Mumbai's Red Light

As I sit in my room on the peaceful grounds of St.Pius College just tucked away from the hustle and bustle of Mumbai streets, I am filled with amazement at our awesome God who has brought me here. I look at the remnants from home on my humble desk and I am nostalgic of all I have left behind to step into this God-dream and simultaneously thankful for all Home has done to make it possible for me to be here. God’s faithfulness and love have been shown to me through you and I cannot adequately express my gratitude.

My first weekend here was filled with wonder as my uncle and I experienced the vastness of the City of Dreams. We were kindly shown the city by a Vision Rescue staff member, Manoj. We saw the stunning Taj Mahal Hotel as well as the Gateway of Mumbai. Afterward we drove through the Red Light District. What a stark difference. It was as if we turned a corner and entered into a different world.

Young girls, some who appeared to be around the age of 14, lined the streets leaning against walls, cars and open doorways. Here it was, in bright daylight, the reality of human trafficking—a global epidemic. There were dark narrow alleyways which led to the rest of this world. I can’t imagine the darkness which dwelt between those concrete buildings and walls. What was foreign to me was familiar to them. It was their life. As we passed through I wondered the stories of these girls. They were so young. So beautiful. So full of potential.

As thoughts and emotions filled my heart I saw one particular girl standing in a doorway with dark stained lips and heavy eyeliner. I looked at her and couldn’t seem to look away- she immediately looked back at me. We locked eyes and as we slowly passed by one thing pounded in my heart… does she know how loved she is?

Oh, that I could tell her how loved she is! If she understood & intimately knew the love of God she would be forever changed, completely whole, and deeply new! We looked at one another until it was impossible to do so any longer. I will never see her again… but the God of the universe keeps His eye on her constantly. It is comforting to pray to Him and know He hears. It is comforting to know He is mobilizing warriors who go into the darkness to find that which is lost. Oh, that salvation would be hers!

Vision Rescue is being a light in the darkness of Mumbai’s Red Light District. They run a daycare center for children of these prostitutes who otherwise would be neglected. They share the love of Jesus with these precious lives and instill in them a hope for their future. I am so blessed to be here among such champions. They are individuals who spend their lives for others. We all have a part to play and the Vision Rescue team is playing theirs well!