Feature Friday – Human Trafficking

I am beside myself right now.  I just finished driving four and a half hours from Dallas to Houston.  I spent the entire drive listening to podcasts about Passion 2012.  Their focus was on freedom.  They raised $3.3 million from college students that is going to fund organizations that are trying to stop human trafficking.  So, I just spent four and half hours listening about, singing about and praying for people who are trapped in slavery, and what does God do?  At the end of it all He gives me a face.  A real human who I can specifically pray for and be a voice for. 

Once parked at the hotel I walked from my car to the lobby and then straight for the elevator.  A man and a woman were also walking toward the elevator.  I dropped something and bent over to pick it up.  When I stood back up they were already on the elevator but on different sides.  I looked in the man’s eyes and he held the door for me.  I thanked him.  On my way into the elevator I looked into the woman’s eyes and she smiled at me.  My phone was ringing so I gave her a half smile, turned to face the elevator doors and then reached into my purse for my phone.  I announced into the phone, and to the elevator, that I had just arrived at the hotel.  The doors opened and I realized we were all getting off on the same floor.  The man and woman waited for me to get off first.  As I walked out of the elevator and to the right I saw them out of the corner of my eye.  That’s when I noticed they were getting off together.  I walked for a minute and then glanced behind me.  They were walking the opposite way down the hall, and when I saw them from behind my eyes were opened.  I saw a beautiful , young, dark body (over 6 feet tall) wearing a tight black sleeveless vest with nothing underneath, super short black shorts and 5” high heals walking with a middle aged light skinned man, not much taller than me, who was wearing loose fitting, light colored jeans, an old polo shirt and tennis shoes.  They did not belong together.  That’s when it hit me that she is a prostitute. 

I had just spent the past 45 minutes singing the same song over and over and praying for sex slaves around the world, and God opened my eyes to one who is just a few doors down the hall. 

I slowly walked into my hotel room, finished my phone conversation and then immediately dropped to my knees.  I cried out for her, for all who are like her.  I don’t know her story, I don’t know if it’s of her own free will, but what I do know is that she is a slave to the industry that is responsible for 85% of the 27 million slaves in our world today.  I didn’t even have words.  All I could get out were groanings that only the Holy Spirit could decipher and pray for me.  Then I asked, “Lord, what can I do?  What should I do?  Should I go into the hall and wait for her?  Should I prayer walk in the hall?  What can I do?”  Clear as day He answered, “She is not yours to save.”  Then came the me questions, “Was my smile warm enough?  Did I show her Jesus in that second that I had with her?  Did I do all I should have done?”  Then the answer, “She is not yours to save.”

I got up from the floor, sat in a chair and reflected on what had just transpired…  I have been a flight attendant for four and a half years now.  I have stayed in hotels almost as many nights as I’ve stayed at home in those years.  Tonight, the night that I spent four and a half hours listening to podcasts about this freedom movement, the night that I had the radio volume and my ipod volume on full blast, singing a song about human trafficking over and over again is the first night, in four and a half years and hundreds of nights in hotels, that I have laid eyes on a prostitute.  After a moment’s reflection I said the only thing I could say.  I said, “Okay, God.” 

 

Below is the post that I had pictured in my head while I was driving: 

“Human trafficking is on the rise.”

“…not only does human trafficking exist on the earth today, but there are actually more slaves than there have ever been in the history of humanity...”

See what the world’s done? Came to London, she's a nothing a no one, she's undone, broken dreams, stolen freedom, trapped in the night, trafficked and beaten.  All a part of an evil economy, nothing more than someone’s commodity, a precious being like you and me, a daughter a sister a somebody!

She was drawn by the bright lights, she was tied up in their lights, she worked right through the daylight, no voice, she’s a slave to the night.
27 million, like me.
That's 27 million people on this cruel journey
We've got to rise up, open our eyes up. Be her voice, be her freedom, come on stand up!

After the man left, she's nothing left, no one, no love, no one to call her friend. She's stuck in the pit of hell, she's almost sick of the smell. She's numb, she's dead from the inside out, her heart is screaming but you don't hear the shout. Who's the voice? Who's going to break the door down? Who wakes her up from this nightmare now?

She was drawn by the bright lights, she was tied up in their lights, she worked right through the daylight, no voice, she’s a slave to the night.
27 million, like me.
27 million who need Heaven’s mercy!
We've got to rise up, open our eyes up. Be her voice, be her freedom, come on stand up!

27 million, are you joking? How do we let evil get so tight a grip, watching while the world falls apart? How do we let this stuff begin? We're not bothered if this offends because you got people that can defend. But they ain't got that, they got nothing. Sometimes you gotta stand for something. Let this be the stand that gets your blood running.

Little girl don't cry, let me dry your eyes in the darkest night (you're not alone). Hold on through the storm, you're not on your own, hold on, love will come.
We've got to rise up, open our eyes up, be her voice, be her freedom, come on, stand up!

My favorite part of this video is the crowd.  The crowd is real.  They filmed this video live during Passion 2012.  You are looking at over 45,000 college students in the Georgia Dome on fire for this cause.  That is incredible!

If you want to join the freedom movement that is stemming from this you can go to this website http://72daysforfreedom.com/.  They are asking people to give $1 per day for 72 days.  There is also a petition to sign for the president to try to get him (our government as a whole) to be more involved in doing more to free slaves around the world.  There is a whole, whole lot more, but you can visit the website if you want to find out more.

 

Another good resource is Human Trafficking.  You can buy it new from Amazon starting at $2.90.  Here is the trailer.

 

Another good one is the movie Taken, starring Liam Neeson.  You can rent it from anywhere. 

 

If you’ve got time to kill, this is the video that is on the 72 Days For Freedom website. It’s long, but interesting.  I did learn how people are getting themselves into their situations.  A lot of people in poorer countries go to other countries to work.  They sign up with agencies who take them to the other countries.  Some agencies are legit and others aren’t.  So scary!

 

This matters.  Someday this could be me, or my daughter, or my granddaughter.  Please find an organization near you and get involved, even if it is just to learn the name of the organization and how you can pray for them.  Also, please know that many women who work in strip clubs get pulled into the sex trade.  Please do not support these businesses.  The porn industry… I don’t even want to go there.  Lastly, on the 72 Days For Freedom website there is a list of items made by slaves that you can avoid buying.  Check that out too.

 

It’s two hours later.  Once, while I was writing this, I heard a door slam.  I waited a minute and then slowly opened my door and looked out.  The hall was empty, but the Still Small Voice whispered, “She’s not yours to save.  Go back inside.”  So I did.