In December, we shared a developing story in India of two teen girls, Neha* and Nimesha*, in the process of being forced into marriage in a city far to the south, likely to Saudi men who would then bring the girls to Saudi Arabia. We were able to fund our local partner to travel to the city where the girls had been taken and spend several days there tirelessly searching. She involved the police, various local rescue organizations, and the local Imams who might be called upon to perform the ceremonies. Through the power of prayer and by the grace of God, we were able to locate the girls just days before the marriages were to take place. Our local partner escorted the girls back to the city they were from, so they were able to be home again in time for Christmas. A legal case is now in progress against those involved, to bring them to justice and hopefully prevent other lives from being destroyed. Pray for these girls to have the courage to give complete and honest statements to the authorities.
For the safety of the girls, our local partner set them up to live in her home until the best living situation for them can be determined. As our local partner counselled the girls, Nimesha revealed that this was not the first time something like this had happened to her. Three years ago, at the age of 13, she was given in marriage to a 35 year-old man. He kept her for just 4 months before discarding her and sending her back to her home city.
These girls have a long road of trauma healing ahead of them, but thankfully they are in a place where they will get the help they need. Our local partner will continue to disciple them and keep out of harm’s way. Pray for a more permanent safe house to be found for Neha and Nimesha. We also have identified a vocational training program the girls are interested in, which is close to our local partner’s apartment. It offers a steep discount for underprivileged students with a tuition of just $1,000 per student for the entire course. The training for these girls is well aligned to our mission at Hilltop of Hope, but the additional expense is outside of our typical operational budget. Would you consider giving to help support this training which will help these girls become independent professionals?
Spotlight on Operations in India
Our mission to rescue, redeem, and restore women trapped in the bondage of sexual slavery and exploitation in the name of Jesus is the same everywhere we work. It is what drives our passion and informs our decision making. The exact details of how the pursuit of that mission plays out in each of our locations varies depending on unique elements of the local culture, available resources, and even the expertise and connections of our local partners.
In India, we operate out of one of the largest cities in the country. This sprawling city, along with its outlying suburbs and villages, includes many red-light districts. Hilltop of Hope was birthed out of one of these districts, literally on a hill overlooking surrounding areas of the city. From this initial red-light area, we have since branched out into numerous other districts around the city and its suburbs. When we first start work in a new district, our local partners begin by seeking out a “Person of Peace”, someone who is open to hearing the gospel and introducing our team to other ladies in the area. This initial contact is essential to earning trust and connection in the red-light district. Our partners walk the area, greeting the ladies, making small talk, offering prayer, and looking for an opening to the gospel. Once they are able to have an initial gospel conversation with a woman who is open to hearing it, they begin to develop a relationship and build trust with her.
The next step after building a trust relationship with a Person of Peace is to begin holding regular discipleship meetings where the Bible is taught, the gospel is shared, and our team gets to know more of the ladies in the area and their individual needs and heart posture. Often, these meetings are held in the home of the Person of Peace, and she is instrumental in extending invitations to other ladies in the red-light district since they already know and trust her. Depending on the location and needs of the red-light district, our local partners may hold these discipleship meetings weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly, but the ladies get regular contact and follow-through, which helps in the ongoing building of trust. As our partners get to know the ladies, they begin to learn who sees the church as a source for charity only and who truly wants to know Jesus and accept His free gift of salvation. Salvation is always offered and available to all, but we avoid providing financial assistance to women who lack a desire for true life-change. Once a woman has expressed genuine desire for life-change, our local partners move quickly to provide a way out, through vocational and life-skills training, relocation to a safe-house, and/or relocation back to her home village, depending on the unique demands of the situation.
This process takes time and dedication. These women are used to being exploited, cheated, and lied to. They are typically slow to believe and accept Christ’s unconditional love and forgiveness, and understandably so. Every one of them has undergone deep emotional and physical trauma that takes time to heal, and the path to restoration is rarely straight and simple. But our financial and prayer support of our local partners makes it possible for them to continue to show up and do the hard work of loving and discipling broken people in the name of Jesus. Thank you for supporting our ongoing work in India.
Pray for wisdom and discernment as our local teams identify women in need of rescue and determine the best next steps based on the unique needs in each situation.
