When the Doors Open

My last post was over a month ago.

I have obviously been taking the whole "Be Still" concept to heart. It isn't laziness; I'd love to be writing more but for weeks I couldn't write a thing. I had nothing to write about. There were no fresh fictions, or even meandering brain spasms to jot down. Nothing! I've had nothing relevant to say for weeks.

But God has.

Not only has He said a great deal, He's started opening doors. Oh my goodness...open doors. They are so much nicer than perpetually smacking my sore forehead against closed opportunities. What is even more astounding is how God has opened doors that weren't there before; this is all very Alice in Wonderland, these miraculous entrances and exits.

A Bit of History
As I've mentioned before on this blog, human trafficking and the sexual exploitation of children have been weighing on my heart since I was about fourteen. Dark topics for an eighth grader, but I blame it all on God's timing. Like the majority of Westerners, I operated under the belief that slavery was a relic of ancient times, an atrocity long dispensed of by our forefathers. Those presuppositions were blasted when I learned the slave trade is not only alive and well, it is larger than it has ever been before.

A man named Rob Morris visited our church in 2004. I remember my mother and I saying after the service that he had the saddest eyes we'd ever seen. He looked like a man who was grieving, but not despairing. It was like a fierce or determined grief; the kind of sadness that suggests action. Rob Morris is the co-founder of an organization called LOVE146 (Learn more about LOVE146 here).  I had never heard of child sex slavery before. I don't think many people in that sanctuary had, and now what were we supposed to do?  I was shaking when I left that sanctuary. Millions of girls my age and younger were being sold for sex all over the globe. How do you even process that? What do you do with it?

I knew I didn't want to muddle in my sadness. It was correct and good to be sad, but there had to be action too. Before that service, I had no idea what I wanted to do or study, but after Rob's 25-minute testimony I knew. I wanted this fight to be part of my life because it was part of 27 millions lives. For the past eight years I've been knocking on every door I could think of, but they remained shut because it wasn't God's time yet. Door after door was slammed in my face. I tried to reason with myself, to put a balm on my frustration. Maybe the only way God would let me help was through prayer and donating when I could. Maybe I was misreading this burden on my heart, and I was meant to do something else. Maybe my motives weren't what they should be, but what would the perfect motives look like? Maybe my heart wasn't right and God didn't want to use me. Fortunately, those doubts were crushed almost as soon as they popped up, and the Passion 2012 conference in Atlanta, GA put every doubt to death for good. This was what I was supposed to do, but not yet. Now I had to be still and wait.

Hey there, door!
This past December, my mom and I were driving through town when I saw a vinyl sign hanging from the facade of an old brick church. The church has stood for two hundred years, but this sign announced new tenants. We were ecstatic. As much as we loved our previous church, it was almost an hour away. This new fellowship was five miles from home. We had been there about two weeks when an email went around asking for volunteers to help assemble furniture for the church office. I felt God nudging me to volunteer even though I'm useless with a hammer, so my mom and I signed up. There were five or six people who came that night, and we were introduced to the discipleship pastor. We chatted about small groups and ministries as we assembled desks and computer chairs, and my mom piped in.

"Sam's real passion is LOVE146. She's had a real heart for that cause since she was in highschool."
"That's interesting," our pastor said. "This church is incredibly plugged in to that organization. In fact, there are several people in our congregation who work for LOVE146; some are even on the Board of Directors. I'll have to introduce you."

He did more than that. Our church assigns us to specific small groups (kind of like the sorting hat from Harry Potter), and our pastor assigned me to the same small group as one of the LOVE146 team members. I was finally able to sit and talk with this gentleman on a rainy Monday during the small group picnic. I was caked in mud and bouncing a baby in my lap, so it wasn't the best impression I've ever given,  but I'm now part of a LOVE146 Task Force. The Task Forces are comprised of everyday people from all faiths and walks of life. Their purpose is to raise awareness and to sponsor fundraising events in whatever city they are based in. There are dozens in the USA and many teams are popping up in the UK and Ireland.

I met with my Task Force for the first time last Sunday, and came away stunned, quiet, and on fire. It's a simultaneous breaking of your heart and a drive to push past the disgust and sadness to see goodness come out of utter darkness...weirdest feeling ever. Nothing in my life has ever felt so correct as being with those like-minded people while we talked about something that can't be understood, but can be defeated with love, focus, and prayer.

Moving Forward
For years, I've wanted to dedicate my life to this, and now God is cracking open the doors. Praise God! He is so faithful. Please don't be surprised if this blog starts to revolve around freedom and the issue of slavery and trafficking. Please don't be bored with the issue. I fully intend to not shut up about it. For the first time in months, I know what I'm supposed to write about.

If you are interested in learning more about human trafficking please visit one of the website links I've posted below. They are all excellent organizations that are doing phenomenal good. If LOVE146 hooks your heart, check for a Task Force in your area, and if there isn't one,  LOVE146 can help you can plant one. This is the biggest fight of our generation, and look what good is being done here. God is sovereign, God's timing is perfect, and I'm so encouraged by what I've seen Him do in a matter of months. Praise the Lord!

Be Informed. Get Involved:
www.love146.org
www.ijm.org
http://www.thea21campaign.org/
www.notforsalecampaign.org

Also, song of the week: Farther Along by Josh Garrels