Weathering the Cyclone Amphan

A devastating cyclone made its way across the eastern side of South Asia leaving hundreds of thousands evacuated (CNN World). The storm caused significant damage to bridges, houses, and other infrastructure in the region and caused severe flooding in several locations.

Fortunately, all of the women and staff are all safe and healthy. The House of Light, as well as the newly built Training Center, lost doors and windows but is otherwise still intact. There was significant damage to the TV, water filtration system, and refrigerator. Though everyone is safe, there is a large feeling of loss and disappointment amongst the girls as damage continues to be assessed.

Completion

As you can see, the training center in India is nearly completed! This is a huge benchmark in restoring freedom, hope, and dignity to the women in South Asia.

You might remember that this replaced a small open shed which is where the girls at the HOL would try to do their schoolwork. I say "try" because they had to watch out for snakes and spiders. No wonder they didn't want to study much! Soon, they will have this beautiful building to learn new skills in and receive education. When the borders started closing due to Covid, Bonnie and I were literally en route to India for an inauguration celebration and to plan the next steps. We had to turn back before we reached India. The building is not going anywhere, so stay tuned for a future date to celebrate and plan for the next phase of this amazing project.

But the good news does not stop! The women are safe and healthy as they weather out COVID-19. The whole facility has sufficient access to food and fortunately rhythms have not changed too much due to the security of the location.

Finishing Touches

Exciting news! The Training Center is right around the corner of being completed! As you can see, they have begun to paint the building bright, hopeful colors and are close on finishing the interior as well. The completion date is set for December. Thank you for continuing to journey with us and for investing in bringing hope, restoration, and dignity to the young women of this nation!

Dreams Really Do Come True

Dreams really do come true. The above picture shows the amazing progress that has been made on the Training Center at the House of Light. For those of you who have been involved in our project, thank you for all you have done to turn the vision of the West Bengal Training Center into a reality.

For those of you who are new to the scene, let me catch you up. Last year we pulled together to build a roof before the monsoon season. Then, mid-year, we received a phone call from someone in the States who had just sold their house. They wanted part of the proceeds to go to finishing the Training Center. Now we are on the home stretch! Tile flooring is being laid, plumbing and electricity installed, and we have even picked out the paint! We are hoping to reach completion sometime late Fall, possibly November.

When we made the trek to India to visit the project after the roof was put on, we were stunned at the beauty of the building. The contractor’s vision was beautiful. He said, “When the girls see the building, they will know that someone cares for them. They will know that God cares for them and that they matter.”

What difference will this make in the lives of girls rescued from trafficking? Not only will the House of Light provide a safe place to recover, but now they will have onsite education and skills training available. We have plans for a computer center to be installed with cloud-based learning curriculums, a sewing center, rooms for counseling and rooms where they can receive training in various life skills. This will give them a chance for a future free from slavery and oppression. Free to flourish and live a life of dignity.

Just Like Her

You have a silliness and exuberance—a certain spark that reminds my of my own daughter.  Posing for the camera, making yourself laugh, making those around you smile, wanting to show yourself to me—swimming, splashing, jumping into the water.  Just like her. 

You are like my daughter.  You love flowers and paint them on cards, t-shirts and any other surface you can find.  You are an artist and have a quiet and beautiful spirit.  You will try new things and you want to learn and grow.  Just like her.

You are like my daughter.  You picked up my camera and wouldn’t put it down.  You wanted to create artistic photos and also take cool, silly shots with your friends.  You are active, wanting to ride a bike or dance to music.  You want to play. Just like her.  

We are in the final stage of fundraising to finish the educational training center.  I feel so blessed to be a part of this project and be a part of giving these young women who have been rescued out of slavery a chance to learn, grow and take steps forward in their own lives to dream of what life could be.  

This November I will be traveling to India again to visit the House of Light and check on the progress of our project.  This time I get to bring my own daughter to meet the girls and share in the experience of helping and connecting with people around the world.    

