Being ordinary

"There are no great people in this world, only great challenges which ordinary people rise to meet."

William Frederick Halsy Jr.

Reading this quote this morning, I thought of last night's Dateline show where two ordinary white Americans went to the Philippines and Malaysia to rescue a niece from human traffickers. They kept going, didn't stop until they brought her back home to the Philippines.

Touching report last night. Later the fifteen other young people with the niece were rescued though it does not appear the traffickers were prosecuted in any way. And they did a follow-up report on IJM's arrest of men using child prostitutes in Cambodia.

The report was very informative - even though I thought I knew about human sex trafficking, I didn't realize how easy it is. The niece had lived in the Philippines and was offered/wanted to go to Malaysia to work as a singer. A Filipina woman recruited her and others, sent them over, but once they got there their passports were taken and they were locked in an apartment. What could they do? How could they escape? False promises and kidnapping is all it is really. She was made to sign an 8yr contract to "repay" for the cost of bringing her to Malaysia and her (nonexistent) singing training. But the group was told if they failed their singing audition, they would be forced to be prostitutes. Men and women.

This came to the uncle's attention because the leader made her call America and say if they gave $1200, she would go free. Ransom.

This happens in America too - Asian women promised good jobs here then smuggled in sometimes via Mexico and forced to be prostitutes in LA and SF. It's here, right under our noses.

It's a huge industry and continues to happen bc countries turn a blind eye and don't prosecute, like the Malaysian guys last night.

God, I pray that you would continue to rescue the young boys and girls, men and women, who have been trapped into lives they didn't ask for. I pray that you would increase funding to orgs like IJM who are on the front lines to save those who have been trafficked and to seek prosecution for those who caused it. I pray that you would be there, right now, with the sex workers that are desperate to get out.

Have mercy on us, O God.