Freedom

Posted by notestowomen on June 26, 2018

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She stood on top of the mountain, her eyes riveted to the American flag as it flapped gently in the breeze. It was more spectacular than the surrounding landscape. It was a symbol of freedom from a life of religious persecution in a country where being a Christian led to her husband’s arrest and imprisonment. After learning of his death resulting from vicious beatings and torture, she fled their home. She was two months pregnant.

For days she traveled on foot with nowhere to sleep and nothing to eat except sunflower seeds but still, she continued to cling to her faith. She found a safe house in Bangkok but shortly after, Thai police showed up, seized her possessions and sent her to detention. The judge ordered her deportation. Back in the jail cell, she prayed, “God, please help me.”

And He did, through the U.S. Embassy officials who helped her to escape from the Chinese and to America. Now she and their daughter were free. One day she would tell her about her brave father.

175 words.

It was inspired by a true event and was written for the Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writers challenge. For more information, please visit Here.

To read other stories based on this week’s prompt, visit Here.

Source: Christian Post; The Voice of the Martyrs Canada; CBN News

Shackles

Posted by notestowomen on June 12, 2017

As she read the two volume autobiography of Olaudah Equiano, she was reminded of how fortunate she was. She was a black, educated woman who was able to go to the university of her choice and become what she had always dreamed of. She and her parents left the West Indies for a better life in America.

Her world was so different from Olaudah’s. He had been kidnapped from his home in the West Indies and taken to Virginia where he was bought by a sea captain, Michael Henry Pascal, with whom he traveled widely. Olaudah received some education before he bought his freedom in 1766. He became an abolitionist, speaking out against the cruelty of British slave owners in Jamaica.

Slavery is something she was never going to experience, but she knew what it was like to be treated differently because of the colour of her skin. She learned that being educated, living in a stylish condo and driving an expensive car didn’t matter to those who didn’t see past her colour. She still had to deal with being watched or ignored or followed when in certain stores or co-workers looking away as she passed them.

Yes, she had her own issues to deal with but they paled in comparison to Olaudah who suffered cruelty and indignity at the hands of those who wanted to keep him and the other slaves in emotional and intellectual shackles. She was grateful to Olaudah for writing about the horrors of slavery. It made her more determined to work harder and achieve more. It was what drove her to pursue her Masters. Like Olaudah, there were times when she questioned her faith but she has since learned that it is during those tough, challenging times that God has proven that she has the mettle to overcome them.

Yes, she had come a long way with God’s help but there was still a long way to go. Little by little she was going to break free from the racist mentalities that would like to keep blacks shackled to the painful past of slavery.

“After all, what makes any event important, unless by its observation we become better and wiser, and learn ‘to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly before God?'” – Olaudah Equiano

Cartoon image of woman reading book

Sources: Wikipedia; Britannica; Daily Kos

Harriet Tubman

Posted by notestowomen on February 15, 2016

Harriet Tubman was an escaped slave who became a leading abolitionist. She led hundreds of slaves to freedom on the Underground Railroad.

Notes to Women salute this brave woman who suffered hardship and physical violence. When she crossed into the free state of Pennsylvania, she was overwhelmed with relief and awe. Of this experience, she said, “When I found I had crossed that line, I looked at my hands to see if I was the same person. There was such a glory over everything; the sun came like gold through the trees, and over the fields, and I felt like I was in Heaven.”

This taste of freedom was something that she wanted others to experience. So, instead of staying there in the North where it was safe, she made it her mission to rescue her family and others who were still living in slavery. She earned the nickname “Moses” for leading others to freedom.

Harriet made history as the first woman to lead an armed expedition in the war, guiding the Combahee River Raid which liberated more than 700 slaves in South Carolina. She was named one of the most famous civilians in American History before the Civil War, third only to Betsy Ross and Paul Revere. Today, she continues to be an inspiration to generations of Americans who are still struggling for civil rights.

I freed a thousand slaves I could have freed a thousand more if only they knew they were slaves.

