Together
Mini
WINTER 2013
Redlight
Greenlight:
Emerging
dreams in
Asia
WINTER 2013 | 2
Emerging dreams
New life for victims of sex trafficking
by Adam Hess
When Kushi first arrived at the Redlight Greenlight Aftercare
Home, the abuse she had suffered was worse than what most
people can imagine.
Girls like Kushi arrive at the home
with blank, expressionless faces,
having just been rescued from
sex trafficking. We give them a
few days to rest and readjust, and
then start to assess their physical
and psychological needs. We ask,
‘What is your dream? What do
you want to be when you grow
up?’
Often a girl does not answer. It’s
as if she doesn’t understand the
questions. If we do get an answer,
it’s likely to be, ‘I want to get
married’. All that’s asked of most
girls in this South Asian country is that they do housework
and school work (if they are fortunate enough to go to
school) so that someday they can get married, serve their
husband and produce children.
A taste for education
We want these young people to get a taste for the fun
and importance of education. So we create an Individual
Educational Plan (IEP) for each one. After Kushi had
been at the home for awhile, she smiled and said to a staff
member, ‘Mother, before I came here, I went to school, but
I did not learn anything. But now I know that I can read a
Kushi has dreams and goals. ‘My Plan A is to be a police
woman,’ she says. ‘Plan B is to be a nurse and Plan C is to
be a teacher. If none of them work out, I will
apply to work here at the home as a caregiver!’ Do: You can help young
women like Kushi by giving
We regularly talk with the girls, emphasising
education and suggesting possibilities for their a ‘Redlight Greenlight’
alternative gift. More details
future. But, even with our encouragement,
they face many difficulties. Because they’re
are in the enclosed catalogue.
traumatised, they struggle to concentrate.
Police visits, court appearances and medical
trips interrupt their studies. Our caregivers persist in
trying to motivate them, stressing their potential.
I marvel that Kushi is dreaming. She sees many
possibilities for her future and she has started working
towards her goals. There are still challenges ahead, and
she will need help to continue moving forward. But for now
we celebrate with her that her dreams are emerging like
flowers in springtime.
3 | WINTER 2013
textbook and find answers to questions on my own, so I
can learn. Now I like to study.’
WINTER 2013 | 4
Equatorial Guinea:
A country like no other
by Geoffrey W. Hahn, Deputy International Director for the Americas
Imagine entering the heart of Africa…and only hearing Spanish
spoken. You’re in a country like no other. You’re in Equatorial
Guinea.
Here many people pride themselves on hunting wild game
in the tropical rain forest surrounding the towns and cities.
In fact, some find meats such as beef, chicken and pork to
be almost inedible ‘city food’. At the local market you can
choose from a wide array of monkeys, deer, rodents and,
most surprisingly, live crocodiles. Can you imagine coming
home from the shop with a live, metre-long crocodile for
dinner, legs and mouth tied for your convenience?
The challenges
E-mail: [email protected]
However, challenges come with rapid church
growth. There are very few trained pastors or mentors in
Equatorial Guinea. The country is seriously lacking in Bible
colleges and people equipped to develop church leaders.
For every two pastors seeking theological training, one is
turned away. And there’s a need for Theological Education
‘by Extension for those who can’t relocate to the city.
I visited a crowded evening class at the only
interdenominational Bible college. That night students
gathered under a street light, taking advantage of some
rare electric lighting in order to digest more of God’s Word.
SIM has recently been asked to partner with WEC, an
evangelical mission with a long history in the country. We
need people who can teach and disciple, working together
with WEC, local churches and the Bible college.
There are also opportunities for mature Christians to work
with the many young people, and the Church is eager to
meet other significant needs. Currently Equatorial Guinea
ranks number 14 in the world for HIV prevalence and
has one of the highest rates for Central and West Africa.
Despite these figures, there are no known functioning HIV
support groups. Stigmatisation is severe, and
little is being done to address the crisis at the
grassroots level, either by the government or
the churches.
Christian leaders in Equatorial Guinea have
offered us a wonderful opportunity to respond
in a holistic way. Please join us in our vision to
see more lives transformed by Christ in this
country that’s like no other!
5 | WINTER 2013
But consider an even ‘meatier’ topic: God is moving in this
small and relatively isolated country, and the Church is
spreading like wildfire. Churches are filled to capacity,
and new ones are springing up where young
people, on their own initiative, are going out to
Go: Interested in learning
communities and sharing the gospel.
more?
WINTER 2013 | 6
Meet our new Director
We’d like you to meet Steve
Smith, recently appointed
as Serving in Mission’s new
Director. Steve, who succeeds
Keith Walker, is currently
Pastor of Grace Church
in Worcester Park, South
London. He will take up his
new role in March 2014.
Steve and his wife, Gwyn, have experience
of world mission, serving in Uganda with
Crosslinks. For the past four years he has led
Grace Church, a growing Co-mission church
plant. ‘Steve is highly respected…for his
personal godliness, his passion for reaching
people for Jesus, and his strategic gifts in
growing our engagement with international
gospel partnerships’, says Co-mission’s
Director, Richard Coekin.
At a time when ‘UK churches are looking to
forge meaningful partnerships with local
churches around the world’, Steve is looking forward to
leading our mobilisation work. ‘I’m thrilled that Serving
in Mission puts proclaiming the gospel where there is
no witness at the heart of their operations, encourages
Bible training where churches have taken root and
stands together for the gospel with persecuted churches
worldwide,’ he comments.
Keith Walker leaves the Director’s role at the end of
September to become International Strategic Development
Director, a new position in SIM’s International Leadership
Team. Dorothy Haile will act as Interim Director.