Of Brothels and Cameras

He sits there playing Lego Lord of the Rings, on an office chair that's three times his size. Small shoulders, sun-kissed blonde hair that's too long and falls into his eyes, and a serious profile on my tiny five-year old man. I see him across the room from me, and everything in me aches and hurts, and I feel like throwing up.

In the comments of an internet post I've been reading on the horrors of human trafficking, a man shares the terrible truth of a tiny four-year old boy who's a victim of multiple adult men. It enrages me, pulling a fierceness from deep inside me that I don't often see. Across the living room, my five-year old sits, oblivious to his tearful mom, and I push quiet sobs down, and race to get a grip on my nausea.

Sometimes it's too much, huh? We read of atrocities in Asia, in Eastern Europe, and in our own state, and it wearies the soul. And yet, to turn away is to become party to it. 

Jamie Wright at Jamie the Very Worst Missionary recently wrote about an undercover trip she and her husband participated in to discover the complex issues of human trafficking around the world, and to see what organizations were doing about it. She writes of seeing a 13-year old girl "pressed up against [her] hulking husband." Jamie said: "Everything in me wanted to jump up and scream, 'This is totally a victim of human trafficking. Quick, let's grab her!'" Jamie and her missions pastor husband had to instead restrain themselves and continue to play the (innocent) role of partying tourists, while undercover investigators gathered evidence to rescue underage and trafficked women.

In her post "On Sending My Husband Into Brothels," Laura Parker describes what it's like for the undercover investigators and their families who battle human trafficking around the world. Laura and her husband helped found an organization called The Exodus Road, which is a network of surveillance teams and individuals committed to fighting trafficking. A collection of former police investigators, ex-military, local government and police, legal teams, and brave volunteers collect data, present it, and have rescued 189 victims since July 2012!

I've discovered that fighting human trafficking overseas can be as simple as helping equip an undercover team. They need surveillance equipment, funds for particular operations, and training resources. Want to help? Want to rescue girls, boys, men and women stuck in sexual slavery? Simply contact The Exodus Road and donate towards a camera. Who knew that one way of helping could be so easy.

(I am not an affiliate or or being reimbursed by The Exodus Road in any way, just glad for one way to help.)

International Justice Mission, Compassion International, The Emancipation Network, and many more organizations fight human trafficking either directly or indirectly.  

What are some organizations you've heard about that fight international human trafficking?

Photo credits to Microsoft clip art. 

(Thankful too for men and women who put their lives in danger to rescue the survivors and to prosecute the perpetrators, I link with Ann to count gifts, and Emily at Imperfect Prose.)

Peasants and Piercings (Atheist Conversation Part Two)

Thanks to those who joined us in the last post "Crying With an Atheist at a Bus Stop." I invited you to join me today in pondering a great question she asked me via email.

My jaunty-hatted, honest new friend Jamie* respectfully posed this question: 
                 Why would one live one's life as a servant (of the lord),
                 considerably limiting their freedoms and options
                just to die and become a servant in a more intense setting only to
               worship, honor, and glorify their lord, minimizing their self-worth
               to that of a peasant in the middle ages?

After a few days to pray and reflect, I responded: 

You asked a good question, wondering why anyone would want to be like a slave to Jesus. I've been pondering your question and wondering how to best answer it. It's such an interesting thing to think about my relationship to Jesus. 

Historically, back in the day, there were so many different types of slaves, that people were familiar with the concept.This wasn't a biblically-endorsed thing, just a reality of life back then: both in the Middle Ages (like you mentioned) and in ancient civilizations. Slavery could be because someone had been captured by a neighboring village --I saw remnants of old serfdom villages in the south of France and warring villages that stood opposite each other!-- or because one was in debt and would then sell themselves for labor as a way to pay off the debt. This has been throughout history.

The Bible--always the radical-- came up with something radical and revolutionary. In the biblical book of Exodus, God gave Moses the law for his people. One of the cool radical things he set up was the idea of the Year of Jubilee (Leviticus 25:8-55). Hating slavery and the sadness it caused people in history, God said that every 50 years there would be a year of Jubilee ("happiness"). In that year, all debts were forgiven; any one who had been made a slave was set free, no matter what! And everyone was restored to freedom, which is God's plan. I love that idea.

