Changing Lives Part Two
This week we are continuing to share life-changing stories for girls.
First, we will highlight Padma. Padma has been coming to our center since she was 7 years old, she is now 20. She has two brothers and her mom. Padma’s father was an alcoholic and died when she was very young. Unfortunately, this is the story for many children in the slum. Thankfully, her mom has a great job , as a janitor, at a local university that has a great reputation. Through our tutoring program we have been able to help Padma stay in school and encourage her mom with the same. Padma has just completed pre-university, and we have been paying her to help teach in our after-school tutoring program. She desires to continue her education and have a computer degree. We have committed to funding her continued education. She will begin her computer classes in April. Padma has a kind and sweet spirit, and she loves the Lord. I believe she has a pure heart. Matthew 5 says, “Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God.” I can't wait to see how God is going to use her.
Just a few weeks ago I was with the girls I have been talking about. I taught a class on the life of Esther to about thirty teenage girls. We talked about Esther being a woman of integrity, courage and faith. Esther shows us that sometimes God puts us in certain situations for a reason and that’s why we must always trust that God is in control. During our discussion time I encouraged the girls to always stand up for each other and to be each other’s support system. As we continued talking one of the girls spoke up. Jay said there had been a man bothering some of the girls and touching them. One day as she and some of the other girls were walking to our tutoring class the man grabbed one of the girls. She said no one knew what to do and did nothing. She decided she needed to do something, so she hit the man and grabbed her friend away from him. Later they went to a trusted man friend of the ministry and told him what had happened. He is a big man, so he went and got the guy and took him to the police station. The abuser was from another state and the police transported him there. All the girls in the class roared with applause. We are all so proud of Jay. We all told her this is exactly what we are talking about, and she was amazing.
"And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?" Esther 4:14
