I will never forget the day I met her.
Her glazed over eyes, her pale face, and her emotionless expression.
I was standing face to face with a young girl who had recently escaped from slavery. I imagine her eyes were glazed over from all she had seen. Her face was pale because she was sick as a result of what she was forced to do with men. And her emotionless expression, I’m sure it was the same one she put on everyday that her body was being sold over and over again.
I smiled through the pain I was feeling for her. I loved her as best as I could for the few minutes we were with her. I felt helpless. I wanted to erase every memory she had. I wanted to physically put her into the arms of our Savior because He is the only one who could heal the wounds she had.
Thankfully this sweet girl was being taken care of by the ministry we were partnering with. She was being told about the love of the Father who saw her as beautiful and unstained from the things that had been done to her.
But most children, women, and men stuck in human trafficking don’t get that chance.
Before going to Vietnam human trafficking is only something I had read about. While in Ho Chi Minh, it was thrown in my face every night: older white men hanging all over young Vietnamese women. I had conversations with men who tried to convince me that they were “good” people. I told them that I wasn’t judging them at all and that I simply wanted to talk. Conversations that led me to believe that they really did know what they were doing to those women was wrong.
So, if they know it is wrong, why don’t they stop?
They don’t stop because our world is a broken. It is full of people who want power, pleasure, and money at any cost. Our world has a heart problem, which I’m sure is no surprise to any of you reading this.
There are a lot of people who are angry about human trafficking and these people have a right to be. Human trafficking is an awful reality. There are tons of people who shine light on the issue and because of them people all over the world are aware of it.
We can be angry and we can shine light on the issue, but nothing is going to change until we go after the hearts of people. The hearts of those selling people, the hearts of those buying people, and the hearts of those being sold.
One heart at a time.
That might seem like a rather large task, but it’s not because our God is HUGE.
Find a way to be involved.
Educate yourself.
Give to organizations that are reaching these people.
Volunteer in America and overseas with the ones that are already making a difference.
Pray that women, children, and men would be rescued.
Don’t fall into the lie that you can’t make a difference.
