“Would anyone like to thank God this morning?” We had just finished 40 minutes of worship before starting work, when the Thai worship leader invited the women to share a testimony. Mindy was on the worship team that day, and with the microphone already in her hand, she stepped forward. I never know what the women will say during these times. Sometimes it’s a simple as praising God for a seat on the bus, sometimes it’s a long unrelated story, and sometimes it’s a tearful testimony of gratitude for God’s presence in a difficult situation. Mindy has had a hard life. She was orphaned at age 10 when her mother died of HIV. Raised by her grandmother, Mindy never felt liked she belonged, and by 15 she was pregnant and dropping out of school. It wasn’t long before her insecurity and family devotion lead her to prostitution on the streets of Bangkok. She drowned her insecurities in drugs, alcohol, and the comforts money received from prostitution could buy. God rescued her from all of that and Mindy is deeply grateful.
Mindy wants to do more though. She has a deep desire to serve God in ministry, and recently she started joining an outreach to children in a slum. It costs money to travel to the slum every Saturday, and Mindy was too often running out of the funds. She was feeling inadequate and therefore sorry for herself when she realized that Moses had felt terribly inadequate as well. When Moses argued with God that he was inadequate, God asked him, “What is in your hand?” “A staff,” Moses answered. The staff immediately turned into a snake. Mindy began to cry as she told us she realized that God didn’t want us to wait until we have enough money or we think we are good enough. God wants us as we are, and he will use what we have. Mindy said, “If all I have is my life, then I want to give my life to serve God. If God can use a staff, then God can use my life.”
I have often felt inadequate to make a difference in these women’s lives and the lives of so many exploited through human trafficking and prostitution. Mindy’s testimony was a good reminder that God takes the little that we have and uses it to perform miracles. What looks like a worthless stick to us can be turned into a snake (not my preference!) or even used to part the Red Sea. God uses me in spite of my inadequacies, and I have been so grateful to witness the miraculous transformation in these women’s lives. What’s in your hand? It may not look like much to us, but when we give it to God, it can be transformational.
This Thanksgiving, we are so grateful to all of you. So many of you have given even when you may have felt you had nothing worthwhile. I can testify that your gifts have made an impact in many lives. Mindy is one of those women. Your gifts have impacted her, and now she is using what she has to impact others.
This holiday season we invite you to share in the gift of transformation by visiting our website to purchase jewelry or give a donation.
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