I would fight for my liberty so long as my strength lasted, and if the time came for me to go, the Lord would let them take me.

I had crossed the line. I was free; but there was no one to welcome me to the land of freedom. I was a stranger in a strange land.

I had reasoned this out in my mind, there was one of two things I had a right to, liberty or death; if I could not have one, I would have the other.

I grew up like a neglected weed – ignorant of liberty, having no experience of it.

I said to de Lord, ‘I’m goin’ to hold steady on to you, an’ I know you’ll see me through.’

Twasn’t me, ’twas the Lord! I always told Him, ‘I trust to you. I don’t know where to go or what to do, but I expect You to lead me,’ an’ He always did.

Sources: Biography; Brainy Quote

Literacy Saved Her Paycheck

Posted by notestowomen on November 28, 2015

Literacy brings an incredible freedom to women in South Asia; helping them to take care of their families, not be cheated at the marketplace, and be able to read the Bible for themselves – Gospel for Asia

As an avid reader, I can’t imagine not being able to read. It is one of my favorite things to do. I loved reading since I was a child. It led to my other favorite thing–writing. Being able to read and write can really make a difference. You can read books, study the Bible, write letters, read recipes, directions, the labels on products in the grocery store and write checks. These are things that most of us can do but in South Asia, more than 30% of the women are unable to because of illiteracy.

Imagine that you are illiterate and have no opportunity for an education. Imagine the struggles you face as you try to make ends meet while your husband spends your earnings on alcohol. This was Dayita’s reality. She came from a village where few girls received an education. Being illiterate left her with very few options. She began sewing clothing to ease her family’s financial situation. Her husband Kaamil deposited her earnings in the bank but she was horrified when she found out that he was withdrawing her money so that he could buy alcohol. Desperate, Dayita found someone to help her to open her own bank account but managing it proved to be very difficult because she couldn’t read or write. She was unable to fill out the deposit and withdrawal forms. She had to rely on others to help her.

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble – Psalm 46:1

God saw that Dayita needed help and He intervened. He sent Ashna and Neha, believers from the local Women’s Fellowship to start a literacy class in Dayita’s area. Dayita began attending the sessions because she was determined to keep her hard-earned money safe. To her surprise, Kaamil supported her. Ashna taught two hour classes on reading and writing from a Bible based curriculum. Within two months, Dayita could read and write enough to fill out her bank forms. She is able to deposit and withdraw money on her own now. She is able to get around because she can read the names of buses and bus stations. Thanks to the ministry of Ashna and Neha, Dayita is learning about Jesus and starting to believe in Him.

Thanks be to God, who sees all and knows all and is every ready to help those who are in need, Dayita can enjoy the freedom that literacy brings. Knowing how to read and write, she doesn’t have to depend on others for help. She can go to the bank and do a transaction any time she wants. She can travel without worrying about getting lost. She can also enjoy the freedom that knowing Jesus brings.

If you are interested in helping other women like Dayita, find out how at this link. Help to free the women of South Asia from the yoke of illiteracy.

Source: Gospel for Asia

Daya’s Timeline

Posted by notestowomen on October 5, 2015

When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up – Psalm 27:10

Daya was like an orphan even though her parents were not dead. They abandoned her and if it weren’t for her grandmother, she would have been completely alone. Family life was terrible for her. Her father beat her mother and then abandoned them both. Her mother deserted her. Neither parent showed her any love. There is nothing worse than a child not receiving parental love.

Things didn’t improve for Daya. With no income, she and her grandmother were forced to beg at bus stops, train stations and shops. It’s heartbreaking to see an elderly woman, with her grandchild in her arms, begging for something to eat. The cook for a Gospel for Asia Bridge of Hope centre had to be cautious. He knew that there were beggars who carried small children in order to get larger handouts and they pocketed most of the money for themselves. He couldn’t tell if this beggar was on the level. He asked her a question and demanded an answer. Her response was to break down in tears and pour her heart out.

