In a book about London midwifery in the 1950s, “Farewell to the East End,” Jennifer Worth
has a chapter on the “Lost Babies.” It’s a heartbreaking chapter about women smothering or
purposefully neglecting their babies due to abject poverty or scandal. Domestic abuse plays a
role as does cultural expectations. This part especially hurt my heart:
“Traffic in children has been going on for as long as mankind has been sinning and suffering
Josephine Butler (1828-1907) writes in her journals, pamphlets, and diaries of the second half
of the nineteenth century about seeing thousands (yes, thousands) of little girls, some as
young as four or five, in the illegal brothels of London, Paris, Brussels and Geneva....
The children had a life expectancy of two years, yet the brothel owners , frequently women,
seemed to have an unlimited supply of little girls for their rich clients.”
has a chapter on the “Lost Babies.” It’s a heartbreaking chapter about women smothering or
purposefully neglecting their babies due to abject poverty or scandal. Domestic abuse plays a
role as does cultural expectations. This part especially hurt my heart:
“Traffic in children has been going on for as long as mankind has been sinning and suffering
Josephine Butler (1828-1907) writes in her journals, pamphlets, and diaries of the second half
of the nineteenth century about seeing thousands (yes, thousands) of little girls, some as
young as four or five, in the illegal brothels of London, Paris, Brussels and Geneva....
The children had a life expectancy of two years, yet the brothel owners , frequently women,
seemed to have an unlimited supply of little girls for their rich clients.”
When I visited the Dominican Republic with the ladies from Grace Baptist, I was profoundly
changed. The experiences of the women and children in the DR are not so far removed from
what the women and children in those cities experienced all those years ago. (I shudder to
think how many women and children are trafficked in our own city.) Many women prostitute to
put food in their children’s mouths; they are used and abused and thrown away like trash. I
cannot fathom that level of desperation. Humbled after that trip to the DR, I sat on my porch
giving thanks to God for all that He had given me and for all that I had not experienced. I am
nobody special, so why did God bless and protect me and not these women? I don’t know.
People question God’s goodness in the midst of suffering. They wonder if He is able to deal
with these problems and if He is, why doesn’t He? No doubt we live in a fallen world, and
there’s the issue of free will. But that doesn’t bring much comfort, does it?
changed. The experiences of the women and children in the DR are not so far removed from
what the women and children in those cities experienced all those years ago. (I shudder to
think how many women and children are trafficked in our own city.) Many women prostitute to
put food in their children’s mouths; they are used and abused and thrown away like trash. I
cannot fathom that level of desperation. Humbled after that trip to the DR, I sat on my porch
giving thanks to God for all that He had given me and for all that I had not experienced. I am
nobody special, so why did God bless and protect me and not these women? I don’t know.
People question God’s goodness in the midst of suffering. They wonder if He is able to deal
with these problems and if He is, why doesn’t He? No doubt we live in a fallen world, and
there’s the issue of free will. But that doesn’t bring much comfort, does it?
Sometimes we have to choose to trust God even when we don’t understand His plan:
“I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips.
I will glory in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together.
I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.
Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.
This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles.
The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.
Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.
Fear the Lord, you his holy people, for those who fear him lack nothing.
The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing...
The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry;
but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to blot out their name from the earth.
The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all; he
protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken.” (From Psalm 34, NIV)
protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken.” (From Psalm 34, NIV)
Where the gospel is preached and received, life is better. I am blessed to be in a part of the
world where this is true. I am very rich. We don’t have the fanciest of homes, but it’s more than
adequate. We are never too cold or too hot and always have running water and electricity.
Not once have I considered prostitution for myself or my daughters as a career path. I should
never complain about anything again. God is good, but in ways I don’t always understand..
With these thoughts I begin the season of Thanksgiving. What about you?
world where this is true. I am very rich. We don’t have the fanciest of homes, but it’s more than
adequate. We are never too cold or too hot and always have running water and electricity.
Not once have I considered prostitution for myself or my daughters as a career path. I should
never complain about anything again. God is good, but in ways I don’t always understand..
With these thoughts I begin the season of Thanksgiving. What about you?
joyce hague
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