When American Baptist International Missionary Sarah Chetti was earning a university degree in her native India, civil war broke out in Lebanon. She recalls, “Every day I learned in the news about the gruesome atrocities committed by warring militia. I then prayed for Lebanon and its people. But I never really knew where Lebanon was and had no idea about its people, language or culture.” Guess what: years later she and her husband Dan, were called to be missionaries in that very country.
Soon after she began her work in Lebanon, a neighbor asked Sarah to speak to an Indian woman who was imprisoned. Ever since that day, Sarah has been serving Christ through a prison ministry to women. These women have become prisoners because of the destructive complications associated with human trafficking. Girls sixteen years old and even younger are being brought to Lebanon as maids. They come from impoverished home situations in countries like Ethiopia, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Bangladesh and Nepal under false names, dates of birth and passports. Lebanese families who “employ” these young women commonly confiscate all legal identification documents from them and then prevent the maids from leaving their homes. These maids are not protected from any labor laws, while their employers have laws supporting them. When the maids try to leave they are often caught without ID or passports. This is a crime in Lebanon, and the maids are put in prison.
Sarah regularly leads a team of four women who visit the detention center in Beirut and the prison in Tripoli. They take both physical and spiritual food.
For Sarah, it began with praying. Now it continues as she introduces women prisoners to Christ, who brings liberty to the captives! (Luke 4:18.)
n taken from article by Rev. James G. Layton
Soon after she began her work in Lebanon, a neighbor asked Sarah to speak to an Indian woman who was imprisoned. Ever since that day, Sarah has been serving Christ through a prison ministry to women. These women have become prisoners because of the destructive complications associated with human trafficking. Girls sixteen years old and even younger are being brought to Lebanon as maids. They come from impoverished home situations in countries like Ethiopia, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Bangladesh and Nepal under false names, dates of birth and passports. Lebanese families who “employ” these young women commonly confiscate all legal identification documents from them and then prevent the maids from leaving their homes. These maids are not protected from any labor laws, while their employers have laws supporting them. When the maids try to leave they are often caught without ID or passports. This is a crime in Lebanon, and the maids are put in prison.
Sarah regularly leads a team of four women who visit the detention center in Beirut and the prison in Tripoli. They take both physical and spiritual food.
For Sarah, it began with praying. Now it continues as she introduces women prisoners to Christ, who brings liberty to the captives! (Luke 4:18.)
n taken from article by Rev. James G. Layton
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