Light House, March 2022

Thank you for your prayers and gifts for the LightHouse project and for Bunu’s cancer treatment. Please continue to pray as she receives care in Mumbai and advice on ongoing radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Pray for a breakthrough in healing and restoration in Bunu’s life.

Leading Girls and Women into Victories Life.

Trafficking, sexual abuse and domestic violence: these are just a few of the huge issues women face around the world and especially in this part of India. Revival fires’s India Anti Trafficking Project is working to change this, and your support is vital. 

Here are five ways you are empowering women and making an impact in the battle against gender based violence.

For thousands of vulnerable women and girls living in different parts of the world especially here in India ,it’s a common occurrence and a daily part of life. It’s always wrong, wherever it takes place. Our Anti Human Trafficking India Project along with local partners, is taking a stand, and each one of your support is making it possible. Here are five ways you are with your generous financial gifts and fervent prayers fighting human trafficking and empowering young girls and women around the in Northern part of Bengal , India.

1.Education 

Education should be a fundamental right for everyone. However, in India  acts of violence towards young girls especially in the marginalised states stop many from receiving the education they so desperately deserve.

 It’s not uncommon for girls to be abused by someone known to them , sometimes they leave home tricked for a better life opportunities outside the village ending up getting trafficked for sex trade , child labour. Also to become an illegal surrogate this acts of injustices often leads these young girls into pregnancies. 

Light House anti trafficking project is working in Siliguri India (which is a transit town having close borders to Nepal, Bangladesh , Bhutan , China via Sikkim )to help survivors restore in a holistic christ centric transformation, mentor and equip them with both formal and basic education for those that were forced to drop out of school.

By getting customised care plan and need assessment for each survivors placed with us either by a local referring organisation, child welfare committee chairperson , the family or at times an sos call by the survivors herself we hope that more young girls in this part of India will have access to living life with opportunities and learning without fear of abuse.

2. Freeing women from prostitution

Prostitution is degrading to women, but unfortunately for many it’s the only way to earn a living. Our India Anti Human Trafficking Project works with your valuable support along with local partners in India and to free and empower women who have been trafficked into the sex industry and give them employment. They are trained as beauty experts , hospitality personnel or given a sewing fashion garment making trainings.These skills set women up for a future without sexual exploitation. A future of freedom. 

3. Helping women to know their rights

Lack of understanding of the legal system prevent many young girls and women from knowing the rights they have as human beings.By teaching women to understand the law we are also empowering young girls and women to take a stand against injustice.

4.Access to skill training for economic empowerment 

Learning a new skill has transformed the lives of young girls and women who felt hopeless in the face of adversity. Learning to sew has given new ambition and a way to improve quality of life. Voice of a survivors on What are the biggest joys that they get from the sewing training: 

“The sewing training is going to help me,” she says. “After this training, I’m going to manage to support my family, I’m going to manage to rent my house.”

“Sewing helped me appreciate the time it takes to create a piece of clothing not how I imagined that it popped out of a automatic machine.”

“Seeing a piece of cloth transform into a beautiful piece of clothing gives me immense joy and makes me proud of my own ability to create.Contrary to what I thought in the past - That I have no creative gifts.”

“Sewing has helped me connect to this community of young women with shared past , pain and hope for a better future.”

5.Serving and fighting for those that cannot fight for themselves 

We are serving survivors of human trafficking , rape and commercial sexual exploitation by sharing God’s love. Being quiet on these pressing issues is often the case for most communities globally.Here at home, Light House Anti Human Trafficking Project is engaging communities and churches through our work bringing awareness on the issues. It is too easy to tell ourselves that there is nothing we can do for these Big injustices happening globally especially in India .But that is a lie, meant by a selfish society to make us complacent, meant by the Enemy to discourage us. 

The fact is, YOU have already made a difference, and YOU continue to.

YOUR fervent prayers for us working as a team on ground in India is helping us win over strongholds , YOUR generous financial GIFT is bring Transformational Hope in the lives of these survivors. You’re helping our India team share training and best practices with both Government and non governmental stakeholders. Your faith Gift is helping us providing full course meals , round the clock care ,  access to education, skill trainings.

These survivors have seen things most of us would never recover from. They’ve fled city after city, witnessed exploitation at every waking minute. Your gifts and your prayers are giving them new Hope in Life. We are not only looking at serving them in love and compassion but bringing them into the Light by sharing the Gospel. 

We see the gospel is bearing fruit in their life everyday.

Light House Anti Trafficking Project projects is seeing young girls and women from all kinds of backgrounds, ages and places coming to a saving faith in Jesus Christ.

February updates 

We are happy to update that three of our short term skill training survivors completed their beauty training. 

Two of the survivors got a job placement in the city and we gave them a lovely farewell back in December to celebrate their time with us and their life together. 

When a a survivor completes our Mentorship Program on securing a job placement we also offer them the choice to either stay with us on a longer period  or transition independently on their own with us following up for a year making it more of a relational approach to the Mentorship Program. 

