Hidden Among Millions

     I've been sharing recently about the worth of the individual.  And I'd like to introduce you to an organization that lives out that value:  International Justice Mission (IJM).
     IJM "is a human rights agency that brings rescue to victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression. IJM lawyers, investigators and aftercare professionals work with local officials to secure immediate victim rescue and aftercare, to prosecute perpetrators and to ensure that public justice systems - police, courts and laws - effectively protect the poor."


     "Suhana (name changed for her protection) was only 16 when she was rescued by IJM and local police from a Kolkata (India) brothel. Brought to a secure and loving aftercare home, she began to thrive. After more than a year of healing, Suhana and her counselors decided she was ready to start a job outside of the shelter.
      She made a new friend through this job, but the friendship had terrible consequences. The unthinkable happened: Suhana was trafficked to a faraway city. Tricked and betrayed, Suhana was sold to a pimp and returned to the nightmare she thought she had escaped forever. Night after night, she was raped, abused and exploited.  
      But Suhana was not forgotten. IJM was determined to rescue her - no matter how impossible it seemed."

    Please go to IJM's website, www.ijm.org, and see the video of Suhana's story*.  You will be impacted by the concern and love Suhana's caregivers had for her--that in a city of 18 million people, they would not give up their search.
     This story will remind you of another:  of our loving, faithful Shepherd who, even with His sheepfold full, goes and looks for the one who wandered off.  Upon the Shepherd's return with the sheep slung across his shoulders, "he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep!" (Luke 15:3-7)
     Can you relate?


*To find the video, type "Suhana" in the search option at the top right of the IJM home page.  It will give you a quick link to the video.  Sorry I wasn't able to embed this in the blog.

"He Knows My Name"

               

            A few days ago I wrote about the Ugandan Orphan's Choir that I met this summer.  As I watched these young people, so full of hope and expectation in life, I couldn't help but respond, "Oh, Lord, thank you for rescuing these precious children!"  They ended their concert with this song:

                              

  

 

 I have a Maker, He formed my heart;

                                Before even time began, my life was in His hands.

                                He knows my name, He knows my every thought;

                                He sees each tear that falls, and hears me when I call.

                                I have a Father, He calls me His own;

                                He'll never leave me, no matter where I go.

                                He knows my name, He knows my every thought;

                                He sees each tear that falls, and hears me when I call

  Since this concert, whenever I hear the overwhelming statistics about slavery and human trafficking, I 'm also reminded that God knows  intimately each man, woman, and child that lives in bondage. He knows their name; He sees their tears.  And that reminds me not to forget, to continue to care and keep working for the prevention of human trafficking, and the rescue of its victims.

                In my next blog, I will introduce you to young woman who is truly "one in a million".

One of the Keys: Education

Last summer our church was privileged to host a concert by the  Ugandan Orphan's Choir.    What a joy and blessing they were to us!  The Ugandan Orphan's Choir is a ministry of Childcare Worldwide, an organization whose emphasis is on providing educational opportunities to children who live in impoverished areas of the world.  The children in the choir were those who had lost one or both parents to war or AIDS, or had been abandoned.  The good news for these kids is they were  rescued before being kidnapped to work on a coffee or cocoa plantation, forced to join a rebel army, or sold into other forms of slavery. 

                The aim of Childcare Worldwide is, in their own words:  our unique programs not only help feed hungry children and their families, they also help children receive an education that leads to employment. Children are trained to have Christ-like character so they will grow up to be leaders with integrity.  

                 I admire this organization that is committed  not only to educating children , but more importantly following through with them into young adulthood, to have marketable skills.  Education and leadership training is definitely one of the keys to combating slavery.  A young person who is educated, has skills to earn a living, and possesses confidence and purpose, is less vulnerable to the lure of a trafficker.

                In a few days, I will share more of what  I learned from these kids.

