Nineteen year old Xiao Ling heads up our jewelry making team. Through making jewelry, she has found an alternative source of income and is able to walk away from her life of prostitution.
When Xiao Ling was 14, she was taken by a relative from her small village town into our city and left with a Madam of a brothel. That night, her relative called to tell Xiao Ling that he was in prison. The relative also said that the brothel madam was the only one who had the contacts to get him out of prison. The brothel madam would help her relative if Xiao Ling would work for her. So self-sacrificingly, Xiao Ling became a prostitute. It was six months later before Xiao Ling found out that her relative had lied to her. He was not in prison but had pre-arranged the story with the Madam. Her relative had actually sold her to the madam. Xiao Ling's world turned upside down that day.
Since then, Xiao Ling had worked as a prostitute, started and ran her own brothel, assembled and built home-made guns and sold cocaine. She hung out with the Chinese mafia and was even arrested a few times.
In all this, God had his hand on Xiao Ling. He kept her from bitterness and preserved a kind of sweetness in her. God also led us to Xiao Ling. When we first met Xiao Ling, she was 17 working in another brothel. We were immediately drawn to her and felt God working in her. Even when she was involved with the underworld, we kept running into her. Satan too was not willing to release his grasp on her. The first time we invited Xiao Ling to our shelter to hang out, while walking the two blocks to our shelter; a john intercepted us and hired Xiao Ling off the streets.
 Our God is faithful; Xiao Ling was finally able to visit our women's shelter. At the shelter, she was excited to be given the option of an alternative career – jewelry making. She started coming to our shelter on a regular basis to make earrings. Our criteria for making jewelry as a source of income is that the girls first spend an hour at bible study, praise and worship and prayer. (The girls coming to our shelter do not have a problem with this.) Through the interaction with the other girls at the shelter, Xiao Ling came to know the Lord. She followed through with believers' baptism soon after in our shelter's bath-tub.
Xiao Ling now heads our earring making work. She still has a lot of struggles but as she grows in her relationship with Christ, she is able to share more about her past life. We meet with her regularly for counseling and prayer to help her get through her past hurts. Pray for Xiao Ling as she continues her new journey in Christ. |
Printable version