He learned that the woman was the child’s grandmother and that Daya had once been a happy child until strife tore her family apart. Realizing that this woman was telling the truth and moved with compassion, the cook invited her to enroll Daya in the Bridge of Hope centre where he would cook the young girl meals.

Daya joined the Bridge of Hope centre lodged between a railway station and a slum. Unfortunately, she stood out from the rest of the children. She was the poorest of the poor and living in the slums for much of her life, she didn’t know much about hygiene. She went to class each day in the same dirty clothes. She rarely had a bath and when she did, she didn’t use soap.

It was not long before some of the parents began to complain about Daya and they pressured the Bridge of Hope staff to drop her from the program. They didn’t want this dirty child to be around their children. They threatened to remove their children from the centre if she didn’t leave.

Daya’s future was in jeopardy. If she was dropped from the program, she would return to the streets as one of the 300,000 child beggars in India. Somewhere down the road, she would be among the 20 to 30 million boys and girls who are exploited as child laborers. If it weren’t for her grandmother’s protection, Daya was at risk of becoming one of the 1.2 million Indian children abused as prostitutes. And worse yet for Daya if her grandmother were to die. She would be lost and her future would be hopeless. She wouldn’ stand a chance in a society where evil men preyed on the innocent…

Behold, God is my helper; The Lord is with those who uphold my life – Psalm 54:4

The Bridge of Hope staff remained committed to helping Daya because they knew that God had brought her to them. They decided to keep her in the program and undertook her hygiene problem. They scrubbed the 8 year old and gave her new clothes. By the time they were finished with Daya, you could hardly recognize her. They continued to teach her and her classmates proper hygiene and other practical life skills. These wonderful people of God didn’t cave into the demands of those parents who wanted them to expel Daya from the centre. They followed the example of the apostles Peter and John in Acts 5:29 who, when the council demanded to know why they were continuing to preach in Jesus’ name after being commanded not to, replied, “We ought to obey God rather than men.” They had to do whatever was necessary to protect the welfare of this child whom God had rescued from a life on the streets.

I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly – John 10:10

Over six years have passed since Daya joined the Bridge of Hope centre. Instead of dirty rags, she is wearing beautiful dresses given as her uniforms. She had gone from being a beggar to being blessed. She had gone from the streets to a sanctuary where she receives an education. She is not in bonded labor or in a brothel. She is enjoying liberty in Jesus. She can realize her dream to be a teacher. Daya, now 15 years old, has a relationship with a Father who loves her and a Savior who has given her hope and set her free from the social evils which plague young girls like her in South Asia.

Daya’s grandmother has witnessed first hand the love of God as shown through the kindness of the Bridge of Hope staff. And she too is experiencing that love.

God is using Bridge of Hope to change communities. More than 60,000 children are finding hope in Jesus through the centres but there are millions of children like Daya out there who are still living in despair. You can reach out to them by sponsoring a child. Find out what every Bridge of Hope child receives.

My heart goes out to these children who are robbed of their childhood. They are unloved, abandoned, exploited and abused. I was touched by the story of Lakshmi, a nine year old who works in a factory rolling cigarettes. She is an example of selfless love. She doesn’t care about playing or going to school–all she wants is to bring her sister home from the bonded labor man.

My sister is ten years old. Every morning at seven she goes to the bonded labor man, and every night at nine she comes home. He treats her badly; he hits her if he thinks she is working slowly or if she talks to the other children, he yells at her, he comes looking for her if she is sick and cannot go to work. I feel this is very difficult for her.

It would cost 600 rupees to buy her sister’s freedom but for Lakshmi, there is hopeless. “We don’t have 600 rupees,” she says, “…we will never have 600 rupees.” 600 rupees is only $14.00 US. This is just one story among over 10 million stories of children who are bonded laborers in India. Help Bridge of Hope to bring hope to these children. Pray that God will rescue more of them from the clutches of evil people. Pray that they will discover that there is a loving God who sees their plight and will intervene. Pray that they will come to know Jesus.

