Learning from Slaves

I was reading some modern slave stories when I came across the story of a boy named Rakesh who lived in a village in India. He was sold into slavery by his own parents to pay off a debt, Rakesh and many other children worked in a place where yarn was woven into rugs that were exported to wealthier countries like the United States. The kids were forced to weave rugs all day, squatting down with their backs against the wall. The slave masters wanted children because they have little fingers that can weave the intricate patterns that bring a lot of money in rugs stores. If Rakesh didn't show up to work on time, he was beaten with the iron claw used to separate threads. The claw was a heavy metal device with teeth (like a comb's) on one end and a curved handle on the other end.

Rakesh worked in this situation for a long time until an organization called Free the Slaves [www.freetheslaves.net] joined with local rescuers to free Rakesh and the other children. The rescuers built little thatched schools for the freed children where they could learn to read and write and begin to build a brighter future. Rakesh is now head of the disciplinary committee at his school. If students get in a fight, he calls them to the front of the classroom and makes them apologize. He says, "You were beaten before by your slave master. Take advantage of this opportunity to make something of yourselves." Kind of ironic, isn't it? God took this young slave boy and gave him a leadership position. It reminds me of the Bible story of Joseph, whose brothers sold him into slavery, but God honored him by putting him in leadership. God has a way of using unlikely people to do great things, and he can take a bad situation and turn it into good.