"A bruised reed He will not break..." Isaiah 42:3
Most marriages in India are "arranged" between two families. The groom's family expects the bride's family to pay a dowry up front in money or property for the privilege of marrying their son. In some areas of the culture, the most important piece of the marriage agreement becomes the size of the dowry.
If the bride's family
cannot pay the expected dowry by the wedding day, the father of the
bride must pay the balance in installments. The bride's father
could be making dowry payments for several years. Sometimes the groom
and his family will make demands for more money than first agreed
upon. They will attempt to force the hand of the bride's father by
beating the girl and kicking her and her children out of the house. In
this culture, the daughter and her children cannot move back in with
her parents or it will bring disgrace upon the family. Her father will
send her back to her husband - sometimes with money, but sometimes
without it. The father is aware that his daughter's life could be
in danger. It is more important in his culture that he save face.
These young women and their children have no escape route from this
brutality.
If the dowry is not fully
satisfied, the husband will sometimes decide to get rid of the wife
with a "kitchen accident." If she dies, he can keep the
dowry from her family and begin the search for another wife. Not all
of the women die immediately from their injuries. If a woman survives
and leaves the hospital, she and her children are homeless. She is
viewed as a liability since her injuries prevent her from working. But
these young mothers are not concerned for themselves; their
desperation is for their abandoned and at-risk children.
We at Emmanuel are stepping
out in faith to care for these abandoned women and children. We need
help to feed, clothe, house and educate the children; we need help to
care for the mothers who require ongoing medical attention along with
help with their personal care. We do not know exactly where the funds
will come from, but we know our heavenly Father is more than willing
to provide for these wounded women and their innocent children. They
need the Savior too! These women have already experienced the fires of
hell; we do not want the eternal fires of hell in their futures. We
are currently caring for 19 castaway burn victims and 33 children. The
children are all between the ages of 5 and 9.
Please pray that the children of these burn victims will find their way to Emmanuel and, ultimately, to the Savior. Pray that God moves on the hearts of young Indian husbands to change their view of women and marriage, and adopt a heart to build their families as God intended.