today i wore a bracelet

Today I wore a bracelet.

I know that doesn't sound that exciting or impressive or anything but it was a special bracelet. It's special because it was hand made for me for by birthday by an even more special person. And that person changed my life, along with the others around her.

But I haven't talked to this girl in about 7 months. I can't, really. I guess I could write a letter but the chances of her getting it, especially of her understanding it, are slim.

Because this girl lives in Cambodia. She used to be a prostitute. Not by will, but by force. She used to be raped regularly. She used to be used constantly. She used to be sold for probably less than a dollar for a man's own selfish pleasure. She used to be beaten, abused, captive.

But now she's living in freedom. She's sewing and making jewelry to make a living. She's loved - not just by people around her but by her Creator. She recognizes that though she lived in bondage not too long ago, she is now free. Free from the brothel owner, free from the men who exploited her, free from the world she lived in.

And so, for my birthday, though we barely understood one another, she made me a bracelet, gave me a hug and put it on my wrist. Today I wore it and thought of her all day. Her and the other young beautiful women that changed my life this past summer. They will always have a place in my heart because God used them to change the course of my life. You never forget people like that.

So it's important that I wore that bracelet today.