Free to Work

                "Happy Thanksgiving!"  echoed in the halls of my workplace late yesterday afternoon as coworkers were leaving for the day.    Lunchtime conversation centered around where everyone was going, or who was coming, what food we were going to prepare, and the timing of events around the "big game".   We were all looking forward to a day or two of holiday.  Most likely the atmosphere was the same at your workplace.

                But did you also hear the usual complaints about the hours, the pay, the boss, the benefits package,  the facility, a coworker, an assignment, etc., etc.?   Well, consider this:

• Were you hired fraudulently?  That is, did the boss promise wealth and benefits that were an outright lie?

• Are your hours 14-16 hours a day, with a brief break in the middle of the day for a bowl of watery soup or rice?

• Do you work for no pay?

• Or if you do receive compensation, does the boss take most of it back to cover your "expenses", i.e.  a hovel to live in and the watery soup to survive on?

• Are you free to  come and go from your job site as you wish?  Is anyone keeping you there under threat of violence or death?

• Are your children forced to work alongside you?

                This is the "daily grind" for millions of families around the world today.  They live in areas where there are no opportunities for education, to learn job skills, to work for an honest company--there is no such thing as "employment options".  And everyone in their extended family and community are in the same situation.  This makes one so very vulnerable.  So  what would you have do if your children were starving?  What if someone in your family was ill and you were promised medical treatment?  How would you respond if someone promised your children could go to school if you would come work for them? 

                My challenge to us today is to think about our work life - and be so very thankful .  I realize some reading this may really be truly struggling in their job, or even be unemployed.  You can be thankful for family and friends who are able to help you.  Be thankful for community resources that can help you through this time.  Be thankful for the opportunity to learn new job skills. 

                When we consider the plight of the enslaved, we have nothing to complain about--and everything to be thankful for.

Become Aware . . . Begin to Care

        Welcome to "Aware to Care" ~ a blog to help inform and educate my friends, family and hopefully other readers, that slavery still exists, and that yes - there is something just one person can do to make a difference.

        To begin, let's take a quiz. (Don't be intimidated - just 2 years ago I would have "flunked" this!)

  1 - In the world today, there are . . .

        a.2 million slaves    b.16 million slaves   c.30 million slaves   d.none - slavery ended in 1865

  2 - After drugs and weapons, human trafficking is the 3rd largest and fastest growing criminal 

        enterprise the world.          True or False? 

  3 - This is such a huge issue - I could never make a difference!      True or False?

 Before I give the answers, I think some definition of terms is in order.

        SLAVERY = someone is a slave when they are forced to work under threat of violence, paid nothing  beyond sustenance, and unable to walk away.  There are many forms of slavery: forced adult and child labor, child soldiers, domestic servitude, and sex slavery

        HUMAN TRAFFICKING = the recruiting, transporting, harboring, receiving, or obtaining a person for the purpose of compelled service

        In 2007,  U.S. Department of State’s Trafficking in Persons Report (TIP Report), estimated up to 27 million people around the world lived in slavery.  In 2011 the "Not For Sale Campaign" is estimating that figure is over 30 million.  

        In a U.S. Customs & Immigration Enforcement Report from April 23, 2011, I quote, "With an estimated annual revenue of $32 billion, or about $87 million a day....human trafficking is tied with arms dealing as the world's second largest criminal enterprise, behind only drugs."

        These statistics are sobering.  And overwhelming.  There is no way we can wrap our minds around these kinds of numbers.  But in the weeks to come, I hope to change those numbers into a face....a story...a tear...a smile.  

        I want to introduce you to men and women on the front-lines rescuing  children and women from sex slavery, working for an enslaved laborer, freeing child soldiers.  You'll meet a school teacher who hosts "Freedom Parties" to help support cottage industries of rescued women; a young law student who is answering God's call to serve those who suffer injustice; an 11-year old entrepreneur who is helping fund an African orphanage that rescues child soldiers and AIDS orphans.  And I'll probably share my own story, too.   I want to help all of us know how we can care, through our prayers, how we shop, and how we serve.  And who knows?  Maybe God will call one of us to the "front lines."