Treasured–How You Can Be Part

I think the most fun thing about being Oprah must be the ability to make the announcement, “THE WHOLE AUDIENCE GETS A CAR!!!!”

I’d love to do that.

But I can’t.

I still love to give, though, so I love an opportunity to give when a little gift means goes a long way into eternity. I want to give you an opportunity like that.

On Oct. 22, I’ll be traveling with a team of 3 other women and one very brave man to help lead 2 women’s conferences in Kolkata and Siliguri India. It’s an amazing opportunity on so many levels, but I most love that we are going to minister to women. An Indian woman’s reality is complicated at this point in time. This article tells how much stress is part of her life as she is both entering the work force and expected to maintain her home in the traditional ways.

A recent news story on NPR, a traditionally liberal news outlet, that I heard just last week made me know that I was headed to the right place to do the right thing. The article reports in recent years in India, there have been more boy children born than girl children. Why?

Selective abortion.

Here’s an excerpt from the article that you must read for yourself:

“India’s latest census revealed a disturbing trend: There are far fewer girls born each year than boys.

Activists say the disparity is deliberate.

Much of Indian culture regards boys as assets to families and girls as liabilities. Some families are using ultrasound technology to determine the gender of fetuses and then aborting the females.

The process has been going on for decades, leading to a shortage of marriageable girls that is beginning to make itself felt all over India.”

The trend necessitates billboards like this (that send chills all over my body):

From the very beginning, our team has felt led to tell the women that we’re privileged to speak to how treasured they are by God. That’s our conference title.

The women in Siliguri are very poor, but they are being asked to pay $2 to attend the 3-day conference. $2 goes a long way in India, but not that far. As a team, we are generating scholarships to help the sponsoring church subsidize the cost.

So how can you help? You can pay for the cost of one scholarship which is $10. In the US, donating $10 probably means giving up Starbucks for a couple of days or packing your lunch this week. In India during the week of Oct. 22, it could mean a life that is changed.

It could mean a woman who has always considered herself unimportant, a “liability”, trouble, and unloved finally realizes that she is created in God’s image, loved, desired and called.

She is Treasured.

$10 is all I’m asking you to pray about–not an audience full of cars. Will you pray about sponsoring 1 woman (or 2 or 10)?

You can send your tax deductible gift to:

Encouraging Words, 601 Old Farm Dr., Graham, NC 27253

Just write the words “Treasured” in the memo line.

Thank you my, friends. I surely treasure you!

Note: One of my blogger friends asked a great question in the comments about some confusion that I created about the cost of the conference. Make sure you read that exchange for if I confused you too!