A21 on the 21st- How You Can Help Fight Human Trafficking

Human trafficking.

I know. It’s not the typical cheeriness you’re used to here. But it’s something we have to talk about, because only we can help solve the issues.

Some of you have followed my blog since before IF:Austin, and have sort of been with me through the complete brokenness I felt after that beautiful weekend. A significant amount of my undoing stemmed from Ann Voskamp’s prayer (A Call for the People of the Cross) in which she talked about modern day slavery. Readers, slavery is not an antebellum issue. It is real, it is alive, and it is thriving.

Dear friends, so many of the items we use daily are manufactured using slave labor. Coffee, chocolate, cell phone parts, diamonds…are obtained by slaves (mostly children) who are living in squalor. These children have been taken from their homes involuntarily, or their parents have sold them. Others have been taken with the promise of an education and better life. Some of them never return home.

We can’t discuss trafficking without mentioning sex-slavery. Every day thousands of people (mostly young women and little girls) are trafficked all over the world and sold for sex. If you think this isn’t happening where you live, you are absolutely mistaken. Online predators all across the US befriend troubled teens, get them to run away from home, and add them to their brothels. Little girls, girls who should be playing with baby dolls, are sold and raped every day.

Friends, I just can’t take this. I can’t stand by and do nothing. But the problem seems so huge, and I am so small. So that’s where you come in. What if we all do a little? What if we take the time to gather our friends and our resources and make a difference in the fight for freedom? Because everyone deserves a chance. And because believing there's nothing we can do is a lie.

Since IF, I’ve been researching the A21 Campaign, founded by Christine Caine. This is a Christian-based organization that helps rescue and recover victims of modern day slavery all over the world. Not only do they rescue victims, but they counsel them and prosecute the criminals who hold people against their will. By partnering with volunteers and local law enforcement, A21 is making a difference in the lives of each and every victim they rescue.

Will you join me, along with A21, in fighting against human trafficking? There are many ways to help! A21 gives 21 ways that we can make a difference. Some ideas are fundraisers, others are as simple as writing a letter. I’m only one person, but if we work together we can take a stand in this fight.

I also want to ask for something that won’t cost you anything. Each Monday and Tuesday morning at 7:03, I specifically pray for victims of sex trafficking (Monday) and modern day slaves (Tuesday). Would you be willing to join me in prayer? We’re pretty small in the face of the worldwide issue of slavery, but God is so much bigger than all of it. My heart cries out to Him to deliver those precious people from the evil that holds them captive. Can we do that together?

I would love it if you would take a few moments to look that the 21 Ways To Get Involved page on the A21 website. Maybe there’s one you can do between now and May 21? If everyone who reads this post shares it, we can multiply our efforts in fighting this awful epidemic. But most importantly, we can involve more people in prayer. Because God is mighty and He can equip us to fight against the injustice enacted upon our fellow human beings.

We’re so small, friends. But we can do something huge if we all pray and act as one.

Thank you for reading.