Human Trafficking and The Midwest

I meant to publish this about a month ago, but didn't finish writing it. So I'm re-writing it and posting it now. It spawned off of a few conversations I had about human trafficking. It hit me how unaware of Human Trafficking people seem to be around here. I'm not just talking sex trafficking, which has a bit more awareness, but I'm thinking labor trafficking. Where clothes come from. Where computer parts come from. Where packaging for groceries comes from. Who actually picks the crops. All of it.

About a month ago, the church I was at advertised t-shirts for the series they were doing for $5.00. What crossed my mind in a sarcastic inner voice was something like, "I wonder who made those t-shirts?" There's no way t-shirts that are that cheap weren't made by slaves. Probably children. No way the cotton picked to create the shirts was fair wage. Reality check.

Now, I'm not guiltless. I've got t-shirts I know have got to be slave-made. Target, Wal-Mart - any big store chain like that isn't going to pay extra for shirts made by free workers. They aren't even going to ask. And when I think about it, it tears me up. Thankfully I've never been a person who tries to be, or even knows what's "in" as far as wearing what's hip and updating my look to go with the culture, so I probably won't buy new shirts for 5 or 10 years, at which point I'll try and get free-trade.

I think the unawareness or apathy to human trafficking is a facet of the culture around here in general. I'm not just picking on the church. People just don't ask "where does my stuff come from?" "Who made my clothes?" "Who picked my fruit?" Questions I started thinking about less and less up through the beginning of January. God didn't design me to sit on my butt and not care. Not ask "Why am I enjoying this life of luxury when over 90% of the world (probably more) aren't even close to that. Don't give me the 99% wall street crap. Look around at Africa, Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe and South America. Then tell me your life monetarily and conditionally sucks. To my face. I'm totally convicted by this. I've been thinking about injustice and trafficking a lot more over the last month, since those t-shirts.
Yeah, I have frustrations. Yeah, I wish I made more than $8.25 an hour...but the reality is a lot of people would do almost anything for a wage that crazy high.

Just thinking about trafficking, I have to ask, "What can I do? What can I do here and now to open people's eyes. Labor trafficking. Sex trafficking. Both piss the God of the universe off and honestly I'm glad the post-modern wishy washy God who is just love and not wrath doesn't exist. It's stuff like this that need a God who brings justice. Yeah, we Christians are under grace, but do I really want to be the guy who looks Jesus, who created everything, in the eye on the day of judgment and say, "Yeah, I knew about what people were doing to your precious sons and daughters, and I turned a blind eye. No, I didn't bother to tell anyone because it was uncomfortable and I didn't want to burden them." And all that time I'm shrinking smaller and smaller, probably crying in shame.
I don't want to be that guy.

So the question stands, what more can I do? How can I be a part of the solution? And how can you?

I know I'd love to educate churches and talk about it to the large bodies of believers that are chillin' comfortably in their fancy Mega-Church settings, throwing hundreds of thousands of dollars into their buildings and ministries when they could be supporting the rescue and rehabilitation of sex and labor slaves. But that's just me.

Where Have I Been?

I haven't written a lot on here for awhile, except my very recent post "God's Hands". Truth is I'm not doing a lot with justice right now, and so I've just left this blog alone. It hurts thinking about it and not actively being a part of the solution. I give money, but I'm not on the frontlines right now. I'm not in a war getting the crap kicked out of me, standing and running forward, then getting the crap kicked out of me again for the sake of the kingdom. I'm just lying on the ground giving up because the avenues of service I was plugged into aren't working right now.

I want to be changing people's lives in radical ways for the Kingdom. Overcoming injustice in the name of Jesus. I don't even know how to begin now that I'm in a place with a culture so different from the migrant one. I don't feel very qualified. How does someone who doesn't really know that much about the culture of the projects jump in and really minister and bring aid to that people group? I can't even be a part of Streetlights anymore because they require a twice a month commitment and my job takes away most Saturdays.

But my heart still beats for justice. So even though I'm not doing as much as I want, and it hurts to think about, I'm going to keep writing. If I could inspire someone, anyone, to stand up and say "enough is enough" and actively fight human trafficking, poverty, oppression and raise up the hurting, dirty, and dying...the used and abused...this blog is a success. If nothing changes, this blog is a failure. Simple as that.

So be on the lookout for more from Justice4theVulnerable (including more migrant stuff from this past July).

God's Hands

I haven't been on in awhile, and it's time I start writing about justice again.

I was watching the footage of the trip this year awhile back, and there was a day we were leaving the camp and were reluctant to do so. And that made me excited. What hit me though, and jars me every time I listen to the video is one of the other leaders saying "they're in God's hands. Be strong" so that we'd put down the kids and leave.

Before I go on let me just make VERY clear that I don't have any problems with the leader. I think she's awesome for the youth group and was a serious blessing to have on the trip. So I'm not hating on you if you read this! :)  You just made me think.

It hit me why that statement bothered beyond the fact that we had to leave in that moment. Why it still bothers me. It comes down to the understanding I have of what it means to be the body of Christ. We are God's hands. Not that He can't work without us, but His mission is to work through His body. It's how He's functioned throughout history. He works, but very often He uses people. Even in doing great miracles, He had people involved. People marched around Jericho. Moses raised his staff to the Red Sea. David fought Goliath. Gideon attacked his enemies. Need I go on into the New Testament where people were healed and demons were driven out by the apostles? God works through His body. It is possible for those kids to know and follow Jesus without us. I believe that. But how much more might they grow if we are there more.

Something that I've often felt bitter against God about, is not being a physical being He doesn't hug. I don't dismiss it when something happens and people say "that was a hug from God", that's great. For them. But for me, I want an actual physical squeeze. It's just who I am and one of the ways I feel loved. And my point in bringing that up, is that it dawned on me God can give actual physical hugs - through His body that He has set up here on this earth called the church. And in regard to the migrant kids - when we were holding them they were in a really tangible way in God's hands. Not only that, but when I was holding their hand, or being hugged back, God was touching me through them.

As I said, I don't believe for a second when we left the camps, God abandoned them. But just in considering that statement..."they're in God's hands, be strong", I think there's a danger in undervaluing the role God has us playing. As Tucker Fitzgerald once said, and I'm paraphrasing, "God's plan to reach the world is us, and He doesn't have a plan B."


Let's own up to the responsibility that God has entrusted us with. Wherever we are. Whoever is vulnerable and needs a hand of intercession, let's be God's hands to them. I need to do this. When someone is hurting and needs a hug, let's be God's hands. When some kids who have nothing need someone to pull them up and show them that their worth is not dependent on stuff, let's be those hands. When a sinner feels too broken to be loved by a Holy God, let's be His hands embracing them and telling them that they aren't too far gone for His grace. Would you really want to live life any differently?