“The rawest emotions I can imagine flow.
Adrenalin surges.
Fists tighten.
Hate comes next.
My heart feels as if it just physically broke.
I swallow the lump that has began to form in my throat.”
Today started out like a “normal” off day on the race.
The team and I crawl out of bed around 10am. Off days are great!
A few team members were watching Starwars on there laptop. A few were doing Devo’s. There was breakfast somewhere in there also. I had a single goal for the day, to Skype a friend back in the states at 2pm local time (7am EST.)
The hours pass.
I walk to our local hang out. It’s a local place called Andy’s pizza. The pizza isn’t very good but it’s cheap and they have Wifi so it’s our spot! I set up in a booth order my pizza and mountain dew (I prayed God would give me a mountain dew last month and He came through this month. He loves me so much) and set up for my Skype date back home. Pizza was good, Mountain dew was refreshing as always and Skype convo was encouraging! It was well on its way to being a great off day. I didn’t know it at the time but as I started to pack up my computer my life was about to be changed for ever by the next 2 minutes of my life
*WARNING: Might be too real for some*
A “guy” walks up to me points at my shirt and starts speaking to me in Ukrainian. I was wearing a Ukraine Euro cup shirt so “he” must have thought I was Ukrainian. I interrupt “him” and just say “English”. “He” smiles shakes “his” head no and with “his” hands holds up 2 fingers, then makes a zero, then makes another zero, and points to the booth next to me.
About the time “he” points, I glance over to see what “he’s” pointing at. There is a woman there, probably in her late teens wearing a white dress. She’s looking down at the table, but as I look she glances up and our eyes meet.
The rawest emotions I can imagine flow.
Adrenalin surges.
Fists tighten.
Hate comes next.
My heart feels as if it just physically broke.
I swallow the lump that has began to form in my throat
First thought: Throw this “guy” through the plate glass window to my left and then stomp him out for the whole town to see. Solid option.
Second thought: Don’t waste the time to throw “him” through the glass and just take care of business in Andy’s pizza.
Third thought: What about the girl? What about this daughter of the King that this guy is taking advantage of? What can I do? When our eyes meet the only word that came to mind was SHAME. It might as well of been painted on her face. She was so lost. (I wish you could see her eyes. Her eyes would make you uncomfortable, and rightly so. Her eyes would break your heart and stir you to action. )
As all these thoughts and others raced through my mind… I just stared into “his” eyes. It felt like 5 minutes went by. I just wanted to scream. “He” kept talking. I kept staring. Its like I was frozen in that booth. I’m guessing only 30-45 seconds actually went by. But before the weight of what just happened hit me “he” waved the women in the booth over to him and they walked away.
Today was the day trafficking grew a face.
Today was the day I looked trafficking in the eyes
Trafficking is not a victimless crime.
That was someone’s daughter.
WAKE UP!!!!
What if the white dress was you daughter, cousin, sister, mom, aunt, friend.
You would destroy anything in your way to help her.
To show her that she is not hopeless.
To help her rid the shame she is carrying.
You would go anywhere, sell anything, do whatever it took.
But instead of doing something we pray dumb prayers like “Lord give me the eyes to see the injustice around me.”
In the most honoring, respectful way I can muster let me please tell you that you don’t need super discerning spiritual eyes to see injustice around the world, you just need eyes! We have had our eyes closed long enough.
200 Moldovan Lei for that girl.
24 US dollars.
A Damn $20 bill.
I don’t have words.
This isn’t a story of redemption. There is no happy ending. This is the same story that happened HUNDREDS of THOUSANDS of times every single day all around the world. The girl in the White Dress didn’t meet Jesus. The “guy” in need of the radical unconditional love and grace of the Father didn’t find it today. Maybe im just not they’re yet and that’s ok. I know Jesus loves that “guy” but I don’t. My love is very much conditional.
I think if you look deep enough into the eyes of the girl in the white dress you’ll find Jesus staring back at you. Jesus loves to be in the dirty places. He always has and always will. Those are His friends. Lets put on our big boy pants and join him before we loss sight of Him all together.
