Human Trafficking, a Talk I Did, and the Love of Jesus...

Today is Veteran’s Day; a day that we remember and honor those that have fought for our freedom.  Just remember, not everywhere could I post this and not be persecuted, not everywhere could I write this in freedom without threat of prison.  I encourage you today to look at your freedom in a new light.  Look at it not only as a freedom of speech, a freedom of the pursuit of happiness, but look at it as a freedom in to love God.  If you have never heard the wonderful message of Jesus and would like to ask any questions about what I have written, or would like for me to come and lecture at a group or organization, or want more information on how you can help an organization in Central Asia, please don’t hesitate to contact me. 

I had the distinct honor of talking with a group of teenaged moms yesterday.  I didn’t talk with them about how to turn their lives around, I didn’t talk to them about how terrible it was that they were pregnant at such a young age.  I was asked to talk with them about human trafficking.  There are a lot of times that I have shut my eyes to it.  You think of a prostitute (even in America because yes, it does happen here) and you think that this is the life that they chose.  You see strippers and immediately judge them.  It is so easy to think badly about people without knowing their stories.  Even just recently when my friends informed me that they were going to work with victims of human trafficking, and they said that they didn’t want these girls to go back into the sex trade, I thought to myself, that is a choice isn’t it? 

The truth of the matter is that a lot of women are FORCED into the sex trade.  Prostitution, pornographic films or pictures, stripping.  A lot of these women were taken away from their comfort, they may have initially run away or the just trusted the wrong person.  All over the world, women are being deceived with stories and promises of a better life.  They use fake jobs to lure these individuals in and then rape, abuse and beat them.  Their papers are taken away and they are told to get their papers back, they have to pay their debt of X amount of dollars for their travel fees.  They are then told if they run, they will be killed, if they tell, they will be beaten.  They are given a quota of men they need to service every day and when they don’t service that number of men, they owe their trafficker the difference in what he was expecting.  Escape is not usually an option.  Families are threatened.  It is all very depressing to even think about. 

I have some friends that are being given the opportunities to work with some girls that have gotten out of trafficking.  They are working with them and educating them in other trades so that they do not end up getting sucked back into the trade and get sucked back into trafficking because 1) that is all they know and 2) they are vulnerable and easy targets for a “pimp” to find and say, come on, I will find you jobs. 

Last night, I got to share with these young teen mothers about Jesus’ love.  And they got to demonstrate His love by working on projects for the organization that my friends will be working on.  It was awesome and humbling.  We talked about how a lot of these women that are being trafficked haven’t heard about how no matter what your past, no matter how messed up you are, that Jesus can save.  They haven’t heard that Jesus can bring you the hope, the peace, the love the joy that they have sought all their life.  We all have our baggage. 

The Bible tells us Nobody's perfect.
There was only One that was perfect – Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
Romans 3:23 says “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”

They are going to find out that God loves them anyway.
Romans 5:8 says “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

We need to tell them that He made a way for us.Through the death of Jesus on the Cross, He gave us the gift of eternal life.
Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

We want them to call on Him.Romans 10:13 says “For Whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.”

They need to confess their belief.
Romans 10:9-10 says “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved; for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation."

Then, they will follow him.  Just like we follow him.  They will know they are never alone.

John 14:15-17 says “If you love Me, obey Me; and I will ask the Father and He will give you another Comforter, and He will never leave you! He is the Holy Spirit, the Spirit who leads into all truth."