We praise God that even though on the personal front Bunu ( Leading the Anti Trafficking Project in India ) was faced with a health set back - detected with a local breast cancer recurrence organisationally the Lord continued to give timely wisdom and discernment to the India team and the Khati family to continue mentoring and providing for the survivors. 

In times of such adversity the Lord continues to shine His face more brightly upon us as a team as a family as an organisation taking on a journey from wilderness to wondrous victory. 

We extend our gratitude to each one of you who stood with us not only in interceding for us in your daily prayers but with you gifts both financial and spiritual to give us the much needed support and courage during this season of our lives. 

During this time of a health crisis at times our faith wavered yet sometimes we felt lost as a team as individuals sometimes unsure as an organisation. 

But the Lord continued to remind us that even if we waver, we wander to the wilderness as the Israelites, and we wonder why God has forsaken us. But God never let go of his hold on us, when we are lost God knows where we are, He calls our name and pulls us back into his arms.

YOUR PRAYERS make a Difference!

We are so encouraged when we know people are praying for us, because we simply can’t do this work without you. If you pray, you make a difference, because then together we can make a difference.

Moving into a new situations almost every day to bring restoration and transformation for these survivors is very challenging and takes a lot of emotional and physical energy – having people and partners praying for us alongside. During this season of our lives an organisation we are so grateful for the most intimate care and love of our mentors and leaders Pastor Trevor and Sharon who continues to rally for us interceding for us in their prayers from thousands of miles across the country telling us that they care for us and continuing to root for our victory is just so precious and brilliant as it stops us from feeling we have to carry everything ourselves. They ignite in us the living Hope in Jesus encouraging us to keep pressing for the resurrection life force into everything we do. 

We are very aware that we can’t do all that is needed in our own strength at the moment, and are deeply grateful for each of your prayers and of those around us to sustain us in God’s strength.

Praise updates 

1.Out of 6 survivors 4 have completed their skill training.

2.Job placement for 1 survivor who we are continuing to give residential support and over all care.

3.One Survivor will be appearing for 10th standard board examination sometime in September. We have arranged for Math and science tuitions for her daily.

4.New batch admissions for Sewing classes for fashion garment making , needle work and embroidery.

6.Our vocational trainer who is also a survivor of human trafficking herself has been with us along with her two children whom we have been providing free primary education, residential support. Her husband had suffered loss of job post Covid-19 so prayerfully we have offered him to bring his toto (a electric rickshaw) to help drop off our survivors at the skill training centres, tuitions and help with commuting for other needs. In his spare time he drive his rickshaw in the local market. This has helped the family sustain and save enough for a comfortable living. We praise God that we have this opportunity to minister to this family sharing the love of Jesus. 

A Huge praise for us to help usher this precious family of four in the Lord accepting Jesus as their personal saviour. 

7.Praise God we had the every favour of the doctors , our family ,friends especially your support in covering the cost of the ongoing treatment of Bunu ‘s cancer treatment. A radical single mastectomy surgery has been completed and the surgery incisions will be removed on 12th. Following which the Doctors will suggest on the next line of treatment. 

March Updates 

The LORD builds up Jerusalem; He gathers the exiles of Israel, He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds -Psalm 147:2-3

Ministering to Sex Trafficking Survivors 

There are so many in this world who are hurting and broken. Each one of us goes through trials. While this is true, the path to healing is different based on the trauma that each one of us endure.

As we have the privilege of helping to bring healing and wholeness to women that have been rescued from human trafficking.

The road to healing begins with breaking down and rebuilding. You have to break down all the lies that they believe.

There is also a deep fear instilled in them. Fear that the trafficker will find them. Fear they will be beaten again or even killed. These were not idle threats. Most of the women have been beaten and brutally raped to force them into submission. 

Once we can break down the fear and lies, we help replace them with truth. Truth about who God says they are. Truth about the fact that one choice should not define us for the rest of our lives.

There isn’t a straight line that will take them from broken to healed. It is a process. It takes time. It takes love. It takes those who are willing to walk beside them, pick them up when they fall and encourage them along the long and winding road.

One of the hardest parts of working with these women is giving them the freedom to give up on their healing. You can’t force someone to forgive themselves, to believe in themselves, or to complete the healing process. All we can do is plant seeds of faith, hope and love.

In the healing process we are also helping to create new “normals”.Our goal is to equip these women to be self-confident and independent. 

The women go to church and a weekly Bible study to learn who they are in Christ. The women are given a space so they can heal and thrive. Many of these young women have had all of their identifications stolen. We help them get their birth certificates, bank accounts and a other Government IDs. Once they have proper identification they can choose to continue their education or learn a skill for an economic viable trade. These survivors are some of the bravest women we have ever known.

It is Our passion to see the broken hearted be healed, to proclaim freedom to those in captivity, and show those bound in shame and despair that there is a Savior who sees them, and has loved them every moment of their lives since He first formed them in the womb. 

If you'd like to partner with Us in offering these beautiful women beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning and a garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, you can connect with the incredible team of @revivalfires who have continued to support our efforts with their endless love, prayers and generous financial gifts for past so many years to see lives restored and transformed rooted in Christ.