Kidnapped

Right before I sat down to update this blog, I prayed. I try to do that because I have no idea what I'm doing, but God does.

"Kidnapping," I sensed in my spirit.

Trusting my limited judgment, I thought, "that can't be right. I don't know much about kidnapping. Maybe I'm hearing things. I know, I'll write about something completely off topic."

God is so patient and He's so, well, God.

I head out to my kitchen and there, lying on the counter, is the latest copy of Joyce Meyer's magazine, ENJOYING EVERYDAY.

I flip through it, and lo and behold, there's an article called "Going Home: Escaping the Red Light District of Addis Ababa."

The line, "...around the world, human trafficking can look very different. It may be the literal buying and selling of men, women and children. Sometimes they are drugged, kidnapped and forced to work as a sex slave" immediately caught my eye.

The article goes on to tell the story of two women. Each had gotten trapped in the sex industry in different ways. One, because she believed that she was a curse after being orphaned and then subsequently raped by her neighbor, and another who fell on desperate times. The women who had escaped wanted to make it clear to anyone who would listen that no one wants to be in the sex trade--that it is a trap and one that is very difficult to leave. By God's grace and mercy, these women reached out and found solace at a local chapel and ultimately were able to live safely in "homes" designed for women once caught in this nightmare.

Sex trafficking may seem like a distant, terrible problem. One that you'll never have to deal with or confront.

Unfortunately, the reality is that sex trafficking happens all over the world. It happens in suburbia, in big cities, in the ghetto and in Beverly Hills. It could be happening in your neighborhood and maybe it's happening to you.

A dear friend of mine has shared her horrifying experience of being kidnapped at the tender age of 18 and being trapped in a world of prostitution for an entire year. She admits that her absent father played a role in her demoralizing "search for daddy".

The Department of Justice estimates that more than 250,000 American youth are at risk of becoming victims of commercial sexual exploitation. The average age of entry for female prostitutes in the United States is between 12 and 14 years, and children and youth older than 12 are prime targets for sexual exploitation by organized crime units, according to a 2001 report.

In addition to domestic girls who are exploited, about 14,500 to 17,500 girls from other countries are smuggled into the United States for this purpose, according to the State Department.

The scary thing is that there are plenty of men who are more than happy to pay for sex with a minor. (I can remember being with my 13-year old girlfriends and waiting near the door of the Sacramento Memorial Auditorium for our parents to come and pick us up after a Def Leppard concert and being shocked to see three crusty old dudes in three piece suits cruise up to us and offer us some money and a "ride").

Enough preaching. God wants you to know that you are worth more than rubies, more than gold, more than money, more than you'll ever know. Whomever left you, disappointed you, or robbed you of your innocence does not define your worth. You are precious in God's sight. If you could get a glimpse of His immense love for you, even for a minute, you'd fall out. Seriously. You'd be blown away. Out of the water.

You don't have to stay in bondage anymore. Not one more day.

If you've been taken, kidnapped, raped, forced into prostitution, please know that there is help for you. At the end of this page, I will include some information for you to use to get help. In the meantime, say this scripture out loud, based on Jeremiah 29:11:

"For God know the plans that He has for me, plans to prosper me and not to harm me, plans to give me a hope and a future." (NIV)

For more information about combating or escaping sex trafficking in the U.S., visit www.notforsalecampaign.org (based in Half Moon Bay, California, USA) or www.mercyministries.org

Mercy Ministries is not an immediate placement center or a crisis hotline center. If this is an emergency, please contact 911 or your local emergency response center.

Address:

Mercy Ministries of America

Corporate Office

PO Box 111060

Nashville, TN

37222-1060

USA

Tel: 1-(615)-831-6987

General Fax: 1-(615)-315-9749

Admissions Fax: 1-(615)-831-9953

Email us at: info@mercyministries.com