Monday, March 8, 2010

Heart Change, Sex Trafficking, Going to Thailand

In December I sat across the table from a friend by the name of Noah. I was sitting there as a staff member from Resonate, and he was talking to me about Thailand, and having a passion for helping girls who have been in bondage. Girls who are living a life of modern day slavery. Girls who are sex slaves.

I listen to him talk, got excited about the possibility of Resonate sending a team of people to work with these women, to help with after care and other needs they have over there.

I went home, to Texas and prayed fervently for this trip, prayed God would give Noah direction in where to go specifically, that God would open doors for this trip to become a reality.

As I prayed things in my own life and heart were beginning to change and beginning to long for something more.

I have a friend name Molly. Every Thursday I sit on the opposite side of the table from her and we talk. We discuss life, heart breaks, loves, God and how we are to live in this world. Not just get by but LIVE in the Image of God.

For Molly this looks like being aware of how Gods heart breaks for the hurting people in this world.

Me and Molly have been friends for two years now, and for two years I've listen to her love for Jesus grow as her love for the people in the world grows. I have watched as she has helped the campus here learn more about the conditions of the world we live. I am sure at times this has been hard, because as we sit at a table together my heart rarely would break, tears would never fall and at times I did not understand why you would want to know these things.

My life was find, living in the unknowing. Living in the disbelief.

Last year Molly taught me about Fair trade coffee.

This year Molly taught me about Slavery.

This past week was abolition week at WSU and UofI. Resonate took part in a three week sermon series over slavery, and the fact that we are all made in the image of God.

During week two Molly and many others hosted two events, a discussion and a movie about starting a new culture. A culture where abolishing slavery is not just something that happened years ago but needs to happen NOW.

I sat across the table from Molly and for months prior to this week listen to her talk about this idea. I would walk away from our time together and cry. Cry tears of change and tears of hope. I would walk away from our time and ask how God does this apply to me, how does this new knowledge change my life.

All the time i was praying this God kept bring back to mind my friend Noah and the trip he was planning.

During the last two weeks or well two months, my faith has been shaken, my heart has started to understand lines like...

do what you love to undo what you hate
I don't want to wear someone else's despair, or eat someone else's tragedy.
Justice is what love looks like in public

I have gotten to fall in love with a God that says...

we are all made in the image of God and so when people are hurting others, they are hurting me

I have found the word LIVE, to mean something in my life. I have the word CHANGE, to mean something in my life. I have found the word GO, to mean something in my life.

So here I am

LIVING, CHANGING, GOING

Living in a world were I know what is going on, not just getting through the days trying to stay in the dark.

Changing how I see people. Seeing people who are made in the image of God, means loving better, forgiving easier and holding tighter to the fact we all deserve someone to fight for us.

Going to Thailand. For eight weeks this summer I will be living in the changed life God is calling me to in Bangkok Thailand. Being love and hope to girls who maybe have never heard or felt those words.

2 comments:

Stephen M. Bauer said...

Please checkout our nonprofit organization: www.nominetwork.org

But we work in Cambodia not Thailand.
We are also vigorous supported of Fair Trade.

We are headquartered in NYC.

But one of our members had previously been to Thailand:
http://blog.nominetwork.org/2009/08/promise-kept.html

God Bless You.

Josh Martin said...

who knew that we could be so close in proximity but not so close in story. sorry i never asked you this before. thanks for posting it. it was a joy to read and a joy to serve with you. thailand is going to be sweet this summer.