2000 years later, when Jesus came on the scene in Rome-controlled Israel, he stood up in his home church and announced his job description. In Luke 4:18-19, we see that he said "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of God's favor."

I know that we can be slaves to many things in life: to fear, to our pasts, to shame, to addictions, to unforgiveness, to bitterness, to cruelty, to materialism, to greed, etc. Jesus came, talking about freedom! The Israelites at that time misunderstood him, expecting him to overthrow the political tyranny of the Romans. Jesus, though, kept saying that his new kingdom was coming later, and wasn't about political power. Revelations 1:5 in the second half of the verse says: "To him who loved us and has freed us from our sins by his blood," and Romans 5:8 says "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."  2 Corinthians 3:17 says "Now the Lord is Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." Jesus said "I have come that they might have life, and have it abundantly!" in John 10:10.

  

There is so much joy in surrendering yourself to someone powerful and loving who cares for you and has your best interests at heart! (That's another paragraph for another day!):)  He went through so much pain for me on that cross, and he has shown his tender love for me so many times, that I am just thrilled to follow him and love him and want to get to know him more all the time.

In the olden days, in that year of Jubilee when slaves were all freed, there was a custom that if anyone wanted to, they could choose to stay on working for the family that they had been slaves for. Now I can't imagine wanting to stay working for a human master, but apparently it happened that workers knew they were loved and wanted to stay with employers at times. At that point, the custom was that they would get their ear pierced a certain way, and would announce to others that they had chosen to serve and love this employer for life. They were called bond-servants.

Well, in the New Testament (second half of the Bible), Paul, the author of much of the NT calls himself a bond-servant of Jesus. Saying that he has chosen, out of love, to want to follow and serve Jesus all his life. That's interesting. He must have seen something different in this Being, that he wanted to follow him so wholeheartedly! It seems that a bond-servant then has different connotations, more loving and more of a choice--not degradation.

I'm long-winded, sorry, Jamie.*  You've just asked a good question and I wanted to give you my serious time in answering it.

Have you ever felt that there had to be more to life? Have you ever wanted to throw yourself wholeheartedly into something that was bigger than you, something that was Significant and was worth your life and death? I have, and I have found that in Jesus. He is worth it, and he shows me the meaning of life.

How is your week going? What's a normal week for you like? I hope to hear from you again. Please keep those questions coming! They are fun and I appreciate your honesty.

Warmly,

Jennifer 

What about you? What would you have said or added here? What interesting conversations have you had about your faith with other people? 

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas...

Resilient.
     Redeemed.
          Resourceful.
               Resplendent.
                   
Survivors from around the world are being rescued, and are rescuing others. Counseling, healing, education, training, untainted love and affection, and entrepreneurial skills are being provided for them.

Made by Survivors and other organizations then sell the products made by these survivors, with 100% of the money going back to rescue efforts, and fair prices for the products.

Christmas is two months away. This year, make your Christmas shopping pull double duty. Have each purchase send money directly back to help fight human trafficking. Lush silk scarves, glittering necklaces, dangling earrings, exotic bracelets, purses, bags, t-shirts, and more. These gifts will not only delight your family and friends but will fight human trafficking. Join me in this, will you?

Today's Tangible Way to Fight Human Trafficking

• Christmas shop and fight human trafficking at the same time. Visit MadebySurvivors.com.
  
• Host your own party through Made by Survivors or Women at Risk International to raise awareness and money to fight human trafficking. (If you live near me, watch for details of my Open House/Party to do some Christmas shopping and fight human trafficking TBA.)

Last chance for a Book Give-away: Win an autographed copy of Kimberly Rae's book "Stolen Woman..." Winners will be announced on Friday.  Each action enters your name anew.

• Leave a comment here on my site
• Pray with me here (on the comments) for strength, resources and energy for the people to fight this, or
• Share this on your facebook page by clicking the "fb" button below (and let me know you did). Let's raise awareness.  

Hi, I'd love to hear from you. This has been a heavy topic, huh? This is the last in this three-post series. What emotions does this topic bring to mind for you? How are you this week? What have you been learning about or reading lately? How can I pray for you this week?