Sex Trafficking and Second Chances

(Guest Writer - Katie Corbett, VA) I teach American History and recently we were discussing the abolition movement. For those of you who are not familiar with the our nation’s history, this movement called for the outlawing of slavery in the spirit of Thomas Jefferson’s eloquent and immortal words in the Declaration of Independence: “all men are created equal.” Men like William Lloyd Garrison and Frederick Douglas took Jefferson’s words to heart and led a movement to see change and equality brought to America.

A few days ago when I was telling my students about the inhumane treatment forced upon many slaves, one of my dear, sweet students raised her hand and said, “Ms. Corbett, I am so thankful slavery like this doesn’t exist.” Yes, my cherub, keep on believing that. Reality is quite different. In Thailand, half-a-world away and completely foreign to most of us, slavery is still very much alive. Women, no, young girls are being sold on a daily basis, not to pick cotton, but to sell the very last thing they own – themselves. Today in Thailand there are approximately 1.8 million sex slaves, 400,000 under the age of 12. These are just babies, the age of my sixth graders.

These women are defiled daily, giving way their dignity and their self-worth. In a country ravaged by poverty, sex drives the economy. It only takes $24 to buy a Thai woman for 24 hours. These women are valued at $1 per hour! American men flock by the thousands for cheap sex, calling their homebound wives from the lobbies of swanky hotels, just blocks from massive go-go bars. It is estimated that close to $27 billion is made through the sex industry in Thailand each year. Think about that! Really, think it over. These are women, just like our moms and sisters and aunties and little cousins that we love and hold so dearly, treated like trash and discarded just the same!

This should sicken us and break our hearts. But the problem is so big and so distant. Lucky for us, there are ministries that are trying to bring to light the atrocities of the sex trade. Last year, the movie/rockumentary Call + Response was released by the art and music community to raise awareness of human trafficking. Also amazing ministries like Freedom424 has been launched. $24 is all it takes to set a woman free from abuse for an entire day. Freedom424 goes into these bars, purchases these women and brings them back to the safe house, where they are honored and valued as women. Their hair is washed and their nails are painted. They are given a solid meal and most importantly their souls are fed with the gospel. These women are offered the chance to leave the bars and learn a new skill or trade. They are given a chance at a new life.

As Edmund Burke well said, "“Nobody makes a greater mistake than he who does nothing because he could only do a little.” Christians above all others should know the value of a second chance, of a new life. For us, this should become an unavoidable issue.

Arabic Time

(Guest Writer - Katie Corbett, VA) recently spent the weekend with a friend’s family at a Christian Arabic Conference in Pennsylvania. Since this is a blog, you are probably picturing me in your mind, wondering what Middle Eastern country I am descendent from. Well, to set the record straight, I am very blonde (at least for now), very blue-eyed, white girl with my ancestors hailing from Slovakia. Needless to say, I stuck out a just bit.

In addition to the obvious differences in physical appearance, the cultural difference was huge. I like to think I am your typical, all-American girl. I love hotdogs and Cleveland and the American flag. And like most Americans, I love to be busy and I love to be on a schedule. I have to stick closely to my pristine day planner to complete all of my daily activities.

On the 2nd day of the conference, after the morning session, it was finally time for lunch. I did not have breakfast that day, so by noon my head was screaming for Starbucks. On my “schedule,” lunch runs daily from 12:00 to 1:30. It was already 12:30. My stomach was starting to grumble a bit when I politely suggested to my friend that maybe we should go eat.

My friend Chris agreed with me, so I left to gather my things. When I returned, Chris had moved farther from the door then when I had left him! So I waited and then I waited some more, listening to the symphony that my stomach was composing. Moments seemed like eternities. Each time we took a step towards the door, something would happen and we would backtrack. Persistently looking down at my phone, I watched minutes and my chance at a hot, caffeinated beverage slipping further and further away. Finally, sensing my distress and growing agitation Chris looks at me and said, “You need to relax…you are on ‘Arabic time.’ This is how we do it.”

Later on that day after I had been caffeinated, I had some time to reflect on how my desire for a well kept schedule reflects my desire for a well kept schedule with God. When I present a problem to God, I expect an immediate answer? God knows exactly how to help me and has all the answers I am looking for, so what is the hold up? Why does God make me continue to pray and pray before he sends back the answer?

I think God is much like my beloved Arabic friends. For both of them, arriving at a final destination is equally important as the process it took to get there. It is not that God is holding out on me, it is more that he is asking to me to sit back, relax and enjoy the process. When God does not supply the answers on my schedule, it forces me to seek harder and trust more openly.

Isn’t that what God desires out of us all? He wants us to diligently seek Him and to come to trust his heart. Although it would be nice to get immediate answers and instant gratification, the immediacy that I crave may, in the end, not be as sweet or draw me closer to the heart of God.

I am not sure I was able to achieve full Arabic status in one weekend, but once I was able to relax and take it all in I realized that my friend probably had it right all along. I am going to get where I need to be, so now I need to sit back, kick up my feet, and enjoy the ride. I am living on Arabic time.

Praying for Rain

(Katie Corbett - Guest Writer, VA) Northern Georgia is in crisis. For several months there has been little significant rainfall. MSNBC is reporting that in 90 days the city of Atlanta will be completely devoid of water. Unfortunately for the residents of Atlanta, there is no backup plan in place. I can hardly imagine what life would be like if one day I turned on the faucet and nothing came out. Yes, I do drink mostly bottled water, but I do not wash my hands with it or enjoy my daily showers from it. To me, the idea of running out of water is absurd. This is Georgia, not the Sahara. So, as Bo Emerson, in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution states, “Desperate times call for desperate measures…we’re in desperate times.”

Enter the governor of Georgia, Sonny Perdue. Gov. Perdue feels that he has the answer. On November 13, 2007, Perdue called a prayer vigil to ask God to send much needed rain. At approximately 11:45 am on the capital steps many came forward to pray. The concept of praying for rain isn’t really new. American Indians have been dancing and praying to their gods for rain for centuries. The question plaguing me about this situation is "why the wait?" Why did he wait for desperation before hitting his knees? More importantly, why do I often do the same thing?

Just like the people of Georgia, I fear that prayer is often our last resort. When talking to several friends about what they do when they are in crisis, few of them said their first response was prayer. When problems arise, who are you mostly likely to turn to? Most I spoke to turned to thier friends for advice, while some turned to their parents, and others to a counselor. When asked where prayer comes in most answered, semi-bashfully, that prayer was almost at the bottom . . . a last resort. I know in my personal life--much like those Georgians--only when desperate times strike do I turn to my heavenly Father and ask Him for help.

Why do we do this? God wants us to ask. He says it over and over in His word…Philippians 4:6 says, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be known to God.” Our God wants to help us. Furthermore, most of us know that God is the one with the answers, so why is it so difficult to ask? We trust Him enough to save our eternal souls, why can’t we trust him enough to help us with our everyday problems? The answer is WE SHOULD!

I hope that we will join the people of Georgia as they pray for rain, because they truly are desperate. Yes, desperate times do call for desperate measures, but wouldn’t it be nice to arrive at a place where we don’t see prayer as a measure reserved for desperation but as an everyday conversation with someone who loves us and wants the best for us?

Let it fall.