A few weekends ago, I had the opportunity to go on a weekend trip with
some girlfriends. We stayed in a
popular little touristy town with quaint little shops and restaurants. While strolling down one of the main streets
enjoying the sights we walked past an alley where 3 ladies were lingering in
their short dresses and very high heels.
I slowly did a double take. Were these women prostitutes? Certainly I
was mistaken. Perhaps I was jumping to
conclusions given my exposure to women in this type of lifestyle. Could
prostitution really happen here in this little town? I tried to rationalize it.
Perhaps these 3 beautiful ladies were just out for a night like I was. Perhaps they had stepped into the alley to
avoid the crowds that were window-shopping and sight seeing. Perhaps they had simply stopped to decide
where they would like to go next. I
asked the other ladies I was with what they thought and they agreed it probably
was what it looked like.
I realized I was falling prey to the same mindset that many of us in
the US fall into by thinking that prostitution and trafficking doesn’t happen MY town. But, the truth is, that it can and does
happen everywhere. According to Polaris
Project, human trafficking has been reported in all 50 US states. It occurs in the big cities and in the small
towns and it happens in both poor and affluent neighborhoods. The fact is that no one or no town is immune
to human trafficking.
My heart broke for these ladies.
Statistics show that nearly 90% of all prostitutes are under the
control of a pimp. So chances are
pretty high that these ladies had someone nearby watching their every move or
someone that they would have to report back to at the end of the night.
I wondered what had happened to them in their life that would bring
them to this point. I wondered if their
“work day” was just beginning and how long they would be out there. I thought about what their day must be like
not knowing who or now many men they would be with for the rest of the
night. Where would they rest their head
when they were finally able to stop working?
Would these 3 ladies go their separate ways on separate “dates” and
return home to a pimp who would demand they turn over all of their money or pay
the consequence of physical violence? Would that same pimp move them to the
another town the next night in his quest for more money? Did they ever get to
see their families? How long had they been living this type of life? I imagined
that this quaint little town that I was enjoying so much must look very
different from their point of view. I
wondered if they had ever experienced true, authentic love.
I wished I could wraps arms of love around them and if just for one
brief moment let them know they don’t have to accept this fake version of love
that’s been presented to them. I longed
for them to know their true worth and value. I longed for them to see
themselves as the treasure they are. To
see themselves as our Heavenly Father sees them and to know that He loves them
beyond anything they could ever imagine.
I longed for them to know that there are people who care about them and
that God has a plan and a purpose for their life that is good. A plan that would fulfill them rather than
leaving them feeling like an empty shell of a person. I wanted them to know that they are the precious daughters of the
Most High King and that hope, peace and redemption can be found in Him.
And though I did not get to speak any of these truths into their lives,
my prayer for them and for all women is that God will place someone in their
life that will speak these truths into their hearts. If you long to get
involved in the fight against trafficking praying is a great place to
start. Will you join me in praying that
God will place people in their life that can come along side them to encourage
and uplift them? People who want what’s
best for them and will point them towards His plan for their life. Pray for
their freedom from bondage to this lifestyle, but ultimately that they would
find true freedom in Him.
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