27 million people around the world today live in slavery. It’s unbelievably horrifying, right? How human beings can think they have the right to treat other people as mere objects will forever baffle my mind. Absolutely disgusting. What a portrayal of Satan’s power in this world. But I refuse to accept that’s the way it has to stay. So what am I, a 24 year old marketing coordinator-turned-missionary from Orange County, California going to do about it?
I will become an abolitionist. I will work with the enslaved to help free and then empower them in that newfound freedom. I am going to take on my responsibility and become an abolitionist for the cause. It’s no longer enough to simply think or talk about change. All of us must initiate action within our sphere of influence – whether you a teacher, hair dresser, doctor, housewife, coach, pastor, artist or policeman. Awareness is the beginning. Action must follow. So many people in America are oblivious to the fact that human trafficking is a real issue and happens a great deal in America. Yup, I was one of them. I grew up vaguely knowing trafficking existed but thought it only rarely occurred and in other “less developed” nations. Because I didn’t hear about (or pay attention to) trafficking in Orange County, I wrote it off – out of sight, out of mind.
Yet God chose me to go on a 5 week human trafficking research trip through Asia, in the midst of my World Race experience. I had no idea of what I was getting into at the time, but knew I’d better follow the Lord’s calling. Now, looking back, there is no denying what he was waking me up to and his desire to use me as an agent of change. My life moving forward has direction. This trip has wrecked me in the best possible way. My heart breaks for the enslaved and exploited women and children like it hasn’t ever before. For the first time, I feel an unquenchable passion burning inside of me and I know it’s never going to fade. I want to actually do something about this injustice. There is no way I can just ignore it and go back to my life of complacency. God opened my eyes in the most real way and allowed me to glimpse oppression firsthand. I now have a responsibility to share with others and to do something about it. Although I am only one person and it is easy to begin feeling hopeless about really making a difference with issues this complex… I know that even one life saved matters. So I am going to fight!
Yes, I have only spent a few weeks researching and studying about trafficking so I am no expert. But meeting with organizations that are really making an impact – increasing awareness, implementing prevention and victim relief programs – does give me hope that God is at work and change can happen. I recently read the book “Not For Sale” and it was incredible. It gave insight to the types of trafficking that occur all over the world. It not only gave the hardcore facts and data but also told the tragic stories of people actually living through and surviving slavery. Not only did the stats startle me, but the stories made a lasting impression on my heart in a way that I cannot even begin to explain.
The end of the book really challenges people – everyday people – to get involved in combating this issue. Not everyone is called to go overseas and lead raids into brothels, but why not host a dinner to show a documentary about the sex slaves in Thailand? Or perhaps sell jewelry handmade by women who were able to get out of slavery and are now earning wages for their work. Maybe you are a lawyer or government official – start petitioning for anti-trafficking laws in your city or state. Make life about reaching out to the oppressed, as Jesus did. “The spirit of the sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness the prisoners” (Isaiah 61:1) . I say we can make a difference and end slavery in our lifetime. Join me in the fight. Become an abolitionist.
