Last week I read the Chapters One through Ten of the gripping book, called Renting Lacy, sent to me
from Shared Hope International ; a organization that reaches out to stop and prevent sex trafficking. Though the book does include statistics, it predominantly takes the reader into the lives
of the victims as it exposes the psychological manipulation, deception and physical abuse. I constantly cringed as I
read details of the victim's daily lives that included the frayed emotions of detestable encounters and traumatic experiences.
Though it was not my first introduction to the horrors of sex trafficking, it was so heart wrenching that it kept me on edge
of my seat; eagerly anticipating the moment when the doors would
be barged through and in would step an authority figure who would
heroically rescue the little girl and other victims from such debase
perpetrators.
I
kept reading, yearning to take a sigh of relief and be comforted by the
fact that it's just a good fiction book written by an imaginative
author.
But
contrarily, the cringing story continued page by page without arriving
at a climactic rescue of victims. Rather, the periodic commentaries
reminded me of the opposite.
Staggering statistics revealed that the story is continuing, not in just the lives of a few, or tens,
or even hundreds of children, but such devastating modern day slavery is spanning across the globe; including most local US cities. It's tragic tale
is not being told much, because the perpetrators have mastered
silencing their victims through captivity and paralyzing fear. And
their undercover network monetarily compensates those who cooperate and physically punishes or eliminates those who don't.
But
the book, as agonizing as it was to read it---was telling it's tale
explicitly. It was so disturbing; I couldn't help but want to jump into
the story and
intervene into the lives of the victims myself and somehow stop,
stop, stop this vile and unthinkable abuse! Shutting the book wasn't
going to make it go away. So where in the world is someone that
can help? The need is too great to exempt myself--I had to ask, " how
can I help?" But me? Can I really contribute to the climax of the story or similar stories by somehow stepping in and stopping such nightmares?
Then the questions surged through my mind..."how can I barge through hotel room doors or orchestrate a brothel raid?"
"Especially
when I don't even know their exact locations or room numbers and who
am I to make a dent in this worldwide booming business that is selling
children as
commodities??
It was evident---"this is way bigger than me---this is a call to pray!"
I
felt a desperate need to pray to the God who is renown for delivering
His people from slavery through miraculous interventions including
judgments, signs and wonders.
I
knew in my heart that I only found out about such an awesome
organization started by a woman with God's own heart due to God's
guidance and promptings.
God's heart is throbbing for such victimized children to be free. And oh--what He can and will do; through His people's
prayers! He can muster hosts of authority figures and send them forth on successful raids.
He
can shut down brothels and bring pimps to repentance. He's not so much
waiting for me and others to step in as He is calling us to step
up---step up to the plate of taking
action against sex trafficking. Through prayer, we can intercede for
the trapped victims who don't know where to turn --crying for their
cries that God will
intervene and be glorified in their mighty redemption. We can get
involved in Shared Hope, this amazing organization that has the guts and
heart to reveal the hardcore
truth of such bondage. Shared Hope is a
proven Christian organization that promotes awareness through various
resources and programs; breaking the silence of sex trafficking by
exposing it's slavery
and declaring that it must be abolished. Shared Hope is the vehicle
that God is using to rewrite the story of many lives.
Tragically
not every victims lives can be rewritten, but Shared Hope has been
instrumental in helping some escape the horror and begin a restorative
new personal chapter of their lives.
Others, due to Shared Hope's awareness campaigns, have been spared from falling prey to such a dark underworld.
Overall,
Shared Hope Int. is impacting multitudes. It's grassroots involvement
includes every level of society including governmental influence. It's
not caving to the definitions of political correctness at home or
abroad by masquerading the horrors of sex trafficking. Rather, it's
defining political correctness as
it serves as a whistle blower for the protection of children and
respect of females; calling all countries to accountability in actively
engaging in efforts of eliminating sex trafficking.
This
is through a rating chart, where countries are assessed and rated based
upon their participation to take a stand and enact laws that will
prohibit sex trafficking and cut off it's pipeline. And oh how I
rejoiced in the beauty of the Law that
protected the
victim as I found the time and courage to resume the book.
Not long after opening Chapter 11, my heart leapt for excitement as hope shined in!
It was the light of a police officer shining through to rescue the child.
Wow!
Finally, deliverance arrived and such deliverance even being included
in the story of this one victim caused hope to arise in my heart; making
me grateful for real life answered prayers and blessed organizations like Shared Hope that work so closely with law enforcement to rescue women and
children.
No doubt, law is our great hope for such horrendous and illicit activity.
But
in some cases, like the one in this book; it was too late. The victim
didn't see the officer as her knight in shining armor, because through
the moments, days, and months of her captivity she had been taught and trained
how to negatively perceive officers and even more so---how to abasedly
see herself. Rescue arrived, but her heart was already calloused and she
was too trapped in her discarded identity to accept help. Though law intervention allowed her the opportunity to return to her grandmother's house in
their
hometown; shame, guilt, control, and fear had her mind spinning too fast to resume the innocence and pace of her childhood.
As
I read about her blatant refusal of her opportunity for freedom, my
heart sank-- but how could I blame a young girl whose mind had been
manipulated through psychological
and physical abuse to believe that her purpose and allegiance belonged
to her pimp and his expectations. Woe! This book reveals deeper bondage
of real victims than I
could have ever imagined. Not without hope though, because it does tell
how other victim's embraced escape and experienced freedom. Every life
is precious and there is such an urgent and pressing need of deliverance for victims from such manipulative, life threatening, and severe bondage.
In order to reveal this need and provide a solution is exactly why the book was written and the organization formed.
Shared Hope local and abroad influence is on the front lines of such deliverance and needs our involvement---yours and mine. Please
visit www.sharedhope.org to find out more about how you too can get
involved in abolishing the tragic epidemic of modern day slavery called
sex trafficking--together, by the grace and power of God, we can make a difference!
