The Beginning

In the fall of 2008 I went to a women's conference in California. My friend suggested we go because she knew I loved Lisa Bevere who was a speaker at it. I went with the expectation to have a great time with my girlfriend, to learn more about leading women and to grow in God. I didn't expect God to put a passion in my heart for something I had never heard of before and a desire to do something about it so strong that I couldn't ignore it and go back to normal life.

Lisa Bevere told us that the year before, she was reading an article in a magazine about human trafficking and the sex-trade. She sat stunned, having not known any of these things went on in our world. Immediately she started crying for these people enslaved and told God that if she could do anything to help change this situation, she was His girl. A few weeks later a ministry called her and said, "Lisa, we want to reach out into the human trafficking crime and help change these people's lives and situations. We want to ask you to be the face of this mission; to go to Cambodia and see for yourself what's going on and come home to raise awareness."

Of course she went and has raised awareness - including mine.

Did you know that, although many people think that slavery was abolished years ago, today an estimated 27 million people are held in slavery worldwide? In reality, there are more slaves today than were taken from Africa during 300 years of the trans-Atlantic slave trade … more slaves than at any other time in history. Most of them women and children, these slaves are trafficked illegally. They are resalable, and can exchange hands numerous times. The total market value of human trafficking is estimated to be in excess of $42.5 billion.

About 70% of all victims of human trafficking are used in the sex trade. 80% are women and girls. 50% are minors, with the average age of girls in the sex slave trade being 12 years old.

Some children are sold by their parents, others are lured by false promises of legitimate jobs, and yet others are kidnapped. Ultimately children are sold to brothel owners and held against their will … then they are beaten and starved to force them to have sex with grown men. Virgin children are presented to a series of bidders such as high-ranking officers, politicians, businessmen and foreign tourists. These children are sex slaves in the most literal sense of the word; they receive food only, and are stopped by armed guards from running away. A UNICEF survey indicated that 35% of Cambodia’s 55,000 prostitutes are children under the age of sixteen. An estimate of 40% of Thailand’s prostitutes are children.

I sat in that conference and knew that this was something I needed to help in. I knew that the crime was too huge for me to change, but I also knew that I couldn't not do something. I had to find some way to rescue and restore these children caught in the sex-trade...

I'll post more later about the amazing journey that God has taken me on these last 3 1/2 years...stay tuned :)

xoxo J