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If you came over from Encouragement for Today, welcome! I’m so glad you read my devotion, Look at Me, and decided to visit my blog.  Today I share a story about that little girl and the slum in which she lives.

It’s a story of poverty, oppression, and unbelievable hope.

She was so little.

The “Gaga” in me struggled. I’ve seen little ones in poverty, loved and treasured by their mamas, even when their belly is hungry or their home is a shanty.

I’ve just never seen one so little so forsaken.

No diaper. She squatted not far from me and left the remains in the road.

No protection. The jagged cut on her ankle was dismissed by those around her. It wasn’t callous. It was just the way things were.

No chance. She was born into a belief that she’s less than, untouchable, unseen. She is told that it’s her duty, her darma, to live this existence. To rise above it is unthinkable.

Without a miracle, she’ll grow up believing this is true.

No education. That’s where this story shifts and it’s why I want to weep as I share it.

Five months ago I traveled with the Proverbs 31 Ministries Intl. Initiative team to India. We had a mission: to document and spread the word about a ministry changing lives in India.

India is a country with the largest number of unreached people groups for Jesus. India is beautiful and colorful and vast, and I met many strong women. I met kind men who loved their daughters.

I also sat with women and girls who had no voice. Who were beaten because they became believers. Who were in a segment of the population called Dalit, or untouchable. I met girls who were at the mercy of ruthless men. I met people who are told from the moment that they are born that they are unwanted by society.

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We traveled to several different literacy centers across the nation. In one, I asked a woman, “What is your dream?”

She looked at me blankly.

It happened again and again when I posed this question. You see, when you are told from the moment that you are born that dreams are not just impossible, but wrong, you believe it.

Instead of dreaming, you turn to survival.

These girls and women are smart. They are worthy. They are loved by God. Mission India believes that every girl child is valuable. They believe that every woman deserves to read. They believe that teaching someone math will give them tools to start a small business, like making laundry detergent, the difference between hunger and food on the table.

They believe that when you teach one woman, she’ll turn around and teach another — whether that is her daughter or her husband, or a friend.

[ctt template=”4″ link=”lk1Zn” via=”yes” ]When we teach one, she turns around and teaches another. That is what breaks poverty. #uninvited @Proverbs31org @suzanneeller[/ctt]

They share the truth of the Gospel gently, and women respond to the truth that she is not unloved. Regardless of whether society calls them untouchable, she is worthy of touch from God.

When I returned home, I was never more grateful to be a part of Proverbs 31 Ministries.

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I’m thankful for a friend and a leader who is humble and who has has given 100% of proceeds from her bestselling books to ministries all over the world.

{{A portion of those funds went to Mission India, and that means that many more women will learn to read and potentially discover Jesus’ love.}}

I’m so thankful for women like you who are making a difference in the lives of others.

Today I want to share a video that tells the story of a man named Raju. He’s one of the teachers in the literacy program.

This is why I have so much hope!  The little girl I mentioned, she lives in this rag picking slum. Because of Raju’s bravery and Mission India’s vision, there is a teacher and a literacy program within reach.

I was honored to be in the photo above with Raju. Most of the teachers we met were women who came up through the literacy program and then turned around to teach others.

Raju goes against culture (as did many other good men we met) to lift women and girls out of this cycle. He’s suffered persecution because of it.

Because of Mission India and brave people like Raju, this little girl will grow up knowing how to read, do math, and learn about Jesus.

She’ll discover that dreams are possible.

Do you want to know more about Mission India?

Please check out this ministry to learn more about their literacy programs.

Do you want to make a difference?

My friend, Lysa TerKeurst, is giving away all of the proceeds of her New York Times bestseller, Uninvited: Living Loved When You Feel Less Than, Left Out, and Lonely, to ministries such as Mission India.

I’m reading it for the second time. It’s beautifully written. It’s life changing — not just as you read it but when you purchase it and the proceeds pour into the life of another.

Suzie