Let Your mercy, O LORD, be upon us, Just as we hope in You – Psalm 33:22

Source: Gospel for Asia

Women’s Literacy = Women’s Liberty

Posted by notestowomen on September 8, 2015

“Literacy is a bridge from misery to hope. It is a tool for daily life in modern society. It is a bulwark against poverty, and a building block of development, an essential complement to investments in roads, dams, clinics and factories. Literacy is a platform for democratization, and a vehicle for the promotion of cultural and national identity. Especially for girls and women, it is an agent of family health and nutrition. For everyone, everywhere, literacy is, along with education in general, a basic human right…. Literacy is, finally, the road to human progress and the means through which every man, woman and child can realize his or her full potential.”
― Kofi Annan

Tuesday, September 8, 2015 was an important day for lots of parents and their children. It was an important day for my family. It was my son’s first day back to school. This year he will be in grade 2 . It was wonderful seeing parents and their kids filing into the school. The halls were crowded and noisy as we squeezed our way to the gym where the children were to line up before heading to the auditorium for the greeting and morning prayer. As I looked at the children in their uniforms, I thought of how what a blessing it is to be able to go to school.

September 8 was an important day for another reason. It was International Literacy Day, a day first proclaimed as such on November 17, 1965 by UNESCO. It was first celebrated in 1966 and its objective has always been to highlight the importance of literacy to individuals, communities and societies. The theme for this year was Literacy and Sustainable Societies and the Day marked the 50th anniversary of the World Congress of Ministers of Education on the Eradication of Illiteracy. It is a day when the world is reminded of how important learning is.

International Literacy Day gives children and communities a chance to rediscover the joys of reading while raising awareness for those without access to education.

Can you imagine being a mother and unable to read your child’s school report or help him with his homework because you can’t read or write? What if you couldn’t read the Bible or a bedtime story to your child or a Mother’s Day or birthday card? Sadly, there are women in South Asia who can’t read or write. Can you believe that over 30% of Asian women are illiterate? In fact, more than one out of every three women in Asia are illiterate!

There is hope, thanks to Gospel for Asia’s Literacy Program. Through literacy classes held by GFA supported local Women’s Fellowships, women are learning how to read, write, do basic math, some of life’s most basic lessons, and, most importantly, they are learning how to read and study God’s Word on their own. What a joy it must be to be able to read about a loving God and a Savior who gave His life for them. And better yet, they can read to their children.

So women volunteered to teach literacy classes to other women. The program expanded into several states and two countries, so a standardized curriculum was developed.

In this day and age, it is hard to believe that there are so many people who still cannot read or write. Last year, Gospel for Asia supported the work of missionaries who saw International Literacy Day as an opportunity to raise awareness of the value of women’s literacy and to share the Gospel.

I rejoice at Your word As one who finds great treasure – Psalm 119:162

Do you want to bring hope to women by helping to make it possible for them to read and study God’s Word? Find out how you can do so here. Reading and writing are basic necessities of life that everyone should have. Women who learn how to read, write and do basic Math will be able to provide for their families. You will be helping a woman to keep her children safe because she can read the warning labels or from being cheated at the marketplace because she knows basic Math. Think of how different your life would be if you couldn’t read your Bible, recipes, emails or letters. Then think of the freedom you enjoy from being literate and how you can help to liberate these women too.

Literacy is not a luxury, it is a right and a responsibility. If our world is to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century we must harness the energy and creativity of all our citizens – President Bill Clinton on International Literacy Day, September 8th 1994

Sources: Gospel for Asia, International Literacy Day, UNESCO

Mary Ann Shadd Cary

Posted by notestowomen on February 19, 2015

Mary Ann Shadd Cary was the eldest of thirteen children. She was born on October 9, 1823 in Wilmington, Delaware. Her great-grandfather was Hans Schad, alias John Shadd, who served as Hessian soldier with the British army during the French and Indian War. Her father, Abraham Doras Shadd was trained as a shoemaker and owned a shop in Wilmington and later in the nearby town of West Chester, Pennsylavania. In these two places, he was a conductor on the Underground Railroad and involved in other civil rights activities. He was an active member of the American Anti-Slavery Society and in 1833 he was named President of the National Convention for the Improvement of Free People of Colour.

