Asha UK English 2021

Flower

Asha was birthed in India, when a South Asia Biblica leader personally encountered the suffering and stories of traumatised women, with whom our field partners in South and Central India were working. Witnessing their distress and desiring to see them reached by Christ’s hope led to deep soul searching. And out of this, Asha was born.

This South Asian resource is a God-given vision and aims to serve as a catalyst in the creation of communities of hope for the hurting and the marginalised beyond geographic boundaries.

Foreword 88 words

Unbroken

W E E K O N E

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. ~ John 3:17 ~

W E L C O M E

Asha, in Hindi, means hope. That’s what this little volume is about: journeying towards hope – even in the deepest darkness.

There is something terribly wrong with our world, a world where women and girls are abused.¹ We may ask: ‘How can such horrors happen?’ and ‘Where is God in all of this?’

These questions echo throughout this booklet, and while you might not find tidy answers, you will discover more about the heart of God for the brokenhearted.

Forming the core of Asha: A Journey of Hope is a portion of the Bible, from the Gospel of John, a brief history written in the first century AD. The Gospel of John tells us how Jesus lived, what he taught and how he interacted with all kinds of people, including people in the midst of trauma.

In his encounters and conversations with people, as recorded in the Gospel of John, Jesus

Week one: Introduction 5,676 words

Hunger

W E E K T W O

Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.’ ~ John 6:35 ~

As you read John 4:43–6:71, take time to notice the characters, their responses and the themes you encounter. What is the Father like, and what is his relationship with this broken, hungry world?

Notice …

... how Jesus continues to answer this question with his words and actions, describing and doing the kind of work his Father perpetually does.
... that the theme of seeing continues, as Jesus gives visible signs of the Father’s life-giving love, both in restoring life to a sick child and in feeding the bread of life to a multitude.
... who Jesus notices and engages with in conversation amongst the crowd of disabled people by the pool.
... how his persistent care for the ones everyone else would overlook restores wholeness and reintegrates them into society.
... how Jesus repeatedly disrupts

Week Two: I am the bread of life 4,362 words

Rise, Beloved

W E E K T H R E E

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’ ~ John 8:12 ~

As you read John 7–8, take time to notice the characters, their responses and the themes you encounter. How does God treat people and whom does he accept?

Notice …

... how, through multiple discussions and debates in the temple, Jesus shows and tells the truth, calling people out of the blindness of human perspective and into the light of God’s way of seeing things.
... the contrast between the way the religious leaders use the law of Moses to condemn, intimidate and control versus the way Jesus interacts with the law to liberate, restore and love.
... how Jesus challenges the self-righteous, judgmental perspective of the Pharisees and how he sees a woman caught in sexual sin as God’s beloved child, acting on her behalf to free her from social bondage and to empower he

Week Three: I am the light of the world 4,304 words

Reborn

W E E K F O U R

‘I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture.’ ~ John 10:9 ~

As you read John 9–10:10, take time to notice the characters, their responses and the themes you encounter.

How does Jesus reckon with both the brokenness and the dignity in people?

Notice …

... the themes of blindness and sight, and the ways in which Jesus seeks to restore an accurate vision of God and of who is found pleasing in his sight.
... how he stoops and touches the dirt as he interacts with the blind man, just as he had with the woman caught in adultery (John 8), protecting their dignity and inviting them to speak out their status in relationship to God.
... the contrast between the thief and the gate, and how one exploits, while the other protects and provides.

9:1 – 9:22

JOHN 9 – 10:10

9 As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him,
‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or

Week Four: I am the gate 2,881 words

SOUGHT OUT, NOT FORSAKEN

W E E K F I V E

‘I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.’ ~ John 10:11 ~

‘I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father, and I lay down my life for the sheep.’ ~ John 10:14–15 ~

As you read John 10:11–42, take time to notice the characters, their responses and the themes you encounter.

What kind of person is safe and worthy of your trust?

Notice …

... how Jesus describes the characteristics of his kind of leadership, using the imagery of a shepherd investing himself in his sheep.
... the contrast he paints between the way he values his followers, versus the abusive manner in which corrupt leaders use or abandon them.

