Shadows of Shelly

Shelly - Restoration of Anna Part 25a

TWENTY-FIVE-a

Shelly – Restoration of Anna

The lives of many rescued women have received a new beginning. There is a bounce to their walk and an innocent glow emanating from their bodies. They have been transformed into new creations. I face the world as a proud parent. The girls' parents were murdered before their eyes.

I am only a couple of years older than most of them, but I have experienced their pain. Also, their joys and triumphs are felt deep within me. However, Anna baffles my mind. She acts as if nothing happened. The other girls tell me that she was molested worse than the rest of them. Her beatings were severe. She has a ball of red yarn. It is her practice to unravel it, then reroll it into a ball several times an hour.

Anna was sent to the village as a missionary by a church group that preached love and healing. It was taught by the congregate that if you prayed hard enough, things that are bad would not happen to you. Forgiveness was their major doctrine.

The doctor says she has blocked the pain and devastation from her mind, because it is alien to her beliefs to forgive the animals that tortured her.

Her mother and father scolded her, "It is your own fault that you were taken into captivity. You let those men take advantage of you! You are soiled and do not deserve to come home." Where was the love and forgiveness from them? Do they realize she did resist but was overpowered by many vicious men?

She was shattered twice: First, by the crooks. Then by her own family. Anna had started following Doris who had experienced similar damage. I was in the rec-room at the garment co-op.

Doris had a leather belt that she kept hitting, cursing and kicking at an old stuffed chair. She was exhausted and gave the strap to Anna and said. "It's your turn. That chair represents the SOBs that tormented you. Punish them!" Anna laid that belt across the chair with all her might a dozen times followed by ripping the fabric from the chair and tearing it into small pieces. Her whole body was throbbing. Streams of tears erupted from her. Doris came over, hugged her and said, "We done killed them buggers."

The two were hugging, crying and laughing until their legs buckled, and they fell to the floor. We assisted them in standing up. Their eyes brightened. Arm in arm they skipped around the building singing with a big smile, "We Have Overcome," to a melody that was made-up.

I thought that healing and wholeness came weirdly. Whipping that old piece of furniture gave them a new life. Anna did forgive her family, but never returned to her East Tennessee mountain home. She became a Thai citizen. An older couple claimed that she was their biological daughter. She is pale white, and they are dark brown. She loves them, and they love her.

Anna opened a dress making shop in West Chiang Mai close to the university. She bought an old piano. When she is down one can hear her play beautiful music.

Occasionally she would play at our church when the musician was away. She is lively and plays the hymns faster than the regular pianist and puts a little extra to the tune. Our song leader keeps up with her. Everyone demonstrates a wide Thai smile around her. The younger ones liked the increased tempo.

Second Lieutenant Steven Odell volunteered to build shelves in the warehouse at the garment co-op. He saw Anna working in packaging and delivery. The first sight of her struck him speechless. She remembered him from the rescue team that saved her life. For the first three days they just made goo-goo eyes with each other.

Steven kept comingback to volunteer in order to see her. They still had not spoken. He would getnear her while working on various projects. The whole factory knew it was lovein their hearts.