Learning from Slaves

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.