One of the upcoming initiatives we are praying about is building a home to shelter children from the horrific world of what is commonly called human trafficking. In future blog posts, you will read more and more about this far-reaching problem that is remarkably unknown as compared to the prevalence of it. You would think that our country would be more aware and proactive in addressing this issue yet it is only recently gaining more attention.
For example, here’s one article link to a Washington Post article regarding how a father sexually trafficked a 4 year old girl on Craigslist.
That was in Houston, Texas, but another recent sting operation rescued 149 children from a nationwide sex trafficking ring and arrested 153 pimps. This article addresses the problem from a Georgia perspective since 7 children and 9 pimps were involved from the state of Georgia in this national organization.
Lest we think Texas and Georgia are the only states with this problem, Indiana has been in the national spotlight due to one famous man who has raped children. His name is Jared Fogle, formerly known for his Subway commercials, and now known as a convicted felon of child pornography. One of our government officials, Greg Zoeller who is the Attorney General of Indiana, has been outspoken about the problem of human trafficking. We are grateful for his voice and addressing this problem.
I cited 4 articles above and I have recently read many more than that. I am grateful for the public outcry and awareness of this problem.
Please pray that God would give the leadership at Faith Church incredible wisdom and insight as to how best to address this problem of the human trafficking of children in our local community utilizing the resources God has called us to steward.
-Pastor Mark E. Shaw (daily becoming more aware of human trafficking and how Christ-followers can address it biblically and effectively)