I believe in justice. I believe that every person has a right to live a life free of abuse and violence. I believe that every person is intrinsically valuable simply because they exist. I believe that those who are lucky enough to live in a country that believes these things should fight for those who don't.
But I also believe in Jesus.
I guess I always assumed that those things went together.
Six months ago I quit my job in Connecticut, packed up my belongings, and drove to California to volunteer for 6 months with Not For Sale, an anti-human trafficking organization that believes 'we can end slavery in our lifetime.'
I returned 6 months later, a little bruised and defeated.
I spent the last 6 months of my life working harder than I have ever worked. I remember my first week of boot camp, an intense week of training where we learned everything there was to know about Not For Sale. I remember sitting in the living room and learning about slavery, human trafficking, corrupt justice systems, poverty, police abuses, and bonded labor. I remember feeling so passionate and empowered, for the first time I was contributing to something I cared about so much. And then I spent the next 6 months feeling completely overwhelmed at the complexities that contribute to this problem, hearing story after story of the people who are living through hell with no way out.
The last week at Not For Sale I was able to attend the Aftercare Academy, which is an intense 40-hour training that deals with the aftercare of victims coming out of trafficking and prostitution in California. I am grateful for that week where God reminded me of why I had come here in the first place. My heart was broken all over again, and I knew that this was, in-fact, the field I wanted to spend my life in. Today there are more than 30 million people living in slavery, and I would be willing to bet that's a low estimate. Let's be honest, there is no way we can end slavery in our lifetime. Not on our own.
But that's the beautiful thing about my God. Just when I think I can do this on my own, He reminds me of how small I am and how big He is. He reminds me that the work of justice is His work, and that He is allowing me to be apart of it. Suddenly this overwhelming, complicated, depressing problem that I spend most of my life thinking about doesn't seem so overwhelming.
I am just grateful to be apart of it.
The last week at Not For Sale I was able to attend the Aftercare Academy, which is an intense 40-hour training that deals with the aftercare of victims coming out of trafficking and prostitution in California. I am grateful for that week where God reminded me of why I had come here in the first place. My heart was broken all over again, and I knew that this was, in-fact, the field I wanted to spend my life in. Today there are more than 30 million people living in slavery, and I would be willing to bet that's a low estimate. Let's be honest, there is no way we can end slavery in our lifetime. Not on our own.
But that's the beautiful thing about my God. Just when I think I can do this on my own, He reminds me of how small I am and how big He is. He reminds me that the work of justice is His work, and that He is allowing me to be apart of it. Suddenly this overwhelming, complicated, depressing problem that I spend most of my life thinking about doesn't seem so overwhelming.
I am just grateful to be apart of it.
1 comment:
this is so beautifully written, Holly. your passion is so encouraging to me!
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