CONTENT WARNING - This email may result in a broken heart, nausea and uncontrollable and long lasting weeping. If symptoms last for more than four hours please remain in your prayer closet until the symptoms pass.
This weekend IHOP was hosting their annual Prayer & Prophetic Conference.
As part of the conference, Rhonda and I took in a session about human-trafficking, which was being put on by Exodus Cry (The prayer movement to end human-trafficking).
It is a ministry that we are familiar with because Rhonda's best friend Yvonne's husband Jason is the national director for Exodus Cry Canada.
The session, given by Benji Nolot the founder of Exodus Cry, gave an overview of the global sex trade and how millions of people are being trafficked every day for the purpose of sexual exploitation and prostitution.
For almost two hours we heard stories and facts surrounding this $32 billion / year industry which currently imprisons over 27 million people. He told us how every 8 seconds a person is sold and every 30 seconds that person sold is a child.
Even though we had heard all of these facts before it was still difficult to sit through the session and not cry or be filled with righteous anger. However, none of those emotions would compare to what I felt when we heard the following story.
Benji told us of his visit to a village in the south of Asia. It is a region of the world were sex tourism is rampant and parents will often sell their children into prostitution. What is worse, is that many parents have agreed to co-operate with the pimps and provide the services of their children under their own roof.
This particular day, Benji and the team were holding a day camp for the kids of the village; teaching them about Jesus and singing songs of His love and power to save them.
They had just finished singing the old children's song "I've got a river of life" when one local mafia men showed up at the camp.
The words of the song were still ringing in the air...Opens prison doors, sets the captives free...when this man entered to pick up one of his "employees".
He was there to pick up one of the children because a client had come and wanted to have sex with a child.
With little power to oppose this violent man, the team could do little to stop this event from transpiring.
Here was a grown man, who was about to bring a child back home for the purpose of being sexually violated, all the while, the childs parents would be in the next room reaping the financial benefit of this horrendous exchange.
This is common place among many of the children in this region, and it doesn't just happen in southern asia, it is happening all over the world, including North America.
I went home and wept bitterly and even now have to fight back tears as I write this post.
Friends, God's heart is broken over this issue and I believe it is time for ours to break as well.
I would like to invite you to visit www.exoduscry.ca and join us in praying for the end of human-trafficking.
Sincerely,
Jon & Rhonda
2 comments:
I love you guys, thanks for your heart.
-Jason P
Our friend Vaden wrote a book on Slavery. He was once walking in Thailand through a market, when a man asked if he could buy Vaden's shoes. Vaden laughed, and said "No, sorry...they are not for sale". The man persisted, raising the price each time. Vaden kindly refused. Then the man did the unthinkable. He brought his 18 month old daughter out, and offered her to Vaden (for 15 minutes of sex)in exchange for his shoes.
Needless to say, Vaden had to be physically restrained by those with him...from harming the man.
It's stories like these that make us hold our daughters, and say "We can't do nothing. If is was MY daughter....what wouldn't I do to stop this?"
But we weep because God is showing us that they ARE our daughters....so now...what is required of us?
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