Imagine, in your most distant memories… as far back as you can remember… you recall being hungry, cold, afraid, alone, in pain, and abused. You’ve never known any other kind of life. You have to scavenge for your survival. Because you are female, there is little hope or opportunity.
Then, someone feeds you, clothes you, and approaches you with the prospect of a better life. You place your trust in them and for the first time you experience real hope… only to have it all vanish in a moment. Instead of opportunity, you find yourself in a foreign place having been sold – at twelve years of age – as a sex slave. You don’t have the means nor courage to escape. You are controlled by the drug addiction the Russian or Chinese Mafia have introduced you to. You are sold from owner to owner and, when you are no longer “profitable” in this “profession,” what life you have is taken from you, and you are harvested for your organs to be sold on the black market.
This sounds like the worst possible nightmare anyone could have. Tragically, many young girls are actually LIVING that nightmare. In fact, some 36 million girls are enslaved across the globe and half are under the age of 16! As Americans, we have been blessed so much growing up in this great nation. It is hard to imagine this kind of life being a REALITY. When I think of the problems these girls have, I am ashamed when I realize I have become preoccupied with my own troubles since they pale in comparison.
We are so grateful that Ron Brown and his wife Pat came to visit with us one Sunday evening several years ago. Ron and Pat visited with us again Wednesday night and gave us another report on the progress of their Asian ministry. Brother Brown’s ministry, Save-Asian-Souls, is dedicated to rescuing teen girls from human trafficking and God has blessed the Chattahoochee congregation with the privilege participating in this good work. Save-Asian-Souls identifies “at risk” girls aged 12 to 20, clothes them, gives them food and shelter in one of several safe-houses; educates them, teaches them a vocation, provides medical care, and most importantly, teaches them the gospel.
The bible tells us it is our responsibility as Christians to care for orphans (James 1:27). Yes, many of our orphans’ homes do this good work, but so often they are limited in their teaching of the gospel. Because they accept government funds, they have to abide by government guidelines which dictate how much teaching of the gospel they can do. Thankfully, Save-Asian-Souls doesn’t have that limitation. Out of 92 girls currently housed, 60 have become Christians this past year.
Sponsoring a girl costs so little – often less than a cup of coffee a day. For only $30 per month, you can enable an “at risk” girl to be taken off the street and give her a real, living hope. Save-Asian-Souls is doing a great work and making a difference in the lives of many young girls. But, they could do more with more support. Share this post on your favorite social media networks and help us get the word out.
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