Just over a year ago I found out about The Exodus Road for the first time. I was sitting in a waiting room catching up on blogs when I came across this organization making a difference in the lives of children and others caught in sex slavery.
The issue of human trafficking was one God had been placing on my heart for months beforehand, but I couldn’t figure out what I was supposed to do to help. Seriously 27 million people trapped in various forms of slavery around the world?!? Every 60 seconds a child sold for sex. These statistics grabbed my heart but also confused my mind. How could I make a difference? But as I’ve discovered many times in my life, if God is calling you to something, He’ll show you the next step.
For me, the next step was to join The Exodus Road Blogger Team as a way to raise awareness, and hopefully funds, to change lives and create rescue. So on January 13, 2013, I took a stand and became a voice for the voiceless, saying, “I Blog for Rescue” for the first time.
In the past year, I have been less consistent about my blogging and fundraising efforts than I had hoped, but I’ve still seen God do amazing things! Here are just a few:
- I’ve had countless conversations with people who were clueless about this issue, or at least how widespread it was until they read a blog post. I’ve challenged people to pray, give, or at the very least, learn more.
- I’ve connected with other organizations here in WNY to help make a difference in this issue locally.
- I introduced you to my friend, Anna. Though Anna is not a real person, her story is the story of those trapped in this kind of slavery every day with no hope to get out. At least not without organizations like The Exodus Road!
- I went out on a limb trusting God as I committed to personally raising/donating enough to The Exodus Road over the course of the past year to fund a raid ($1400). God came though!
- And perhaps my favorite: When my congregation, First Trinity, began planning for the Advent Conspiracy this Christmas Season, my connection on the Exodus Road Blogger team led us to make that one of our “Love All” challenges. Once again, God came through and together we raised nearly $6000 to fight human trafficking!
And just to think that one year ago, I didn’t think my efforts could really make a difference.
“Is this not the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke; to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? … if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a will-watered garden like a spring whose waters never fail. … you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings. … you will find joy in the Lord.” (Isaiah 58:6-9)
How might God be calling YOU to be a Repairer and Restorer for the broken, needy, and oppressed in 2014?
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