings life – that leads to the glorious resurrection. Perhaps we ignore His death because it is uncomfortable; it brings guilt; it focuses on the unpleasant. As His followers we dare not forget the cross. We turn to the poor, the oppressed, the violated, the exploited and ask them to teach us. They know about powerlessness, rejection, suffering, and loss. We cannot ignore them because it is uncomfortable or unpleasant. To do that is to ignore the cross.

We do this work for them. We do it for ourselves as well. We must remember His death. These young women have so much to teach us about the suffering Jesus and about ourselves.

About self-sacrifice: We know nothing about giving up everything, including the rights over our own body, to serve our family. These young women daily risk danger from “johns” and endure ridicule by the same culture that traps them in despair.

About weariness: These women work 12 hours a day, 28 days out of 30.

About resilience and never complaining: Having experienced abuses of every kind, they continue to work and to complete day to day tasks without a negative word.

Jesus told the Pharisee, “You didn’t wash my feet. You gave me no greeting. You didn’t put oil on my head.” What is keeping you from connecting with the oppressed? Is it discomfort? Is it the unpleasant surroundings? Guilt? Pharisaical arrogance and pride? When you see the poor and oppressed, are they anonymous? Do you know their name, their story or just their sin? Jesus commands that we become an instrument of hope to the vulnerable, the voiceless, and the invisible. Opportunities abound. Do it because you have so much to give. Do it because you have so much to learn.

References
1. Definition as relates to sexual exploitation: “an act or attempted act of recruiting, transporting, transferring, and harboring or receiving a person by means of threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, abduction, fraud, deception, the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability, or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation.” (words in bold are not in the original) – The Palermo Protocol – United Nations – adopted November 2000

With an MA in Leadership Development and after 36 years as a teacher and principal in the United States, Bonita and her husband moved to Bangkok where she works with prostituted women and children. Presently, she is partnering with Thai women in an outreach called “Home of New Beginnings.” It is a residential holistic program which offers vocational training, English, computer skills, continuing education, counseling, and consistent teaching about Jesus, His healing power, and His principles for living.

If you want to find out more, participate or donate to their ministry, you can contact Bonita by:

Home of New Beginnings
P.O. Box 1300, Nana Post Office
Bangkok, Thailand 10112

Email: beginningsbkk@yahoo.com
Website: www.homeofnewbeginnings.com

You can also mail donations to:

International Foundation Beginnings Acct. #125.004
P O Box 23813
Washington, D.C. 20026-23813
USA

The New International Version of the Bible has been referenced.

Photo provided by author.