“… being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” [ Philippians 1:6 ]

 

10 years ago, I read a book that changed my life.

At least, I thought it had changed my life …

The book was called Terrify No More, written by Gary Haugen, the founder of International Justice Mission (IJM), an organization seeking to end human trafficking and exploitation. Haugen detailed the horrors of child sex slavery in Cambodia and told the harrowing story of how IJM, along with local authorities, investigated and raided a child brothel in the impoverished community of Svay Pak, just outside the capital city, Phnom Penh.

Dozens of young girls — some as young as 5 years old — were rescued from forced prostitution during this raid. Haugen continued on to describe the various forms of human trafficking and the ways to combat it, but I was already sold. I had found what I believed to be God’s calling for my life.

I was determined to be part of the solution to this unconscionable injustice.

Human trafficking was simply unacceptable — deplorable. And I had to play a part in stopping it.

And so it came that the following summer, I packed my bags and set off on a cross-country drive to attend graduate school at the University of Connecticut. After months of research, I had concluded that a Masters degree in Social Work with a concentration on International Social Work would be the best method of preparing myself to work toward reducing human trafficking.

Upon arrival at the school, I immediately set to work to raise awareness around human trafficking. Thanks to some high-profile recent campaigns to raise awareness in the U.S. on the issue of trafficking, so many more people know about it now; they understand that it happens overseas, as well as at home in the U.S.; they understand it involves more than just sex trafficking. But ten years ago, it wasn’t a cause that garnered national attention. Presidents did not make public speeches addressing it. International news networks did not have entire projects dedicated to it. The quest to eradicate human trafficking was still very much in its infancy.

For several years, I worked in various capacities on this issue. Finally, I received my MSW, ready to head off into the world and join the cause to eradicate human trafficking.

But then … life happened.

Other issues piqued my interest even more. Unrelated professional opportunities arose. Student loans entered their repayment period. And for some reason the prospect of leaving my entire life behind to move overseas did not sound so appealing anymore.

I realized I just wanted a normal life. A life filled with friends and loved ones; a life full of hobbies; a life that was stable, predictable.

And so I filled my life with these things, these other pursuits. I climbed mountains. I rode my bike 100 miles along the rocky coast of Maine. I married a boy and made a home. All of these things are wonderful and I am grateful for them every day.

Eventually, though, I resigned myself to the fact that I would probably never again have an opportunity to work in the area of human trafficking.

But God has such a beautiful way of answering prayer in His timing; on His terms.

On June 12th, I’ll be heading back to Phnom Penh, Cambodia to volunteer with an organization that works to prevent children from being trafficked into sex slavery and to restore the lives of those who have been rescued from slavery.

My primary responsibility will be to work with the organization to conduct an organizational assessment, accompanying their caseworkers into the homes of the families they work with, helping to assess how the program could improve the way it serves families and helps restore children who have experienced trauma.

And one of the coolest parts of the whole story?

The facility where I will be serving is a brothel-turned-community-center in Svay Pak … the very brothel that was referenced in Gary Haugen’s book; the brothel that inspired me to fight human trafficking in the first place.

Isn’t that amazing?!

Although my dream is being fulfilled on a much smaller scale than I originally imagined, it is nonetheless becoming a reality. God may not have answered my prayer to work full-time in the area of human trafficking (at least not yet, anyway!), but He nonetheless answered it … even after 10 years, He did not forget the desireof my heart to serve Him by serving these children.

I know my dream to work with 5-year-olds who have been prostituted may seem a little strange to people who just want a nice house, 2.5 kids, and a dog, but it is still my dream, and it was so worth waiting for.

I’m heading back to Cambodia because my dream is still alive; because God answers prayer.

I’m headed back to Cambodia because I believe God calls us to live radical lives, not normal ones.

I’m headed back to Cambodia because over 27 million people are still living in slavery worldwide and I can still be part of the solution.

While I am in Cambodia, I will do my best to post updates both to the blog and my Facebook page to share with you a bit of what I’m doing. Due to the sensitive nature of this issue, and particularly the importance of respecting the privacy of these communities, I will need to be discreet in what I choose to publish and taking photographs will be restricted.

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Does my story remind you of any of your own unfulfilled dreams?

I encourage you not to abandon them. Not yet. Not unless God has replaced that dream in your heart with something else. If it’s your passion, God has given it to you for a reason.

If it’s your passion, it’s worth the wait.

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