A Calling
We
had a wonderful guest speaker today at church. He is a leader and disciple
maker in India. This is the second time I’ve heard him speak, and it is such a
treat. His work is so good, and it’s wonderful to see what is happening for the
kingdom of God there.
As
he spoke today, he brought up something that he and his ministry have only just
started but with great success. They have begun to rescue women and girls who
have been caught up in local sex trafficking. The whole story of how these
girls are sold and treated is horrific and makes me sick to my stomach. I cried
through that service. Most of these women have never had anyone tell them that
they are precious or special. A young girl of four can be sold to the highest
bidder without anyone ever stepping in and protecting her and telling her what
she is truly worth.
I
wish I could say that things like this only happen in other countries, but that
would be a lie in the highest proportion. Just the other night, my husband was
reading the list of charges of a convicted man. Many of them included what
amounts to pimping out young, underage girls. A sting operation was held
locally where someone posed as a mother offering her eleven and fourteen year
old girls for sex. Men from all over, from all walks of life, stepped right
into this trap. We live in suburban USA by the way!
It
breaks my heart. Right now there riots going on in this country over shootings.
I lament the loss of any life. It marks the end of someone’s choice to choose a
different path for themselves. However, I have NEVER heard such an outcry from
the world over the millions of women and children sold in modern day slavery!
Where is our compassion for the innocent? Where is our outrage for those who
have been treated and traded like animals all over the world? Who is going to
stand up for them? Who is going to save them? Who is going to reach out to
them?
As
I listened to the speaker today, my heart broke over and over again. The women
aren’t treated like people. They are commodities. Their husbands or sons sell
them for sex from mid-afternoon until evening. They are visited by 20-30 men
EVERYDAY! They never go to school. They don’t get a normal life. They are the
family cow. I mean no disrespect here, but that is how they are treated. They
are how their family makes money. If a women gives birth to a girl, that girl
is in the room and watches her mother prostituted so she can learn the trade.
I’m not talking about thousands of years ago, guys. This is happening in 2016.
There
are about 20.9 million people who are victims of forced labor. Many of the
people sold are women. Half of them are children. This is not okay. The cries
of these people go up to the Father and I guarantee you, He’s not happy about
it. He cries with them and for them, and He calls His people to step in and do
something. That’s us by the way.
Look,
I understand we can’t all be missionaries to foreign countries, and we don’t
all have tons of money to throw at this stuff, but there is still something you
can do. If nothing else, we can pray. We can pray that God brings relief and
brings those who are called to them. We can also seek to grow so that God can
use us locally. Guys, that’s why we have started this blog. We want you to grow
with us so that our personal struggles become our personal stories of victory
through Christ. We can then share what we have learned and be effective in our
communities and help those who are struggling. Our personal growth is directly
tied to our ability to be useful in the kingdom. (Matthew 25:14-30)
Hearing
of these women lit a fire under me to keep going. There are people out there
who need my compassion. There are people out there who need you too. I know
that the battle is hard. I know that life is rough. Believe me. I gave my life
over and told God, I was willing to go through anything, suffer anything, so
long as He made it worth something. I have been hurt. I have been used. I have
been abused by people I trusted. Sometimes, life is just plain hard, but I can
already see God using what I have been through to teach me and heal me so that
I might help others. I hope that in some small way, what you read in our blogs
helps you too. I hope that it encourages you. I hope that it excites you about
the things of God. But most of all, I hope that it spurs you on to do the
wonderful things that He has planned for you.
Be
fruitful, brothers and sister. Be well. Be encouraged. Seek Him in all that you
do. Pray faithfully for all things. And know that I truly care for you all.
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