The Little Red Dress

For three and a half years, we lived in the Philippines as missionaries. During that time, we built friendships with many people and different organizations. After returning to the UK during COVID, thankfully, we were able to return to the Philippines with a team from our church to serve once again. Building a relationship with the Village of Hope has enabled us to be trusted in very sensitive situations. After serving them by doing DIY in different areas, it was time for some downtime. When we got back, all the children in the village were having a party.

Watching all the children celebrate brought me to tears. As I watched them laugh and play, I became emotional because it dawned on me that they were now living in the complete reverse of the horror they came from. There was a beautiful little girl in a red dress enjoying her food and laughing with her friends. I noticed she was not much older than my daughter, Penelope.

This dress would have been something Penelope would come into the room wearing as she played dress-up and wanted to be a princess. As this realization hit me, I began to see that there were, in fact, two roads to the same dress. The road my daughter was on was one where a father provided for his daughter a dress that would reflect his love for her and her desire to be seen and valued as a princess. The other road was one that millions of children sadly find themselves on, a road which can only be described as hell on earth. A road where these children, these daughters, are led into all kinds of abuse and unspeakable horror. This road contains nothing more than the very pinnacle of the wickedness of man.

These children need to be rescued from this hell. Some of them are, but many remain on it, and still many are even lost on this road. Being with the Village of Hope in the Philippines allowed us to see the effect that a few can have. Forty children were currently in the care of the village. You may think, but there are so many more, why only forty? Forty is just the beginning. But let’s stop for a moment and consider this: forty lives, forty births, forty different stories of horror, forty times parents did not do what they needed to do, forty times a member of the family or a neighbour was possessed by an idea that would damage and destroy the life of a child. Forty times this has been stopped.

Yes, there are many more, but saving thousands starts with saving one. Here I am, standing in a room with forty children who have been rescued, and now I see the little red dress, a dress that would not only be worn by my daughter but also by the ones they have managed to rescue. There are two roads to the same dress: one my daughter is on, and one in which a little girl has been rescued from incredible wickedness. The power of redemption puts people in the position to wear that beautiful dress and be seen and valued. In the context of this little girl, she is now wearing the dress she was born to wear, a dress that reflects her nature as a princess. She is now walking along the road where she is experiencing the heart of Father God smiling at her.

Redemption takes us from whatever background we are from and places us in the house of the Father. Redemption placed this little girl at this party and in this dress that she was born to wear. She was once seen as a slave, but God has restored her true identity as a princess.

Words by Ray Mills 

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https://compassionatehope.org/