It’s not surprising that the Shadd family moved to Pennyslavania when it became illegal to educate African American children in the the state of Delaware. In Pennyslavania, Mary attended a Quaker school. In 1840 Mary Ann returned to West Chester where she established a school for black children. She taught in Norristown, Pennsylvania and New York City. Three years later, Abraham was forced to move his family to Canada, settling in North Buxton, Ontario. The reason of this move was the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. The law threatened to return free northern blacks and escaped slaves into bondage. In 1858, Abraham D. Shadd became the first black man to be elected to political office in Canada.

Mary Ann founded a racially integrated school in Windsor with the support of the American Missionary Association. She ran The Provincial Freeman, an anti-slavery newspaper which made her the first female editor in North America. Her brother, Isaac managed the business affairs of the newspaper and at his home he hosted meetings to plan the raid on Harper’s Ferry.

Mary Ann traveled around Canada and the United States, an advocate for full racial integration though education and self-reliance. She promoted emigration to Canada amongst freemen. In 1855 when she attempted to participate in the Philadelphia Colored Convention, the assembly debated whether or not to even allow her to sit as a delegate. She was viewed as a controversial figure becuase of her advocacy for emigration. By 15 votes she was admitted and according to Frederick Douglass’ Paper, although she gave a speech advocating for emigration, she was so well received that the delegates voted that she be given ten more minutes to speak. Unfortunately, her presence at the Convention was omitted from the minutes most likely because she was a woman. How sad. Here we have blacks who know what it’s like to be discriminated because of color and yet they were discriminating against Mary Ann because she was a woman. How difficult it was to be a black woman in those days. She faced prejudice because of her color and prejudice because of her gender.

In 1856 Mary Ann married a Toronto barber named Thomas F. Cary who was involved with the Provincial Freeman. They had a daughter and a son. After Thomas died in 1860, Mary Ann and their children returned to the United States.

During the Civil War, at the request of abolitionist, Martin Delany, she served as a recruiting officer to enlist black volunteers for the Union Army in the state of Indiana. After the Civil War, she went back to teaching. She taught in the black schools in Wilmington before she moved to Washington, D.C. where she taught in public schools and attended Howard University School of Law. In 1883, at the age of 60, she graducated as a lawyer, becoming the second black woman in the United States to earn a law degree. Age didn’t slow this remarkable woman down. Not only was she writing for newspapers such as National Era and The People’s Advocate but she organized the Colored Women’s Progressive Franchise. She joined the National Woman Suffrage Association where she worked alongside Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton for women’s suffrage. They testified before the Judiciary Committee of the House of the Representatives.

Mary Ann Shadd died in Washington, D.C. on June 5, 1893. She was interred at Columbian Harmony Cemetery. She left behind her a great legacy. Her former residence in the U Street Corridor was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1976. In 1987 the National Women’s History Project designated her a Women’s History Month Honoree and Canada honored her by designating her a Person of National Historic Significance.

Like her father, Mary Ann was an advocate for civil rights –the right to freedom and education among blacks. She was an anti-slavery activist, journalist, teacher and lawyer. She was a wife and mother. She was a wonderful example to her children. She taught them that everyone is entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. No one should have their freedom and right to education taken away from them.

Notes to Women salute this amazing woman who showed us that the things we sometimes take for granted are to be cherished. Freedom and education are two things we should fiercely guard. There are some countries in the world where human rights are violated. Women are treated as second class citizens or worse, girls are denied education and Christians are denied the freedom to worship. Be thankful for the freedoms you currently have.