india…you have a piece of my heart

i recently went on a quick trip over to india from the philippines. 6 days actually. and in those six days i took 7 flights, stayed in 3 hotels, drove by bus, van, taxi, auto (3 wheel trike), train and walked a ton.

the trip was for the main purpose of documenting for an NGO that will be opening a girls home/orphanage sometime this year, outside of chennai, tamil nadu.

then we went to mumbai for 2 days and then to nagercoil fro the last two.

what i didn’t know is that my world would be completely rocked in mumbai.

“mumbai 10:30pm – i have no words to describe what i saw. all i know if that i will never be the same. and i will not be silent.

driving through the infamous “cages of mumbai”,  in amongst pimps by the hundreds, lie dozens of streets upon streets of what look like residences. except they are not. we are in amongst the biggest known brothel of the world. women and children, stolen & bought into sex slavery. they say there are over 200,000 people living in this area.

when my eyes wandered thru the crowds as we slowly drove thru this hell on earth, I saw one–one young lady sitting, waiting. and as we drove past her, I saw her eyes meet mine and all there was was dark loneliness screaming for hope, or someone to love them. as we drove past and onto the next street, a couple of young children no older than 5 playing at 11pm at night in the streets, in the middle of this hopeless death.

I am only one. and I am not sure what one like myself can do. but I know I came here for a reason. more than one reason. and I, in my own brokenness and frailty, will now begin to search out where it is I fit in all this…because I know one thing–I cannot be silent after what I saw tonight.”

i have always had a heart for india. and in recent years been more and more aware of the the reality of the sex slavery that goes on in our world in this day and age.

i loved every single moment i spent in mumbai. those two days solidified something in my heart: i could DEFINITELY live here, smog and all.

and so as i am back in my home in manila, philippines, i see those girls in my dreams, i see them daily. and i anticipate the days ahead when i can go back…and do more.

xotracey