Losing battles

We see battles won and lost. 

On Wednesday some of our students went to the restaurant where Pear is staying/working to try to bring her back to The Well so she could start school the next day.  They were unsuccessful.  I tried calling her mom but she was no help.  We've had a lawyer draw up custody papers and will ask her to sign--not sure if she will because she wants Pear to make money for her.  We may have to compromise or sell out a bit and offer to provide her ongoing support in exchange for letting us take care of her daughter.  Praying about that one.

Judy and I had a great time, however short, in Phuket.  I'll post a couple of photos later.  There were bars everywhere, and we ended up becoming friends with a bar girl who stopped us while walking past. Pim is 29 with a 9 year-old son.  She says she recently broke up with her husband.  She also talked about a young American woman she met a while back that we believe was one of our short-term volunteers a couple of months ago.  She turned down our offer to return to Bangkok with us and join The Well, saying she had some debt there she had to clear up first.  Unfortunately if you're an unskilled single mother in Thailand, and have financial trouble, prosititution is pretty much your only option, and there are many cases we meet where we just can't offer enough.  While Pim's salary at The Well would be about $200 a month--generous for an unskilled worker in Thailand, Pim probably would need about $60 more.

I've therefore been thinking more and more about the economic system here that puts such a ceiling on the poor, where 8% of the population controls 80% of the wealth and as a whole, the wealthy seem to do very little to help the poor, other than make big profits off their backs.  I know God doesn't like it, but I am not yet sure what He intends to do about it.  I know one way or another we'll win the war, but a lose a lot of battles in the meantime.

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Edwin
Posts: 3
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reply
Reply #3 on : Wed November 07, 2007, 23:21:59
i personally am getting a bit frustrated with injustice....
yet i am beginnign to get the funny feelign that the rich will always rule, until we all die... which is inacurrate and pessimust but it kinda looks like it
Noah Adair
Posts: 3
Comment
Hope
Reply #2 on : Tue November 06, 2007, 22:36:01
Jim,

I was just reading Gary Haugen's book "Good News About Injustice" in which Haugen writes, "In the end, the battle against oppression stands or falls on the battlefield of hope"(Haugen, 67) In the words of Edmund Burke (quoted by Haugen), "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing"(67). Don't give up hope. The societal structures of injustice are overwhelming, but the hope of Christ (which can be distributed in so many ways -- job creation, etc) is the very thing that can free these girls.

God has given me and a couple other guys here in Chicago a passion to use our business skills and experience alongside our passion for ministry to empower people and give people hope. I would like to talk with you if you have time.

773.504.9618

Be Encouraged,
Noah
Gabrielle Eden
Posts: 3
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battle lost
Reply #1 on : Mon November 05, 2007, 00:24:04
I just sent more money and I'm glad I did. In one way or another, we'll win the war. Thanks for loving these girls. Prayers are with you.