Saving and Loving the "Merchandise"

Thursday, March 13, 2014

            After one child ran with me, three others wanted to join as well. This was tricky because the fitness range is quite wide between all of us.  Rather, I did a workout with the girls that included some running and doing sets. The children enjoy activity and would laugh as we did high knees and butt kicks. I still get nervous with them on the streets with me. I am not fearful when I’m alone, but with the girls running around, it makes me uneasy. I’m constantly checking to make sure they’re all still there. At CATCH, they asked the children what they desire the more: friendship, shelter, love, safety or food. Guess what their answer was? Safety. From sunrise to sunset, these children are subject to the wickedly luring minds on the street. Children’s rights are trampled on like a grain of sand in a stampede of elephants. Justice isn’t served and they are told to keep quiet.

            Tonight I attended a workshop on Human Trafficking. It was lead by Traffic Proof, which teaches communities how to recognize signs of being trafficked and what measures to take in prevention. A couple of months ago, a small boy living at CATCH was taken off his bicycle and pulled into a car. This incident happened at noon, with people driving and walking by. Luckily, the boy’s father saw him being forced into a car and ran after him. The father wrestled with the man that took his son and eventually got him back. The mindset is sickening. Traffic Proof’s main message is to just stop for one child. If we see suspicious activity, just stop for the one child. How can we turn away? Every child is our concern. Every child is God’s child. If we don’t stop for them, who will? Most of them are abandoned, which makes them easy to abduct.

            The children need extensive counseling when recovering from child trafficking, but I’m even more concerned for the traffickers and the men that keep these brothels in business. Their hearts have turned into stone. They have reduced themselves to such a level to use children as an outlet for stress. The traffickers refer to sex slaves as merchandise. In all their wickedness, Jesus still wants these men. This has been resonating with me lately. Jesus wants these men. These men desperately need someone to tell them they are worthy. That God delicately designed each and every one of them. They are better than their actions. I wish I could speak to all of them. Darkness has such strongholds on these men, and when they discover true life, and turn from their past, how bright will that light be!! These men know they are broken, and need a healer. Most of them are too ashamed to turn to God, but if they only knew the grace that freely flows from Him, they would run without ceasing to the foot of the cross. And then, they are radically transformed into a new creation full of light, love and joy. We need to pray for not only the victims but also the offenders.