January crawled by initially with anticipation of three visitors at the end of the month. A friend from college dropped in for a long weekend and then my Mom and her “co-sister,” as the national staff describe her (she is actually my brother’s mother-in-law), Chris, came for a week of checking out my city and doing some traveling down South. I can’t tell you how fun it was to show people around my home.
In March, one of our advocates celebrated a conviction of a woman who had abetted the repeated rape of one of our referral cases. The survivor came to our office the day after the conviction with sweets to say “thank you.” Later that day, she was able to celebrate International Women’s Day at the government home where she was once a resident and be recognized for her courage in testifying against her perpetrator- an empowering and inspiring experience.
And now April is here, the first weekend of which was spent traveling to some amazing places in South Asia with the other interns and fellows. It was so nice to get out of the city for a bit and enjoy some fresh(er) air and good company!
April is already shaping up to be a busy month with an assessment of the Model Aftercare Home project, many repatriations for rescued girls to their home states, and the rolling out of our Staff Care Plan to support our employees in their work that exposes them to a great deal of trauma.
In terms of what I have been learning- beyond budgets and program design and implementation, of course- I feel that God is revealing more and more about what is good and what He requires of His people. As a disclaimer to my upcoming personal outpouring, I certainly don’t mean to sensationalize the work here or the people doing it. Amidst the rescue operations and convictions and breakthroughs with rescued girls there are everyday tasks- reports to write, data to manage, emails to return, lunch to order (which typically falls to me, as I consistently get hungry before anyone else in my department). It’s an office like any other in many ways, yet I think God has been teaching me through the consistent selfless love shown by my teammates.
A while back, one of my best friends had shared with me a verse from Philippians that she had been meditating on… At the time, I enjoyed hearing her insights, and this January, the verses came back with conviction:
Philippians 1:9-11 (The Message)
“So this is my prayer: that your love will flourish and that you will not only love much but well. Learn to love appropriately. You need to use your head and test your feelings so that your love is sincere and intelligent, not sentimental gush. Live a lover’s life, circumspect and exemplary, a life Jesus will be proud of: bountiful in fruits from the soul, making Jesus Christ attractive to all, getting everyone involved in the glory and praise of God.”
I’m not sure if I had mentioned it before, but part of my role since October has been to manage the three Case Mangers in our aftercare department. I’m certainly learning a great deal, and I couldn’t ask for a better (and more gracious) team. However, one of the hardest things I have to do in this role is to call the Case Mangers- late at night, early in the morning, throughout the day- and ask them to do things that go beyond the call of duty.
For example, a few weeks ago, I called one of the Case Managers who had been up since 5:00 am so that she could accompany and provide support to a victim who was testifying in court, and asked her to come to the office (a two hour commute) so that she could be present for another rescue operation- an all night event. I apologized profusely for this request while she giggled and said, “No problem, Ann. I am coming.” And she came. And when I talked to her the next day at 7:30 am when she finally reached home, she didn’t complain or talk about how tired she was- she excitedly told me about the highlight of the operation- one of the women wanted rehabilitation!
And then, last month, another Case Manager left for an aftercare home at 5:00 pm after a long day at work. Two hours later, she finally arrived at the home where she was to meet a newly rescued girl. She called me at 10:00 pm that evening to let me know she made it home safely and recounted about how she was able to pray with this young woman and give comfort to her in a very scary time. I answered her with a weak “thank you.” Her response? “It’s my pleasure, dear.”
I can only imagine this is the kind of heart Jesus had in mind when He commissioned us to not only love much but to love well. And let me tell you, that kind of love certainly makes Jesus attractive. I’m so thankful to be here, pursuing justice alongside a team who are daily teaching me how to seek justice out of selfless love. It’s pretty incredible.
