Rebecca Davis

AFA Journal staff writer

Photos above: a hidden camera photo of an alley where prostitutes live in India. Left, Campbell and three shelter residents.

July-August 2015 – She first heard about them when she was 12. The unwanted. The financial burdens. The aborted. The baby girls of India. 

Her heart ached when she learned that over 200 babies are aborted daily in India just because they are girls. 

She was shocked to find out that some women who do give birth to baby girls either immediately kill them or have them killed by someone else.

Her heart hurt for those girls who survive and are often trafficked for sex. 

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She is Campbell,* the daughter of American missionaries living in India. God is using her to save the lives of young Indian girls as she seeks to change the way India views females.

Two years had passed since she first learned about the plight of these baby girls. Campbell, 14, was at a school conference on the topic of “legacy.” 

“When the teacher asked us what we wanted our legacies to be, I thought of the baby girls,” Campbell told AFA Journal. 

That question sparked the beginning of Shiloh Shelter, a safe house where Indian girls can come to live with a loving Christian family, where they are nurtured and educated. Campbell spent the next two years working to make the shelter a reality in the city where she lives. 

 “At 14, I never thought I would be talking about finances, partners, and legal documents,” she said.

Two years later, her hard work paid off. Shiloh Shelter officially opened October 2014 and is now home to four young girls. 

Daughters of prostitutes
“Originally my plan was to take in baby girls whose mothers wanted to abort them, but God opened up doors that I never imagined this ministry would have access to,” Campbell said. 

Shiloh Shelter houses the daughters of prostitutes, girls who were likely to become prostitutes themselves and trafficked for sex. 

 “Our first girl’s mother was sold when she was 12 and was eventually trafficked from Bangladesh,” Campbell explained. “Our second girl’s mother is owned by a female pimp in the brothel. This made her daughter property as well. Our third girl’s mother was trafficked from West Bengal over seven years ago.

“By the grace of God, our ministry partner was able to convince the mothers of these girls, along with the female pimp, to give them into the care of the shelter,” Campbell added. 

Daughter of the King
Although still burdened and prayerful for the unwanted baby girls of India, Campbell is overjoyed each time she walks into the shelter where little arms immediately wrap around her. In a way, the feeling is one of accomplishment, especially for someone so young. But Campbell, now 17, is quick to point out that this is not about her.   

“Typically a legacy is a story you leave behind for yourself, something that people will always remember you by,” she said. “However, in my case, I wanted it to be a story that God left through me. My goal was not to make my name known, but His.”

And that is exactly what she is doing by speaking up “for those who cannot speak for themselves” and setting “an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity” (Proverbs 31:8; 1 Timothy 4:12). 

“Never think God can’t use you for His kingdom,” Campbell said. “You can always speak up, and through Him, you can make a difference.”  

*Not her real name.

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For more information: 
shilohshelter.com
facebook.com/ShilohShelter

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To make a tax-deductible donation:
Enon Baptist Church
13607 N. Enon Church Rd. 
Chester, Virginia 23836
804-530-1229
enonbaptistchurch.org. Click on “giving” tab. Label the donation as “Shiloh’s Vision.”