Working at an entry level job as a group home counselor, I was now forced to grapple with the question of how do I really deal with hurting people and explain their immense suffering to them. After just working one day on the job my eyes were instantly opened to the reality of suffering and pain found in the lives of many. Turns out, I was viewing suffering in a very wrong way. When I first moved to the Chicago area I did not truly understand suffering. I had experienced hurt in my past. I had been betrayed, let down and broken. However, I had never known complete desperation.

A few weeks ago, I visited my International Justice Mission colleagues in one of our four South Asia field offices. While there, I sat in on a case briefing. In a very businesslike manner, the investigator leading the briefing told the story of a woman he had just met named Shanthi.