Book Reviews: Only 13

As you probably know by now, I am very passionate about helping children through Compassion! I also am so excited to be an international board member of Sherinah's New Hope Ministry. One thing that I really like to do, in order to be motivated to pray and be involved more in my ministering, is to read books that share what life is like in these places.

In an effort to learn more about what the kids in Uganda are facing, Holly, who blogs at Sherinah's New Hope Ministry has begun loaning me books! I'm currently reading Kirabo: A Journey of Love, Faith and Adoption.

While reading this I thought I'd start to share books that have really opened my eyes to the difficulties that kids face in third world countries. While I'll share about Kirabo later, I thought today I would start with a book about Thailand.

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Only 13: The True Story of Lon by Julia Manzanares and Derek Kent, is about a 13-year-old girl from Thailand who enters the sex industry.

This book is not from a Christian perspective, and so it ends on a pretty hopeless note. But if you sponsor a teenage girl in Thailand, I really encourage you to read the book. A friend passed me this book as she brought gifts to our teenage girl, Pin, in Thailand. Shortly after she brought the gifts, Pin dropped out of Compassion's program.

Surprisingly, the book Only 13 really encouraged me when I heard about Pin.

I learned that girls in Thailand are expected to support their entire family, including sending their brothers to school. These girls are under intense familial pressure to keep "face," meaning keeping their family's reputation high in their communities. So when they're 13 and sent out to provide for the family, they learn that one night's pay in prostitution equates to a year's work in the restaurant business.

But if a girl has one year of high school education, she can earn almost the same rate as prostitution…and if she has two years of high school education, she's matching the prostitution rate! Imagine if that girl graduates from high school?

When we received the news of Pin's departure we learned that she was in her third year of high school and was just accepted to an advanced school of math and science! It met at the same time as the project, so she had to choose one or the other. But Pin had accepted Christ and was actively involved in her church on weekends! Praise God! Learning how much a high school education helps a Thai girl was so encouraging. I know that Pin is doing well.

So if you have a child in Thailand, please read this. It will help you pray for your child and to understand why some girls choose prostitution. But be prepared for a hard read.

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Please consider sponsoring a girl from Thailand. Sopha will be 13 on March 31!

Sopha lives with her father and her mother. She is responsible for carrying water, washing clothes and running errands. Her father is sometimes employed as a farmer and her mother is sometimes employed as a farmer. There are 5 children in the family.

Playing jacks, swimming and volleyball are Sopha's favorite activities. In primary school her performance is average and she also regularly attends church activities and camp. To sponsor Sopha, click here.