Days 49 and 50: for Karina

Lately, I feel so blessed.  I was lying on my back in a field last night, looking at the moon, and I was struck by the realization that this great big God who makes the moon and the stars chooses to love me... and he even makes the moon and the stars just for me to enjoy.  I felt so connected with God, so far from sin, so loved, so full of joy, and so refreshed by the Holy Spirit.  They say that love conquers all fear... well, in that moment, love conquered everything in me.  Jesus himself said "I have come so that you may have life, and have it to the full."  By the standards of my Savior, my life was "to the full" as it has ever been.

I hate that there are people in this world who are carrying so much fear, more than I could ever comprehend.  I hate that there are people who are wounded from understanding true love by no fault of their own.  I hate that as I lie in a field in the arms of my Savior, there are thousands of girls around the world lying in the beds of strangers against their wills.  "Fear is the mind-killer.  Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration."  Fear is the reason that, until God opens her eyes otherwise, Karina's life is over, even though she is still alive

Karina was 19 when Nestor, an acquaintance from her neighborhood, offered her a job at a restaurant in the capital. Karina thought it was a great opportunity for her to leave her small town and earn her own income. She went to Lima with Nestor and began to work as a waitress in a seafood restaurant. She soon fell in love with Nestor’s friend Edy, who, after gaining Karina’s trust, forced her to have sex with men in various Lima nightclubs. Edy then moved Karina around among nightclubs in various cities, including one in her own home town, for two years. With a friend’s help, Karina managed to escape and returned to her family. Edy continued to call her with threats and demands. He also started threatening the friend who helped Karina escape. Although she has filed a police report against Edy and has the support of a public attorney, Karina continues to live in fear, without any protection for herself or her family.

source of Karina's story

7.5 miles for Karina
265.77 miles to date.

Ruby
Sandra
Berchewkan
Mani
Sophea
Janna
Syowai
Ka
Stephanie
Alex
Mai
Khamta
Adaze
Jayati
Boloztuya
Prettygirl
Theresa
Esperanza
Xuan
Geeta
Debbie
G.Q., N.H., and S.O.
Anuradha
Veronica
Martina
Shauna
Rosa
Jaycee
Charlotte Awino
Kikka Cerpa
Jana
Lannie
Samira
Mari
Sarah
Mao Mao
Keisha
Brittany
Gabriella
Akemi
Olga
Alissa
Karina

Because He first loved me,
Stephanie