Praying for India
Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?
Isaiah 58:6
Prayer breaks chains and gives favor that is supernatural. It enables rescue and puts people in the right place at the right time.
Since the 1960’s, Operation Mobilization has been working in over 100 nations across the globe. Operation Mobilization is an interdenominational organization that highly values the local church, from which members are sent out from and supported. OM in India is doing incredible works. This month we would like to focus our prayers on Operation Mobilization – Bangalore and Hyderabad, India.
Jeevaline Kumar is the cousin of an Aglow National President in Asia and works closely with Operation Mobilization – overseeing the work in Bangalore and leading the anti-trafficking unit in Hyderabad.
Jeeva gives this report:
Our Bangalore Unit is involved in equipping the vulnerable women who are most likely to be trafficked because of their poor economic condition, with life skills so that they cannot be lured by traffickers. Do pray for the training and awareness programs that they undergo at Tarika Women's Center. Also there is a rehabilitation center for those rescued from trafficking and those fleeing life threatening situations. Praise God for the 600 plus women who have already graduated and secured good jobs. (To see a 5 minute testimony of recent graduate, Roopa Raju , click here.)
In Hyderabad, we are working actively to abolish the Jogini system (Devadasi) [which is a form of ritualized temple prostitution]. For at least 2,000 years, young Hindu girls and women have been dedicated to the Hindu goddess Yellamma as part of the ancient Devadasi practice (Devadasi means ‘female servant of God'). There are around 100,000 Joginis in the state of Andhra Pradesh. Although this system was declared illegal in India as late as 1988, it is still in existence today. We have been able to abolish new dedications in many villages. Pray for the awareness programs conducted regularly by ex-Joginis. We are forming a network of people (police, lawyers, other NGOs) who can help us effectively abolish this system. We are linking Joginis with Government Programs. Pray for the children of the Joginis who are most vulnerable to being dedicated. We have a shelter for such children and they are presently studying in OM's Good Shepherd School, Secunderabad.
The Scandal of Dalit (outcastes) trafficking and slavery in India is huge. It is an organized crime. We believe that prayer is a powerful weapon to fight the forces of darkness and we would very much appreciate your prayers as we have responded to God's call to action to challenge this gross injustice and human rights abuse.
What an amazing work is being done for people who have been, or are vulnerable to being trafficked in India. Let’s pray in agreement for the purposes of God to be established in Bangalore and Hyderabad:
Dalit
- Pray for Jeeva and the Operation Mobilization workers as they minister to the Dalit people and speak of their love and value in Jesus!
- Pray for Operation Mobilization as they take action to challenge injustice and abuse against the Dalit.
Bangalore
- Pray for the anti-trafficking training and awareness programs and program administrators at Tarika Women's Center.
- Pray for the rehabilitation center for those rescued from trafficking and those fleeing life threatening situations. Proclaim the hope, strength and promises of God over the precious people there. Pray for provision for the center – food, supplies, finances, counselors, workers, and volunteers.
Hyderabad
- Praise God for the abolishment of the ancient dedication practice in many villages!
- Pray for the awareness programs conducted regularly by ex-Joginis. Pray for strength and wisdom for the program administrators, and understanding and reception by the public and those at risk.
- Pray especially for the children of the Joginis who are most vulnerable to being dedicated. There is a new destiny and a new beginning here! Proclaim heavenly destiny!
Joginis
Jeeva also listed specific problems that children of Joginis can face, so we can pray over them. Because this dedication is a form of ritualized temple prostitution, the prayer needs are great. These problems are as follows. Let’s lift these up as opportunities for God to show who He is in their lives:
- Low self-esteem due to continuous exploitation.
- Often subjected to physical violence by their clients and by family members.
- Prone of health hazards due to the system.
- Due to economic vulnerability, women in the Jogini System and their female children are more vulnerable to human trafficking.
- Children of women in the Jogini system are denied identity and education, making them vulnerable to exploitation.
Thank you for coming alongside Jeeva and Operation Mobilization – Bangalore and Hyderabad in prayer. What a blessing to be able to lift them up as they walk out the amazing call God has on them to prevent trafficking and restore those who have been trafficked. By joining in prayer, we are helping see people restored to a radiant place of relationship with God and others, seeing the tyranny of oppression broken, and seeing freedom and empowerment!
Standing in the gap with you,
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Anti-Trafficking Specialist
Aglow International
