3 years ago I was wrecked in Tijuana, Mexico. At age 18 I saw the brokenness of the world for the first time with my own eyes. I fell in love with children who had stories that broke my heart, and my soul.
Now, I’m sitting in a coffee shop in Moldova getting ready to fly to Ireland tomorrow morning to start month 11 of this race. I’m sitting here drinking an incredibly large Americano while people speak Russian around me, and occasionally glancing my way when they notice I’m wearing yoga pants and a tank top instead of a dress and heals. It’s just my life now. Im slowly realizing I lost something in these last 10 months, I lost heart, and I lost my reason. Moving every month, meeting new people, hearing different languages, getting a new stamp on my passport, getting out of the bus to line up for a 3 hour border crossing became normal, it became mundane.
“You’re In a new country every month, how can that be normal?” You say.
I will blink at you with my tired eyes, and my restful soul and walk away because I want to throw a couple curse words at you and maybe my water bottle, but I digress.
I forgot, I forgot the babies that are sold for sex and bought by Americans.
I forgot the women in the bars that plead with me to take them away.
I forgot the men with lustful eyes and broken hearts.
I forgot the ladyboys that do not know where they belong but desperately need to be understood.
I forgot the street kids who are forced to grow up before they are meant to.
I forgot that I can live off of way less than I need.
I forgot that you can actually flush toilet paper.
I forgot all water is not safe to drink.
I forgot that there are A BILLIONNNNNNN orphans in the world and NO ONE SEEMS TO CARE ENOUGH TO DO ANYTHING.
I forgot, and I’m SO sorry.
I now remember why I came on this race, why my heart caught on fire for Jesus and his mission.
I REMEMBER, and I don’t know how I forgot.
Actually I do.
When you start to just “get by”.
When you get too tired to care.
When you start fantasizing about target, chick fil a, and your own bed.
I stared to refocus on myself, on my discomfort, on my own desires.
coooooool.
I came to fight, not just fight, battle.
This battle is not done, we have won, but I want to take back ALL the ground that is ours.
I want to know a world where lust does not exist.
Where people don’t desire to have sex with children.
Where women are no longer objects.
Where orphans have families.
Where materialism does not exist.
Where homeless people have homes.
Where Christians stop hating in the name of Jesus.
Stop right now and think about your baby boy, or girl, or both, and think about someone going on the Internet and seeing a picture of them with a bunch of other children like cameras on the Walmart sight. They see your precious baby, the one you prayed for, you grew, you love, imagine that person purchasing your child for sexual favors.
If you are not nauseous right now…..
Imagine your teenager, male or female.
He/she somehow gets put Into the sex trade.
They are looked at and touched to see off they are worth $20.
Imagine them having to do WHATEVER that person wants them to do.
Imagine your son, he grew up, he’s 30 or 40.
He takes a trip to Toledo, Ohio, Thailand, or India with his buddies.
The purpose of that trip? Pleasure.
He buys someone’s daughter, someone’s beautiful daughter and does whatever it takes to get him off. To satisfy.
Imagine your nephew, he’s on the streets, and if he doesn’t sell all of his flowers tonight he will be beaten so badly he can barely go out tomorrow night to do it all over again.
REMEMBER how beautifully comfortable your life is.
How much you HAVE, and how much you can give.
This organization helps fight child trafficking.
And there are a million other organizations that you can hook up with if you care enough to find them.
Start helping, start fighting.
I forgot, and I’m sure so have you.
