On Friday night my team had the privilege of going out with the Atlanta Dream Center for their weekly Princess Night outreach. Every Friday night a team of people hit the streets of Atlanta to bring the message of God’s Love to women caught in the darkness of the commercial sex industry. It was the night I had been waiting for since we got back to Atlanta. All of our work this month has been amazing, but nothing can compare to outreach nights when I can go out and just love on God’s beautiful daughters. Ever since we left the bar ministry in Thailand and the brothels of India I had been praying and hoping for another opportunity to take God’s love to the streets.
In Asia, they have a common phrase; “Same Same, but Different.” That’s what human trafficking is here. It is the same system of slavery; the same men and women controlling, enslaving and selling other human beings. It may look a little bit different, it may wear a different mask, but it is the same disregard for another human being’s rights. As I looked into the face of human trafficking in my own backyard, my heart broke all over again. I realized (not that I hadn’t thought about it before, but finally grasped for real) the gravity of the issue here in my own country; in my own state. It’s not something you hear about going on halfway around the world that touches you and then you think “I am so glad I don’t have to deal with that here.” Same same…it is here. It is in Atlanta. It is in Macon. It is a global issue. But different…trafficking in the U.S. is masked by facades of massage parlors, Mexican cantinas, or even street “prostitution.” But slavery is slavery.
Same same…but different. The difference is how we approach the issue with the knowledge that we have. The difference is you. It is me. It is taking action to stop slavery in our own backyards. To look at a situation and say, “not on my watch,” and in the name of Jesus, do something about it. Pray. Intercede for these men and women caught up in darkness. Step out. Hit the streets and tell a girl that she is loved by the God who created her and calls her His beloved.
Same same…but different. That phrase describes who I am today. After 4 months of experiencing some of the darkest places in the world, I have the same heart and the same passion for the Lord and for people. But after 4 months I have a very different perspective and mentality when it comes to ministry and my relationship with the Lord. I am walking in a new freedom and a renewed love for the Lord. I am walking in a new understanding of who I am in Christ as a daughter. I am walking in a new perspective of people and Christ’s love for them.
Same same…but different. I praise God that I am not leaving this trip unchanged, but different. And I am praying that He continues the process beyond just the next 10 days. His Word promises that “He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it.” That is my prayer as I begin to face the reality that this trip is coming to a close. That the work He has begun won’t be just a work for this trip, but that it is just the beginning. Sure, when I get back some people may call me crazy, charismatic, or weird…you can call it whatever you want. But the truth is I am in love with my Savior, and I can’t help but share it.
