Pastorlenore's Blog

Finished up the book today. I really had to pace myself. Quick read. I was trying not to buzz through too fast. Too deep to to do that! I really enjoyed the ideas and websites listed at the end of each section and at the conclusion of the book. Made you think about how the information that we read in the text might be used in our own lives. It certainly seems overwhelming, but, as the authors wrote, if each of us just does SOMETHING….. When you read the story of girls like Yoshi, though, you see how God can work through even the darkest of circumstances. May these girls’ stories continue to touch your lives for a long time to come!

What a diverse group we have reading this month! I’m hoping a number of you will post so I know what you think about the book. In my conversation with a fellow reader today, we realized that we were both frustrated that the authors weren’t able to give us some sense of closure with the stories of so many of the girls. Our hope is that they all end well, but reality tells us that they won’t all be so. What an eye-opener for all of us here in the U.S. I like the idea pages they have after each section, too, as it gives the reader an opportunity to act or to further investigate these issues that we are reading about. I’m hoping to look into a few of these websites. They sound interesting.

While this book is a quick read, it certainly is not “light.” I have been thankful that the stories/chapters are fairly short so that the book lends itself to a little at a time.  Starting with the story of the little girl who was buried in a hole in the yard by her father, these stories have tugged hard at my heart. Although I have read similar stories of girls who suffer such fate, it always seems surreal to me. Reading these stories, I become both disturbed and discouraged. How can one human do such things to another, and especially family?  I can’t begin to comprehend the disparity of worth of sons versus daughters, even though this is a reality in so many countries and cultures.  Sacrificing seven-year-olds?!   I am pleased to read that the “people of the cross” are a source of safety and encouragement in many of these situations, but there is so much wrong to right. I hope the rest of you feel a bit more hopeful.