Mai grew up with her family in the jungle. Her father had a tumour growing on the side of his face and villages, fearing that he was afflicted by evil spirits, wouldn’t allow the family to settle close to them.
As her father got steadily sicker, the family began to travel away from their home in the middle of the jungle. Money was short, and food ran. To keep them going, Mai was sold for her weight in rice to a small business. Here, she was physically abused and forced to work.
One of our partner teams came across Mai and sought to free her. The team learned that her parents were in no condition to look after her again, and so bought Mai back from the business. Today she lives at their children’s centre, receiving an education, hearing devotions from God’s Word and helping at the farm by collecting the eggs that the chickens lay. Mai also has her very own children’s Bible which she loves to read!
After some time, Mai wondered why this place she was living in was different from where she had been before. When asked why she thought the centre was different, Mai replied, “Because no one hits me here.”
HOW TO PRAY
- Please pray for little Mai as she continues to learn about God and enjoy the safety of the centre
- Praise God for how he has used this centre in South–East Asia to reach many with the gospel
- Pray for the team’s continued safety and security as they work in this restricted land
This story first appeared in the May ‘Newsbite’, our recently renamed monthly email. You can sign up to receive the Newsbite in the box below.