Longing For The Light

When you look into Chandra’s* eyes, you’ll see more than I could ever express in words. You get a glimpse of her pain and heartbreak…and the silent longing for a better life.

Chandra comes from a small village in India, where she worked as a maid. Her life was hard but manageable, nothing like the nightmare she’s living now.

You see, several months ago, a man she trusted—a friend who claimed to love her—promised to help her find a better paying job. Instead, he sold her…and left her captive and hopeless in a red-light district over 200 miles from her home.

Today, Chandra lives in a brothel under the control of her “landlady.” She endures horrible physical abuse and emotional torment and isn’t allowed to keep any of the money her customers pay.

She is made to beg for everything she needs—food, clothing, medicine. If she complains or asks too many questions, she is brutally beaten.

Chandra told us that she started drinking alcohol daily—not out of choice, but to numb the pain. The emotional trauma has pushed her into deep despair. She said, “The customer physically wants to do things I don’t understand.”

These are hard words to hear, and girls like Chandra are the very reason for Project GRL.

Answering Their Cries

Together, you and I can fight for those women and girls around the world who can’t fight for themselves. Those trapped in poverty. Those facing food insecurity. Those enduring violence. Those being trafficked. Those whose stories the world has ignored.

For instance, every day, God is drawing women like Chandra to our Project GRL medical vans in India. Here, we reach out to those in red-light districts who endure the daily pain and humiliation of forced prostitution.

Our medical vans offer a meaningful respite for those who are closely watched by their captors. While rescue is not always an option, we are able to provide each patient with free medical care, basic medicines, hygiene essentials, prayer, and spiritual support.

For many women, stepping into this van is the first moment of dignity they’ve experienced in years!

These small interactions allow us to see what God sees—the hurt in their eyes, the betrayal they’ve experienced, the physical pain they endure. He loves each one as His own child, and He wants to help us do what we can to reach out and help them.

When Chandra first came to our medical van, she had been battling a fever and extreme weakness. It turned out she was suffering from severe anemia and had to be rushed to a hospital where she received a blood transfusion, iron supplements, and other medications.

Weeks later, when she returned, her condition had barely improved. She soon broke down in tears, sharing that her landlady beat her when she expressed the desire to return home. The bruises on her body told their own story.

Because Chandra was afraid to stay too long at the van, our staff walked her back to the brothel, silently praying for God to set her free. Chandra’s treatment is ongoing, and we pray that she will be healed physically, mentally, and spiritually.

This woman’s story is not just a story—it is a cry for help. It is a mirror of countless other lives trapped in darkness, longing for the light.

Find Their Way Home

I know that Chandra’s story is difficult to hear. We want every encounter with the people we reach to have a perfect ending. Chandra is still right in the middle of this nightmare, and we don’t have a happy ending yet. But we serve a God who is right in the middle of our messy stories…and He uses us in the midst of them.

Looking at the darkness of it all can be painful and uncomfortable, but God is asking us to do something about it. We have the incredible privilege to stand in the gap and fight on Chandra’s behalf, and the behalf of so many others. She is the reason that we can’t ever give up or slow down!

Not every woman can be rescued immediately. Not every escape comes quickly. But every single thing we do matters—every moment of compassion, every medical treatment, and every prayer whispered over a trembling heart. This is how we build trust and prepare the way for rescue.

In the midst of the pain—amidst darkness and the horrors that we’d rather not see—we can share His light and, one by one, reach these precious women and girls.

I’m so grateful for the countless lives you have already changed! And I ask you to join me to reach even more girls in need. Yes, sometimes it’s messy, difficult, and heartbreaking, but isn’t that the point of it all? That’s what God does for us. He chases after us—He comes to seek and save the one who is lost (Luke 19:10).

Together, we can tell girls around the world about a God Who loves them and will never forsake them. We can meet their physical, emotional, and spiritual needs…and help these women find their way home.

*Her name has been changed to protect her identity.