Let me be frank with you. If you are going to read this and be amazed by my great writing skills ;), move on. If you are going to read this then continue thinking about your to-do list, move on. If you are going to read this then think about how this problem is SO big YOU could never make a difference, move on. I am tired of half-hearted commitment, empty worship services, and the American Dream. Just give me the Kingdom. I want to talk to people who are seeking the Kingdom.
If you know me, you probably know the passion I have to be a part of the anti-trafficking movement. Ever since I was exposed to the International Justice Mission, my heart aches for these women.
Get this:75-80% of all human trafficking is for sex. As defined under U.S. federal law, human trafficking involves the commercial exchange and exploitations of humans including forced prostitution, various forms of “labor or services,” or servitude and debt bondage.
Human trafficking is considered to be one of the fastest growing criminal industries in the world, second only to drug dealing, which it’s expected to surpass in the next two years. The United Nations estimates that 27 million people are trafficked annually.
Now, for most of you, this sounds like empty stats and distant faces. Join the club. I would say that most Americans would be SHOCKED to find out that trafficking is closer to their home than they think. Reality check. IT'S NOT.
Last weekend I recorded 3 documentaries on MSNBC, "Sex Slavery in America, Sex Slavery: Teen Trade, Sex Slavery: Mihn's Story". Sitting on the floor in my living room, I bawled. "Teen Trade" hit home like NEVER before. I resonated with this woman; we were both Christians and had, at one point, liked a guy who seemed out of reach. In all my research on sex trafficking in America, I had never been so confronted with "That could have been me." I have been in a funk all day because I could not get her face out of my mind nor silence the cries of the women who shared their stories. As I cried, I asked God why He would let such an atrocity happen?! I heard God gently say, "You did." Recently, I probably would have been appalled at such a suggestion, God can do whatever God likes! But after the last couple of transforming weeks, I silently whispered back, "You're right."
I have included a short clip of this woman's story. This text is not complete without watching/listening to her story. Now I am about to embark on a journey in search of how to practically implement change in the trafficking industry (God-willing) after I come back. You read this after agreeing that you are seeking the Kingdom. Tell me, what you are going to do in conjunction with the Kingdom?