10:11 – 10:34

JOHN 10:11–42

11 ‘I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

12 The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep

Week five: I am the good shepherd 2,083 words

If You Believe

W E E K S I X

Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die.’ ~ John 11:25 ~

As you read John 11–13, take time to notice the characters, their responses and the themes you encounter.

What does life-giving leadership look like?

Notice …

... how Jesus’ love for two particular ‘sheep’ is both tested and proven in his interactions with Mary and Martha. Feel along with them the angst of wondering why their shepherd/friend didn’t care enough to show up in their time of need.
... the way in which he walked with them through the valley of the shadow of death, gently engaging their questions and tenderly entering their grief.
... the extent of his love as he gifted them with a powerful resurrection miracle, helping his maturing sheep to increasingly hear, recognise, trust and follow his voice.
... him showing them the way as he humbly stoops to serve, attending to the immediate needs o

Week Six: I am the resurrection and the life 5,350 words

Thirst No More

W E E K S E V E N

Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’ ~ John 14:6 ~

As you read John 14, take time to notice the characters, their responses and the themes you encounter.

What path leads to a true, eternal kind of life?

Notice…

... how Jesus prepares his disciples for his impending departure.
... his calling them to imitate him just as he has been imitating the Father in his actions, attitudes and words.
... his words and actions of self-sacrificing love. How can they become true children of the Father?

14:1 – 14:21

JOHN 14

Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No-one comes to the Father except through me.’

14 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a p

Week Seven: I am the way, the truth and the life 4,517 words

Seal over the Heart

W E E K E I G H T

‘I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.’ ~ John 15:5 ~

As you read John 15–17, take time to notice the characters, their responses, and the themes you encounter.

What does it look like to live in intimate connection with God?

What will this intimacy and belonging in God's family cost one in the world?
How will the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit each work to sustain one through the trials one will face?

Notice …

... the plant metaphors of seeds, branches, and fruit, painting a picture of the way they will remain in intimate, other-honoring union with Him and each other.
... how Jesus points the way to a sustainable, lasting life as He calls them to act out their love for, joy in, and peace with each other—the fruit that will come as a product of their remaining in His love.
... how Jesus calls His disciples to remain in a loving family relationshi

Week Eight: I am the vine 4,275 words

W E E K N I N E

When he had received the drink, Jesus said, ‘It is finished.’ With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
~ John 19:30 ~

As you read John 18–21, take time to notice the characters, their responses, and the themes you encounter.

Where is God in abuse and suffering?

Notice …

... how Jesus models unthreatened love in his responses to the mob’s threats, the priests’ intimidation tactics, and Pilate’s power plays. Contrast Jesus’ calm responses with Peter’s overreaction.
... how Jesus’ bold meekness unmasked his accusers’ lies and his oppressor’s insecurity, demonstrating the victory that God’s cherished, empowered children can live in even as they walk through the valley of the shadow of death.
... the violent abuse of Jesus, God’s human representative, as he was mocked, beaten, stripped naked, and pierced.
... the overwhelming extent of his public humiliation as he bore our grief and carried our sorrow. But in the midst of his suffering

Week Nine: Wrap up 2,350 words

Mirrors

Shame

Picture

Motionless

"Quilling is what I learnt when I was in the government girls’ home. That time we were worried so much—so traumatised—one NGO came up with an art and craft session. They taught us about quilling, taking papers and making whatever design you wish. I have tried lots of designs through quilling. Every time I try something new and finish the work, I feel satisfied, happy. It has helped me to not think about the past.

"Craft is part of my life now. Whenever I feel sad or am going through something, I just take something and do. This peacock I love so much; it is so colourful, giving brightness to my life."

~ Deepika J ~

Child Sexual Abuse

by Twyla David

*I am talkative, I am loud,
I can scream and shout
But that night I couldn’t get out.

With all my heart I said, ‘No’!
With all my actions I asked him to let me go.
I tried to make sense that I was like his child
I remember he only smiled ...

Appendix 2,316 words