Raising the Roof

The skills training center at the House of Light is becoming a reality! However, as you can see, it still doesn’t have a roof. This is a problem because the monsoon season is coming. We are literally racing against time to get the roof on before the rain and inevitable flooding begins. If we succeed, then the work can continue inside during the rainy season instead of coming to a halt until November.

The roof represents safety, hope, and a future for the many girls who have been rescued from sex trafficking in West Bengal. They are young and bright, and this will provide a safe place for training in skills like sewing, embroidery, and computer use, as well as for other important job training. It will also be a safe place for education for those who cannot go out to the local school.

We have a few dollars still standing in the way of completing the roof. 11,000 to be exact. The magic number for completing the building is around 36,000 dollars. We are so close! For those of you who have been following this project, you have seen each phase provided for, starting with the foundation. Even though we are racing against the rain, we are hopeful that the money will come just in time. We are so grateful for each of you who are following this and in partnership with us.

O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree...

I was walking through a market in Kolkata the day before we were to take a group of college students from the U.S. to the House of Light for a day of service, when I saw these pitiful, scraggily four-foot-tall Christmas trees in a storefront window. Imagine "Charlie Brown". But even so, the second I saw them I immediately wanted to buy one for the girls at the House of Light. I just wasn’t sure they’d even want one. Would a tree have the same impact for them as it would in the States? Would the sisters even approve of one? I wasn’t sure, but after some thought, I decided to just buy one anyway. I guessed that the worst that could happen was they’d send me home with the poor little thing. Ha!

We arrived at the house the next day and I had the men in our group work outside, clearing debris away for a retaining wall that will be built to help keep out flood water during monsoon season. The sisters were ecstatic for the help! I brought the ladies inside to do projects with the girls who, at first, were very shy of us. But after a little encouragement, they began to sit down and participate in the activities we'd planned.

The night before we visited the house, I'd led the students through some trauma training and tips for how to engage victims in ways that would be healing for them. One of the things we learned is that positive social experiences can be incredibly healing for victims of sex trafficking. They are so accustomed to being seen as a means to an end by their captors, that interacting with people who just want to spend time with them, without strings attached, can go a long way towards rebuilding trust in relationships. So, having fun activities for them was a safe and helpful way to create some of those positive interactions.

We taught some basic piano, brought a sewing project to teach them and had some fun crafts for them to do. They particularly liked making the little yarn Christmas stars we’d brought! Once I had everyone busy, I brought out the tree and began to assemble it. Then, one of the sisters walked in, saw the tree and turned to one of the girls and asked,

“Do you remember what you asked me last week? Why did I not have a Christmas tree for you? And I told you we could not afford one? Look, God has answered!” and she pointed to the tree.

It was all I could do to hold back the tears as I realized that it wasn’t just a whim that made me buy that tree. It was God! He knew how much the girls wanted a Christmas tree and He, in his infinite love and care, made sure they got one! And the girls were so excited to hang their Christmas stars on the tree and so proud of them as they showed them to us, saying, “Look, Auntie, look!” We’d praise their handiwork and say, “Now go hang it on the tree!”  I just wanted to freeze that moment, filled with so much joy and happiness! Amazing that what I saw as a small, pitiful tree could be such a treasure to them. It may as well have been the tree in Rockefeller Plaza for all they cared!

photo by Teresa Touma

My favorite moment was at the end of our day when the sisters had us all join together on the roof to eat Christmas cake, drink tea and sing Christmas carols. They insisted we bring the decorated tree out to display, as well. And one of the girls, who spoke on behalf of the group, shared with us how much joy the day had brought them and how grateful they were for the tree. By the time we left, they were holding our hands and hugging us, begging us to come again; such a one-eighty from the start of the day!

As we walked away from the house, my prayer for the girls was that they'd recognize it was God who had answered their prayer for a tree, not us. And I pray that every time they look at that little tree, they will be struck by how much He cares about everything that concerns them. I pray, more than anything else that they will see, in that tree, El Roi, the God who sees them. 

Welcome!

Welcome to House of Light's news blog. We are so thankful that you are entering into this journey with us! Check back here for the latest news and developments on the House of Light and future training center!