We arrived at the gate where we were greeted and given a name tag that said VISITOR in big, bold letters. That tag could not have been more true. Visitor I was indeed. I was visiting a foreign land–one I had never visited before. One that I’d only heard of, and very little at that. This foreign land was a safe house for girls who have been victims of human trafficking. Thousands of thoughts rushed through my mind as I walked through that gate. All I could do was pray.
We were brought into the main office to meet with the director and discuss what our time at the house would look like for the month. We got a brief background on the girls, the safe house and the human trafficking industry in general. After signing some papers of agreement, we asked if we could meet the girls before going home that afternoon.
We were then brought over to the dorm where they live. Some of the girls were out on their balcony, watching us like hawks, as we walked up. They seemed guarded–not just with their thoughts, but also with their hearts, (and quite honestly, I don’t blame them). My immediate thought was, “no, they cannot be the girls we are working with, they are so young.” Yes, those were the girls we’d be working with, I soon found out. It was about ten minutes later, that my team and I found ourselves on that very balcony, meeting the girls as they hesitantly came out of their rooms. My heart immediately started aching as I looked into their eyes. “The life you’ve already lived. The hurt you’ve experienced, the innocence that has been taken from you.“ Again, I found my mind racing with thoughts. It was in that moment I realized the distinct contrast of our lives.
One of the house mothers soon joined us out on the balcony and encouraged us to sit in a circle to introduce ourselves. We took turns talking, first the girls and then our team. As the girls slowly started to introduce themselves, some giggling as they spoke, I could see a young girl within each of them come out. “Hi my name is _____________, I am ______ years old. My favorite color is _____________.”
What unfolded next though, broke my heart and made me think about the reality of their lives. One of the girls who introduced herself told us her name, age, favorite color AND that she liked ice cream. A simple statement to most, but it hit me. ICE CREAM! I really don’t know why it hit me so hard. I thought of how through the harsh realty of what her life had been, a simple thing like ice cream brought her such joy. Even the fact that it was important to her for us to know that, just hit me hard. To me, ice cream is a memory from my childhood on a hot summer’s day, or something I go get with friends, or eat while on a family outing. Tears came to my eyes in that moment and I prayed for her and those girls. “God, bless these girls’ lives. Give them all of your blessings, give them all the ice cream they could ever want! Lord, protect them from harm’s way from here on out. Thank you for redeeming their lives. Start erasing the bad memories and fill them with good ones. Heal their hurts, Father. Amen.”
This month I’m praying for God to use my team to be a light in these girls’ lives. Even though we are not with them for very long, we won’t stop praying for them after we leave. I’m truly thankful that these girls have made it to this safe house, which truly is a safe house in so many ways. They are learning job skills, English, and most importantly about Christ’s good & pure love. God has already used these girls in my life and I pray that I can be used in theirs.
