india

INDIA.

“Her fair skin and bold eyes stood out amidst the other women. She was tall and dressed in simple clothing, but the eyeliner and bright lipstick she wore told the truth. This woman, this ‘beauty queen’, was living the life of a sex worker, a prostitute.

Sitting in a small room (their home & work) with six lovely women, we laughed, smiled, told jokes, talked and shared. The room was filled with shyness and laughter. I knew it was just a cover, just a façade put on, yet making someone smile when you know their heart is breaking is a beautiful thing. There is so much more we wanted to do and to say… but it seemed like a touch of healing in their lives in that moment. So I laughed with them as they smiled at us, even though inside my heart ached for theirs. They introduced themselves to me and a longer term native missionary who runs a free beauty parlor for the sex workers translated for us, they each told us their names and where they were from. The ‘beauty queen’ was from Nepal… they excused themselves to get back to business, leaving more conversation for another day.”