Recently, I had the distinct privilege of serving in India with a small, but awesome team of women. We grew close quickly as we spent literally every moment together in this foreign land. Many nights we stayed up laughing, crying, praying and discussing all the events of the day. On one such night we stayed up late rehashing the day’s activities. As the night wore on everyone drifted off to sleep. At some point in the night, I awoke to go to the restroom, which was located in our room, a mere 3 feet from one set of bunk beds. Remember this; it will be important later in the story. Several days earlier the door knob on the outside of the bathroom had become dislodged. We tried to fix it to no avail. At some point it simply fell off completely, we put it to the side and made a mental note to attempt a more thorough repair at a later date. I believe it was 3 am when the inevitable happened, I went to open the door and the inside knob came off. No worry, I thought to myself, I am resourceful, and I will simply find a way out. No need to wake the team! As I looked around I quickly realized there were no resources, no tools, nothing to pry the door open with, and nothing that could substitute as a tool. Being raised by a self proclaimed MacGyver I was perplexed at this situation. No tools, no resources, nothing! I did not want to wake my team but unfortunately there was no way out! I began with a slight knocking on the door, calling out, “guys, guys, anybody awake, hello?” No answer. I called out the window perpendicular to the window beside my team members heads. “Guys, wake up, I am locked in the bathroom!” No answer, no sound whatsoever. I became a little more anxious as I realized no one could hear me and there was no place to rest in this Indian style bathroom. Had I been home I may have crawled into the tub and called it a night. It was hot and stale, and sweat began to run down my face. There was nowhere to go and no where to rest. My knocking went from slight and polite, to pounding and constant. My voice grew louder as my frustration grew. “GUYS (pound, pound, pound!) WAKE UP, I AM TRAPPED!” After a long while of frustration I prayed, “Lord, a little help please.” Finally, after 30 minutes of banging and yelling I heard a faint, “come in.” Did my team member just say “come in?” In disbelief I yelled back, “I CAN’T COME IN, I’M LOCKED IN THE BATHROOM!!!!!” I heard movement finally, muffled laughter and questions. The laughter grew both on my side and theirs as they realized the situation. I heard the rustling outside of the door. Finally, my dear friend held up her cell phone to the quarter sized hole. I could see the light and knew that they were now fully awake and ready to help. They all admitted they had heard a faint knocking and had wished it would go away! After a short while I was rescued. Afterward we laughed until we cried!
The next morning we awoke to more laughter as we relived the crazy circumstances of the night before. Unexpectedly, the Lord spoke softly to my heart. He used the situation from the night before to impact my heart in a way nothing else could have done. As I mentioned before, I am resourceful, and I come from a family of resourceful people. A blessed life full of family, friends and love, never in want. Yes there were hard times but I never went to bed hungry, I was never held against my will and there were always resources available for me to reach my goals. The short time locked in that bathroom took me to a place of helplessness. I had no resources for the first time in my life. There was no way out. I could not rest on my own strength. Although I banged and yelled with all my might, no one could hear me. And when they finally heard a faint sound, they turned over hoping it would just go away. How many women trapped in the horror of human trafficking feel this way, not for 30 minutes, but constantly? How many people hear their faint cries and simply turn away or wish for someone else to take care of the problem. Helpless, hopeless and defeated for the first time I can ever remember. Help lie a mere 3 feet away in some wonderful Christian women. But they were asleep. Is the church asleep, are we unable or unwilling to hear the cries of these women. Like the sudden bright light shining through the quarter sized hole in the broken door, we can be that sign of hope for these women. When they see the light of Jesus in us they will know that help is on the way. In the form of a Jewish carpenter, who died to set them free? Not just spiritually, but physically from the chains of human trafficking.
Blessings,
J - Volunteer Bangalore
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