You can never say again that you did not know.

I went to a sex trafficking awareness event at Tomoka Christian Church this past Friday just to learn more about the severity of this growing pandemic and while listening I heard gut wrenching statistics...

• There are 30 million people trapped in sex slavery
• Sex slavery is the fastest growing industry, next to drugs, and will soon pass drug trafficking. 
• 80% of people in sex slavery are women and children
• 1.2 million children are sold into slavery every year. 3,330 a day, 200 were sold the night I was sitting in the auditorium, listening about how children are being sold. 
• In 1999, the youngest child found in sex trafficking was 14. In 2000, it was 12. In 2004, it was 3 years old....
  
  Can we just pause for a second here. 3!? Are you kidding me?!
• U.S pornography makes over 12 billion dollars a year. 
• For every 100 children rescued, 75-90 will go back into sex slavery. Not by choice. 
• For every 100 children prevented from going into sex slavery, less than 10 will get trafficked. 

I don't know about you, but the preventative measure seems way more effective. Get them before they are sold. Don't get me wrong, rescuing them is just as important but if they are never sold, children will never have to deal with the mental, emotional, and physical anguish of performing sexual acts. To know that children are losing their innocence makes me angry, turning merchant tables in the temple kind of angry.

That being said, there are 2.1 billion Christians in the world today. Can you imagine the kind of love and hope that could be spread if 2.1 billion Christians actually did something about this? About a lot of things like poverty and hunger? your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Matt. 6:10

Remember Nhu has 33 homes in 9 different countries, helping over 700 children. Out of the 1,000 children  helped, only 1 child has entered the sex trade. As amazing as those numbers look and sound, that's still 1 too many. I don't know about you, but I will never stop doing something until no more children are ever sold. 

You may choose to look the other way, but you can never say again that you did not know ― William Wilberforce

God is so good!

I spoke in church this past weekend about going to Thailand and raising support for my missions trip and I was floored at how eager and excited everyone was to help! A couple offered to pay for my first year's room and board!!! I am so excited. Thank you to everyone who is helping by donating and praying for me. I literally cannot do this without you!

Truly grateful and forever thankful. 

After speaking with Barbara and Steve these past couple of weeks, my purpose in Thailand was clarified! The purpose for this missions trip is to create a curriculum and outline on how to teach English effectively to the house parents and children living in the Remember Nhu homes. I will also guide interns who volunteer at Remember Nhu on teaching English to house parents and children. 

Here are some pictures Barbara sent me the other day of the home and children I will be working with:

Also, I met with my old TESOL college professor today to discuss how I could create a curriculum on teaching English when I go to Thailand. 

Things are moving along nice and smooth.