Pray for our US-based teams traveling to Nepal and Colombia in the next few months, for the visits to be productive and abundantly fruitful.
Pray for our two Nepali partners who each had new babies in the last few months.
Pray for the words of Jesus to be healing for ladies who hear His name for the first time.
I was born in a poor, small village. My family arranged a marriage for me when I was just 10 years old. I wanted to do my part to help my family, but I was terrified to be married at such a young age. Bewildered by my circumstances, my childhood devastated, I did my best to please my husband despite my young age and inexperience. My husband, however, was an angry and violent man. When I became pregnant with my first child, I hoped giving my husband a son would earn his favor. Alas, the child was a girl, and enraged, my husband threw me out.
I desperately tried to provide for my newborn daughter, but without work, food was impossible to come by. One day, a woman came to me and offered me a job making clothing. Overjoyed, I was certain my deliverance from ruin had come at last. I accepted the job but was surprised to find myself transported nearly 2,000 kilometers away.
The next thing I knew, I was sold into prostitution. Lost, confused, and unable to speak the local language, I was sold again and again, trapped in slavery. Without any formal education or training in useful skills, I was utterly without hope and unable to break free of my chains. Finally, by the grace of God, I was connected with the Hilltop of Hope ministry. Now I am learning to sew and make bags so that I can earn a dignified income to support myself and my three children. I am also learning about the love of a Savior who gave up His life so that I could find hope both in this life and in eternity.
These are the miraculous stories of two brothel madams who have been saved by the love of Christ.
Maya was brought to the red-light districts at around age 11, before the age of puberty. Although she did not want to be there, she was forced to stay in the brothel. One day, she met a man who fed her dreams of a better future if she married him. However, six months into their marriage, her husband sold her back into the brothel where she was forced to become a madam, responsible for procuring girls from Bangladesh and other places.
After she heard the Gospel, it took her 10 years to finally accept Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior. She became a part of the Hilltop of Hope community, where she was baptized.
Padma, now 55 years old, worked as a madam for 25 years. When she heard the Good News of Jesus, she forsake prostitution and started making a living doing odd jobs as a daily wage worker for 10 years. During the COVID pandemic, she was offered 1 lakh ( equivalent of $120,000 USD) multiple times to continue as a madam during this time of crisis, however she declined and overcame this great temptation. Even though she was out of the red-light district, she still faced judgment from the church she attended. However, when she came to Hilltop of Hope, she discovered her true identity as the beloved daughter of the Most High God, who covered her in grace.
These two worthy women received baptism with a deep desire to live a holy life. Let us continue praying for them for we know the battle that lies ahead.
The Hilltop of Hope team met Sancha while sharing the Gospel. She is half paralyzed, and her hands don't work properly. Because of that, her parents were afraid no one would marry her and had her married at age 16 to an older man who was about 45 years old.
Today she has a 13 year old daughter, and her husband is elderly. She is the only one who can provide income for the family and says that she has to sell her own body for money. However, she has accepted Christ and believes that God will surely open the doors for her and her daughter. Please keep Sancha and her daughter in your prayers. She wants her daughter to live a better life - one where she can earn money with dignity, love deeply and laugh with friends.
At age 15, I was married off to a man I didn't know. Soon, my baby daughter brought me much joy, until a disease took her life away 10 months later. My husband left me for another woman, and I was alone and disgraced. I started working as a maid, but the wages I received could barely keep women like me going - the pimps made sure of it.
When I was 24, I was convinced that selling my body certainly couldn't be worse than starving to death, but I was wrong. Life in a brothel kept my body fed, but my spirit withered as the years passed. Eventually, a kind construction worker paid off my pimp and married me. I thought escape from prostitution would restore my dignity, but my guilt clung to me like a wet garment. I was broken inside.
One day at the market I met Rencha, who used to work in the red-light district. This former prostitute told me about Jesus, the God who could remove my sin and shame. She took me to Hilltop of Hope, where I am learning how to read, to sew, and to walk daily with Jesus my Savior. My sisters in Christ at Hilltop of Hope care for my new infant son, while I sew bags and share Jesus with women who remain enslaved in sex trafficking.