The squad [50-young adults] that Billy and I
lead in South America and Eastern Europe are now ending their eleven months in
Asia. It has been incredible to hear their stories, encourage them and
continue to walk the journey with them. They have truly changed this
world-one village, one day and one person at a time. And to top it all
off, they are far from done! I don’t have to tell you their names because
I know you’ll be hearing about them in the years to come. They are
world-changers and I feel so privileged to have been a part of their
process.
lead in South America and Eastern Europe are now ending their eleven months in
Asia. It has been incredible to hear their stories, encourage them and
continue to walk the journey with them. They have truly changed this
world-one village, one day and one person at a time. And to top it all
off, they are far from done! I don’t have to tell you their names because
I know you’ll be hearing about them in the years to come. They are
world-changers and I feel so privileged to have been a part of their
process.
Some of their stories of injustice have been
hard to swallow. The un-comfortableness of it all keeps pushing me to
reject what I hear and forget about it. But of course, it is not
that simple.
hard to swallow. The un-comfortableness of it all keeps pushing me to
reject what I hear and forget about it. But of course, it is not
that simple.
When I was in Thailand two years ago, I got
to spend some time working with human trafficking. That first night we
walked through the red-light district was horrifying. I can still visibly
picture a little girl, maybe five or six, who stood at the entrance to the bar
scene holding out a pink, plastic mug and begging for money. I prayed
fervently that night for this unnamed child. Pleading and imploring that
God would save her from the countless terrors that engulfed her. I had no
idea that I was already too late.
to spend some time working with human trafficking. That first night we
walked through the red-light district was horrifying. I can still visibly
picture a little girl, maybe five or six, who stood at the entrance to the bar
scene holding out a pink, plastic mug and begging for money. I prayed
fervently that night for this unnamed child. Pleading and imploring that
God would save her from the countless terrors that engulfed her. I had no
idea that I was already too late.
Emily playing connect four with a 6-year old girl being seasoned.
I’ve since discovered, through my squad,
that this young girl was already a slave. A brothel will purchase a child
and send them out into the red light district each night for a process they
call seasoning. To prepare these young protegees for a life of
forced prostitution, they send them out to sell flowers or beg for money in
order to help them feel comfortable interacting with strangers. Then,
once they have completed this phase they transition them into the life of a
prostitute. And, after being sold and re-sold and re-sold as a virgin
[compliments of the local doctor sewing their hymen back up] they are
placed in the bar to work the regular evening shift-as the property of the bar.
that this young girl was already a slave. A brothel will purchase a child
and send them out into the red light district each night for a process they
call seasoning. To prepare these young protegees for a life of
forced prostitution, they send them out to sell flowers or beg for money in
order to help them feel comfortable interacting with strangers. Then,
once they have completed this phase they transition them into the life of a
prostitute. And, after being sold and re-sold and re-sold as a virgin
[compliments of the local doctor sewing their hymen back up] they are
placed in the bar to work the regular evening shift-as the property of the bar.
While sitting at one of these pubs last
month, two of our World Race participants realized that the sex-workers they
were talking with were only 13-years old. They had already been sold,
seasoned and stripped of their multiple virginities. With breaking hearts
they sought to pour out love on these innocent daughters. And as they
did, a man walked in wanting these 13-year old girls…
The man and two of the 13-year old girls.
I’ve been mulling over this for the past 40
days. It has been creeping into my mind and heart whenever there’s a
quiet moment and I still don’t know what to do about it. Life in Georgia
is a far cry from Thailand, but the realities of this situation and so many
others aren’t changing. I may not be able to eliminate sex-slavery from
our globe in the next week. However, just like my squad, I know that I am
called to be a world changer-one village, one day and one person at a time.
days. It has been creeping into my mind and heart whenever there’s a
quiet moment and I still don’t know what to do about it. Life in Georgia
is a far cry from Thailand, but the realities of this situation and so many
others aren’t changing. I may not be able to eliminate sex-slavery from
our globe in the next week. However, just like my squad, I know that I am
called to be a world changer-one village, one day and one person at a time.
