Cindy Powell

It has always perplexed me that I can post some inane random thought on Facebook and immediately receive a slew of “likes” and comments, but then post something on a serious issue, such as human trafficking, and things go eerily silent.

It happens in other forums too–even in the wonderful world of blogging. I’ve often thought that maybe it’s just me. Maybe I don’t have the right words, or skill, or credibility, or whatever it is, to shine any real light on such a dark issue. Maybe I should just back off and leave it to others who do. Maybe I should offer support in quieter, less noticeable ways.

Maybe I should just be silent.

Sad to say, I’ve often done just that. But sometimes God grips your heart in such a way that staying silent is no longer an option. So even if I do it awkwardly, ineffectively, inconsistently–or even just plain badly–I’m going to speak out.

I spoke out on the issue of trafficking yesterday on the Live Brave blog with a post that began with this poem:

I See You

I see you hidden in the shadows
Silenced by your shame
I see you trapped in darkness
Locked in a prison of pain

I see you victimized by perversion
Forced to serve the lust of man
I see the tears you cry each night
Over innocence lost at their hands

I see you cast into a pit of despair
Heartache your closest friend
I see you battling demons alone
Unsure the nightmare will ever end

I see the torment you’ve endured
Your humanity, they stole
I see the scars of injustice
Now carved upon your soul

I see you, little one, I see you
I have since your days began
I see what’s been done to you—
It was never part of My plan

I see, but so must others
My eyes search to and fro
For those who will hear My heart
And shake the status quo

I see, now will you?
Can you hear her crying still?
Will you do what you can to help?
If not you … who will?

That really is the question … if those who see are silenced, how will others hear and see? If those who see are silenced, who will be left to do something?

Is God stirring your heart to help? January is National Human Trafficking Awareness month. Conservative estimates place the number of individuals trafficked at approximately 27 million. Nearly 80 percent of those are victims of sexual exploitation; 20 percent are children.

27 Million.

Can you even conceive the magnitude of that number?

Neither can I. It’s mind boggling and it’s heart breaking. I can’t conceive of 27 million, let alone personally do something to help 27 million. But I can do what I can for one (or two, or three, or four, or …?).

So can you.

Educate yourself. Open your eyes. Pray. Give. Go. Do what you can do to help. Most of all …

Speak out.

Because sometimes silence is no longer an option.

************

I will be going with a small team of four to Cambodia and Thailand from February 17 through March 14th. We’ll be supporting and connecting with several organizations in both countries that help provide a way out of the nightmare of sex slavery. If you’d like more information or an opportunity to partner with us, email me at: simplefaith247@gmail.com.

If you’d like more general info on this issue, I listed some helpful links on this post from a couple months back.

With much grace for the journey,

Cindy