The lyrics to "Hosanna" (Hillsong worship) sum up my deepest longing...
"Heal my heart and make it clean, Open up my eyes to the things unseen
Show me how to love like You have loved me
Break my heart for what breaks Yours, Everything I am for Your kingdom's cause
As I walk from earth into eternity."
About two years ago, I met a sweet young woman named Sara. Soon after we met, Sara launched a ministry in Richmond, Virginia called the Richmond Justice Initiative, under the covering of the International Justice Mission. The mission of these groups is to raise awareness of an issue that very few people want to acknowledge, human slavery. Some statistics from another ministry, Exodus Cry are as follows...
27 million people are enslaved around the world.
Human Trafficking (sexual, domestic, industrial, and agricultural) is a 32 billion dollar per year industry, bringing in more revenue than the NFL, NBA, NHL and NLB combined
Human trafficking is the fastest-growing criminal industry in the world
There are nearly two million children involved in the international commercial sex trade
161 countries our of 192 are involved in human trafficking
80% of all trafficking victims are women and children who are forced into the commercial sex trade
The average age of entry into commercial sex slavery in the United States is 13
About a year ago, Sara came to a local church and shared her heart and passion as well as the overwhelming facts about this reality, in our own towns, nations, in the world. I broke that night and wept and have many times since. However, I did very little to get involved. I'll admit, this scares me to a level that I've not been scared before. I don't really care about putting myself in danger to rescue lives. Rather, I care about putting my family in danger. I don't want my boys to get hurt. I have some fear and trembling when I think of what it will take to bring change, to rescue those who live in literal bondage. I have supported Sara and let her know I'm here to hold her up, but I did little else to move forward.
Sunday evening I attended a screening of "Nefarious, Merchants of Souls" in Richmond, hosted by Sara and others from RJI. I went to this screening with two dear friends and a new friend who is the victim of human trafficking. God used this movie to open up the eyes of every person present. I could hear the weeping of hundreds of people, as some relived the pain and horror of this hell and others got a glimpse of this reality.
God, have mercy on us all! We cannot close our eyes or turn a deaf ear any longer. It is TIME for the church to arise and to be Your hands and feet to our dark world. There are millions of precious souls who need to SEE YOU, Jesus. Show Yourself to them, even in their captivity. Send angels to rescue them and lead them to a place of safety. Give them a way out, bring them to salvation and to the healing that only comes from Your hand. Raise up the workers to go into the field, to share Your love, Your hope and to be an extension of Your healing. Oh God, Oh God, Oh God! We cannot ignor their cries any longer. Forgive me for letting fear and complacency keep me from jumping in and doing whatever YOU call me to do. I am Yours. My children are Yours. We belong to You. You have called us to follow You, to abandon ourselves, our needs, our desires, to run after You with everything. Anoint us as we pray, show us the faces of men, women, boys and girls who need to be rescued...wake us in the middle of the night to intercede for those who are trapped in hell...Set the captives FREE, Oh God! Set them FREE!
I beg of you, follow the links below to learn more about human slavery in our day. Email me at dbnhbaker@aol.com if you want to find out more helping to start a local chapter of the Justice Initiative. For now, we will pray, pray, pray. A ministry of this nature must be bathed in prayer. Check out http://exoduscry.com/ and http://www.ijm.org/ and "friend" on Facebook the Exodus Cry, Internation Justice Mission and Richmond Justice Initiative. Having these in my feed each day keeps them in front of me. IJM shares testimonies each time they rescue a victim and it is powerful to hear these stories!
UPDATE (July 29, 2011) From Renee, with the Shenandoah Valley Justice Initiative, "Friends can also help the Shenandoah Valley Justice Initiative launch their efforts through prayer, awareness and donations. We are in the early stages of getting our 501C(3) and need funding for resources, such as books, bringing Nefarious - Merchant of Souls to the SV. Eventually, we will need a safe house and funds for aftercare, such as counseling and helping these victims get on their feet again. So the need is great. Thank you for reading and caring about this terrible issue." "Like" the Shenandoah Valley Justice Iniatitive on Facebook so that you can stay updated on this movement.
William Wilberforce (lived in the late eighteen hundreds and spent his life to abolish slavery) said, "If to be feelingly alive to the sufferings of my fellow-creatures is to be a fanatic, I am one of the most incurable fanatics ever permitted to be at large." Here are a few ways we can begin the movement of raising up "Incurable Fanatics..."
1.) PRAYER (Pray once every day for the ending of sex slavery.)
2.) AWARENESS (Tell at least 10 other people about this issue and about Nefarious: Merchant of Souls.)
3.) GIVING (Give $3 per week to Exodus Cry's--or another ministry working to abolish slavery--efforts to end sex slavery and restore the victims of this grave injustice.
Nefarious: Merchant of Souls Official Trailer from Exodus Cry on Vimeo.
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Friends can also help the Shenandoah Valley Justice Initiative launch their efforts through prayer, awareness and donations. We are in the early stages of getting our 501C(3) and need funding for resources, such as books, bringing Nefarious - Merchant of Souls to the SV. Eventually, we will need a safe house and funds for aftercare, such as counseling and helping these victims get on their feet again. So the need is great. Thank you for reading and caring about this terrible issue.
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