The wedding industry is estimated to be worth a whopping $300 billion and growing. The majority of Western girls now begin planning and preparing their wedding day at an early age, memorizing every mushy love story from Cinderella to Princess Bride, downloading bridal planner apps, and flipping through picture perfect photographs on Pinterest, ingraining the image of a white dress in their minds.

I'm happy to report that the gifts many of you offered to help Rohingya refugees from Myanmar now living in India have finally brought the "light" of Jesus to many!

My heart was stolen a year ago when I met 9 precious young girls who were rescued from warring Dinka and Nuer tribes in the newly formed South Sudan, Africa. Each of them carries a horrific story about losing their families and becoming orphans less than 2 years ago. They were made to witness atrocities that no child should ever see.

Bahira and her family had to flee from their home in Syria when militants captured their city. They found refuge in another part of Syria, but now live in an unfinished building with only a roof over their heads—no walls, no electricity and no water—an "apartment" they must pay $67 a month for. But it's better than the alternative...and it's winter in Syria now, too.

Mom is very sick and they don't know what happened to Dad—in prison? dead? What they do know is that the rent for their home—an unfinished structure that has a roof supported by pillars, but no walls, plumbing or electricity—costs $43 each month and it's up to the 3 children to earn it.

When ISIS advanced into the Palestinian refugee camps within Syria, Bushra, a life-long refugee, had to flee once again to save the lives of her family. They fled to an area of relative peace and safety still inside Syria. They would have preferred to find someplace further from the conflict and turmoil, but like most refugees and internally displace people (IDP), their options and resources are very scarce.

Before the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003, Christians in Iraq lived in relative peace and safety. Although they still experienced distrust, tension and disrespect from many of their Muslim neighbors, the government kept acts of aggression in check.