Students find healing, comfort at Urbana 12

By December 31, 2012

USA (MNN) — Do you know what gendercide is?

According to a definition on All Girls Allowed (AGA), it's "the systematic extermination of a particular gender," and it has slaughtered millions of baby girls in China and parts of India. Chinese data shows that 13 million abortions are performed every year, resulting in an average of 35,000 abortions per day.

Gendercide has roots in America, too.

Statistics from the Center for Disease Control reveal that 1 in 5 U.S. women were raped at some point in their lives. Between 2004 and 2006, an estimated 105,187 females and 6,526 males aged 10-24 received medical care as a result of nonfatal injuries sustained from a sexual assault.

A key leader in the 1989 Tiananmen Square movement, Chai Ling fought again for freedom by founding All Girls Allowed (AGA), a group seeking to rescue girls and women from the effects of gendercide. In recent days, she brought the reality home to students at Urbana 12.

"We felt God brought us a very unique message, that is, expose, rescue, and healing," Ling says, "particularly [to] address the gendercide, taking place in China under the one-child policy and also in society at large."

Ling says she and the AGA team came to Urbana 12 to bring the horrors of gendercide to light and facilitate healing through Jesus Christ. AGA counselors and ministry teams were available to speak with students after the session ended.

"God has beautiful testimonies of resurrection and healing in every single one of our lives," Ling says. "My hope and desire and prayer for Urbana is to see God's healing power continue to flow into every heart that needs to be healed."

As Chai spoke on Saturday afternoon and members of her team gave their testimonies, both male and female students responded.

"A lot of the things that they spoke about really spoke to me," says Sara Timberlake, who studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champagne.

Because of 'things that happened in my life, it's something I can relate to; so just to see that they overcome…was very powerful."

While she doesn't know yet what role she'll play in ending gendercide, Timberlake recognized God's Spirit at work.

"God's doing something," says Timberlake. "I'm probably going to go to one of those ministry rooms…to speak what's on my mind."

Neelan Coleman, a student attending the University of Illinois, felt like he couldn't personally relate to the issues of gendercide since he was a man. However, relief soon came in the words of AGA executive director Brian Lee.

"He shared like, how guys can help out is…making sure we're pure, and taking care of sexual sin, and encouraging other guys to do that too," Coleman says.

As students return home from Urbana 12, pray that they would receive healing. Pray also that they would know what God is calling them to. Pray that as they receive healing, they would reveal Jesus as the Healer.

"Come, God, and do more," Ling prays, "and through the comfort and healing we receive, we'll go out and heal nations."

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