As my husband and I watched “Veil of Tears” the lessons from Mr. Plummer’s classroom came flooding back to me. Being an untouchable is a horrible thing. “Veil of Tears” is a documentary that tells the story of millions of women who are culturally oppressed in India-because they are women. Even though India is the largest democratic nation in the world and the caste system has been outlawed since 1950-little to nothing has changed culturally. As my pastor recently said, “You can’t legislate morality.” Thousands of years of oppression cannot be changed by the stroke of the pen-and it won’t change until the hearts of the people are changed. The caste system in India is still alive and well, culturally, across India. In it all, the women are the lowest of the low. The stories of the rampant genocide of infant girls, suicides by women who give birth to girls and the families who cannot care for their daughters-so the sell them into the sex trades are heartbreaking.

The movie brings into focus the truth behind a dark reality existing in the world today, it also highlights the hope being given to countless millions of women each day through the work and ministry of Gospel For Asia.

With the ever-expanding population of people in Asia, the need for aid, education and Jesus’ love is growing day by day. Gospel for Asia is involved in sharing the love of Christ through national missionaries. These men and women missionaries are trained in Bible colleges to share the hope found in Christ. After training, they go to the unreached people of South Asia and share the love of God in the nations they serve. We also minister to children through our Bridge of Hope program, providing education, quality meals and a loving environment to over 72,000 children in South Asia.

You, your church and/or small group need to watch this film and have your heartbroken for these forgotten women. I know it can be overwhelming to see what needs to be done to reach this world for Jesus and maybe God isn’t calling you to do anything more than to pray for these women, but He might be calling someone you know, someone you can reach by sharing this movie with them. Right now you can get  “Veil of Tears” for only $8.00! I think it is an important film for your middle and high schoolers to see too. We all need to know and see that this world is much bigger than our little lives and we need to let God break out hearts for what breaks His. Churches can get a special movie night pack for free. This pack includes the film, a countdown timer, movie posters and conversation cards.

This powerful film touched my heart and I’m sure it will touch yours too. I am grateful that I had the opportunity to have my eyes opened to the plight of women in India and the great work that Gospel for Asia is doing there.

The post Veil of Tears DVD-Review appeared first on The Mom Maven.

Slavery is not legal anywhere in the world today. No where is it ok to own another human being. Modern day slavery a.k.a. human trafficking, is the 2nd largest criminal industry worldwide. There are an estimated 27 million victims of slavery on earth today. Of that 27 million, 70% are female and 50% are minors.

Human trafficking happens all over the world, even here in the United States. An estimated 15,000-18,000 people are trafficked into the U.S. annually. In the U.S. these slaves are used as domestic and field workers  or sold into the sex trade.

Sex slavery is big business. Worldwide it generates an estimated $7 billion annually. Destitute families around the world sell their children for as little as $150. The traffickers can turn around and sell the children to a brothel for $1000.

There are many organizations worldwide doing what they can to educate parents and rescue victims. One such agency is The Emancipation Network or TEN. They help rescued survivors rebuild their lives by education, training in handicrafts to create sustainable income, and reintegrating them into society. TEN offers shelters, healthcare and legal aid to survivors. Most victims who were sold or abducted into slavery cannot return to their family’s. When they are ready to move out and start fresh, TEN offers rent support, medical care and continuing education.

TEN helps prevent trafficking by working in high risk communities to train adults and create sustainable income. Often as little as $100 a year in addition income will allow a family to not need to sell a child into slavery!

What can you do to help?

• You can purchase the beautiful handmade products at Made by Survivors.
• You can host a home party or community awareness event. http://madebysurvivors.com/HowYouCanHelp
• Donate to The Emancipation Network via Just Give

Today’s giveaway is for a beautiful Eco-Chic Wood Handled Tote Bag in Blue and White

Ultra-green product!  This unique wood-handled purse from our Eco-chic collection measures 15″ x 15″ and is made from reclaimed garbage – plastic shopping bags that were littering the landscape of Ahmedabad India.  The bags have been collected, washed and woven on a loom to create the ultimate bag and matching small case, laptop case, and camera case. The bag sells for $24 at Made by Survivors.

How to Enter

Mandatory entry: Visit The Emancipation Network and learn more about the plight of human trafficking. Then come back here and leave me a comment about something you learned about this international crisis.

Bonus entries: You may chose to complete any or all of these after completing the mandatory entry. Leave a comment for each one you complete.

• 5 entries for making a purchase from the Made by Survivors store.
• Fave this blog on Technorati-click on the button in my sidebar
• Subscribe to my RSS feed
• Tweet this on Twitter “@MomMaven is hosting a giveaway to support the survivors of Human Trafficking. I entered, you can too! http://tinyurl.com/dm8suz” leave the URL of the tweet in your comment-you may do this 1X a day.

This contest is open to US residents only and the winner will be chosen by Random.org on May 9th at 5pm.

The post Day 2 of 10 Days of Celebrating Mom-Giveaway to Support the Survivor Mom appeared first on The Mom Maven.