To say the odds were stacked against Ruth is a huge understatement. She was about to be locked up again, and felt completely invisible and without hope or help.
We share this story today, Giving Tuesday, to ask you to give so neglected, hidden people like Ruth will be seen in their physical and spiritual suffering, and introduced to Jesus. Give today.
The backstory
Just six months earlier, Ruth had allowed herself to hope. She heard about an agency that promised her good work and a salary in the Middle East. She was unable to provide for her kids after her abusive husband left her at home in Ghana, so she convinced her parents to keep her kids while she left to work. She promised to send back money to care for them as well. After a few years of work she dreamed she could return home in a much better situation.
Hope arose. She took little beyond a photo of her kids and some extra clothes. She didn’t need much, just enough to provide.
Red flags
Ruth met her job agent upon arrival. He took her papers for safekeeping. And he told her that he didn’t have a good job yet, but that she would need to get started working as a house maid.
By the end of the month, she realized she was in a bad situation. She didn’t speak Arabic, and Ma’am, her house boss, didn’t speak English. She found herself yelled at often. She slept on the floor in the bathroom. She had no time off, didn’t get paid at all, and wasn’t allowed to leave the house. She began to panic. No one saw her, but she looked at the photo of her kids daily. She felt trapped, and desperate to provide for her kids.
Can you imagine how hopeless and invisible she must have felt? Give today to equip and send missionaries to walk the roads of neglected and hidden people, bringing with them the hope and help of Jesus.
Invisible
Ruth eventually managed to sneak out of the house and go see her agent, the only person in the country who knew her situation. She demanded a better job, or she would run away. The agent said there was no other job. He grabbed her and forced her into his basement, locking the door.
She gripped the photo of her kids in her pocket and wept, crying out for help. She eventually figured out a way to escape. Out on her own, on the streets of the capital city, without papers, Ruth needed work.
She found it at a restaurant, cleaning bathrooms. She now tried to make herself invisible – both out of fear of the police, and also because the locals looked down on all Africans. She had never felt more alone and desperate for hope and community.
Seen: the good & the bad
One day at the restaurant, she met Alexa, an American living in Jordan who radiated peace and kindness. Alexa invited Ruth to her home for dinner. Ruth felt peace for the first time in a long time. She wasn’t invisible. Alexa saw her. She listened to Ruth’s story. She saw the photo of her kids. She prayed for her.
One week after this hopeful visit, Ruth was at work and heard loud yelling, and all of the sudden found herself face to face with police. They were looking for someone else, but checked her papers too, and saw she was working illegally.
Ruth was taken to a detention center to be processed and put in prison. She was about to go into the darkest and most hidden room yet.
Would you give today to ensure neglected, hidden people like Ruth will be seen in their physical and spiritual suffering, and introduced to Jesus, who will walk down any road to rescue them?
Many like Ruth
What happened to Ruth? She called Alexa, an All Nations missionary, the only person who had truly seen her in the Middle East.
Alexa took action with Jesus’ compassion and wisdom, and managed to get her sent home! Ruth’s story ignited a movement to see and provide hope to other women trafficked in this Middle Eastern country. If you give, you will hear the rest of her story… and, stay tuned for more of the story on our blog.
Ruth’s story is a common one, but the ending she had isn’t common.
What about Scovia, a South Sudanese refugee in Uganda? Muhammed, who lost his child while fleeing Central Asia, and is rebuilding his life completely alone in a foreign land? There’s also Juan, a disabled man in Guatemala, and Ana, a traveling gypsy in Romania. All are neglected and hidden, in great need of hope.
Give today
Give today to ensure these neglected and hidden people will be seen in their physical and spiritual suffering, and introduced to Jesus. Jesus will walk down any road to rescue them, and All Nations global workers will follow Him there.
The lives and eternal destiny of hidden and neglected people around the world could be dramatically changed by your generous gift today.
Partner with us before December 31, 2023, to equip and send missionaries to walk the roads of neglected and hidden people, bringing with them the hope and help of Jesus.
Real people, just like Ruth, feel invisible and hopeless around the world. Your gift today will ensure these neglected and hidden people will be seen in their physical and spiritual suffering, and introduced to Jesus.
Jesus will walk down any road to rescue them, and All Nations missionaries will follow Him there. Give online or mail your donation today with the linked information (memo: Jesus on the Road).
